The Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans are both coming off huge road wins in Week 11 that significantly boosted their chances of making it to the NFL playoffs. The Bengals stormed into New Orleans and manhandled the Saints in a 27-10 thumping. That came following a 24-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 10 that had everyone questioning if the Bengals were a legitimate playoff contender.
How to watch Bengals vs. Texans 2014 online: Time, TV schedule and live stream
The Houston Texans have owned the Cincinnati Bengals as of late. Will that change this week?
As for the 5-5 Texans, they beat those same Browns at Cleveland in Week 11, 23-7, in Ryan Mallett’s first NFL start. That leaves Houston with an opportunity to climb above the .500 mark for the first time since Week 5 if it can beat the 6-3-1 Bengals this week, something it’s routinely done in recent years.
Cincinnati won the first three matchups between the two franchises, but has now lost five straight to the Texans, including two losses in the NFL playoffs. In fact, those two postseason defeats are the last two games between the two teams. In Houston, the Texans defeated a young Bengals team, led by rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green, by a 31-10 margin in the 2012 playoffs. Houston then escaped with a 19-13 home win the following year. In both games, the Texans harassed Dalton, who completed just 41 of 72 passes for 384 yards and four interceptions.
While Reliant Stadium was a house of horrors for Dalton and the Bengals, they hope their fortunes can change now that it's been rechristened as NRG Stadium. Dalton has struggled under center this season, and having to face J.J. Watt is never pleasant. But the Bengals are also going up against the league's second-worst pass defense as they look to finally win at Houston while maintaining a slim lead atop the AFC North.
How to Watch
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
When: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Jenny Dell
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile | NFL Sunday Ticket
Odds
Houston is a 2-point home favorite with an over/under of 43.5 points, according to OddsShark.
Further Reading
For more on the Bengals, head over to Cincy Jungle.
To keep up on the Texans, check out Battle Red Blog.
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