Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans
Time: 1:00 PM (ET) on CBS
Favorite: Houston (open: 1 / current: 2 | over/under: 44)
Following their impressive victory last weekend over the Cleveland Browns, the Houston Texans play another Ohio team for the second consecutive week against the Cincinnati Bengals. While the Texans are back to .500 and are looking for a late push into the post-season, they play a huge home game in third-string QB Ryan Mallett making his home debut. This game essentially comes down to Andy Alton and his ability to connect with the wide receivers, as the Texans have been giving up 300 yards in the air on a consistent basis. While their defensive-line may be one of the best in the entire league, Houston will have to rely on J.J. Watt once again to rally his troops to keep them in playoff contentions. Surprisingly, they’re only 1 game behind the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South standings (whom they play in 4 weeks) and have a favorable schedule against the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.