Bengals vs. Texans: Cincinnati's Surprising Success Will End in Houston

The Cincinnati Bengals should be proud of themselves this season.

No one gave them a chance in the preseason and all they did was go 9-7 and make it to the playoffs.

But the Bengals' impressive season will end on Jan. 7 against the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.

There's no question that rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have been solid this season. To have the kind of seasons they've had adjusting to the NFL has been remarkable. On top of this, the defense as a whole has improved, despite the loss of cornerback Johnathan Joseph.

But the offense is still a work in progress. While the Bengals' offensive unit has progressed faster than anyone could have imagined, there are still kinks to work out and experience to be gained.

Against a team like the Texans, who have allowed 17.4 points per game this season, the Bengals should struggle, particularly away from home.

The Texans beat the Bengals in Cincinnati on Dec. 12, and that was with rookie quarterback T.J. Yates at the helm and despite committing four turnovers. The Texans limited the Bengals to 19 points in that game.

The one thing the Bengals do have on their side is that the Texans haven't been as good since that win on Dec. 12. They've lost their last three games to the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans.

I expect this to be a close, low-scoring game, but in the end I see the Texans defense limiting the Bengals more and coming away with a nail-biter.