NFL Playoff Picks: Houston Texans Will Advance Past the Cincinnati Bengals

The Houston Texans (10-6) and Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) are set to meet up in an AFC Wild Card playoff game Saturday afternoon inside Reliant Stadium in Houston.

Oddsmakers have established the Texans as three-point home favorites, while the total has remained at 38.5 since the betting odds were established on Jan. 1.

We finished up the regular season with a 28-7-1 against-the-spread (ATS) run over the final three weeks, finishing the entire year with a fantastic 56 percent mark in picking games six days in advance.

Let's take a look at this contest from a betting perspective.

Houston Texans' First Playoff Game

The Houston Texans have waited a long time to host a playoff game—let alone play in one.

After playing a combined 201 preseason and regular season games, the Texans will finally get their chance on Saturday afternoon inside Reliant Stadium.

Houston tallied a 3-2 record against teams that earned a spot in the NFL playoffs.

There's no doubt that the franchise will be ready to roll in starting the 2012 postseason.

Cincinnati Bengals Are Playing with Revenge

The Cincinnati Bengals were unable to hold a 16-3 halftime lead over the Houston Texans in Week 14, dropping a 20-19 contest as 2.5-point home favorites.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton got outplayed by fellow rookie T.J. Yates in that affair, throwing for just 189 yards and a single touchdown. 

Yates won the game by finishing off scoring drives of 83 and 80 yards in the fourth quarter.

The Bengals are just 6-8 ATS when playing with revenge the last two-plus seasons.

Andre Johnson, Houston Texans WR

Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson will be playing in his first NFL playoff game Saturday, as he looks to move past injuries to both hamstrings over the course of the season.

The team's first-round selection in the 2003 NFL draft missed nine games and failed to catch 60 or more passes for the first time in his career.

He didn't play in the first meeting between these two franchises, but is an obvious factor if ready to improve upon his two-catch performance in the regular-season finale last week.

Cincinnati Bengals Are Terrible in the Red Zone

The Cincinnati Bengals will be going against a Houston Texans defense that ranked second-best in the league in allowing just 285.7 yards per game.

Those numbers will make it hard for the Bengals to even reach the Texans 20-yard line, but it may not matter.

Cincinnati scored just 23 touchdowns in 51 red-zone opportunities during the regular season.

Houston Texans Versus Winning Road Teams

The Houston Texans have tallied an impressive 16-5 ATS mark versus teams with a winning road record, which is likely one of the best marks in the entire league.

Cincinnati may have finished the regular season with a 5-3 road record, but went 0-7 this year versus playoff teams.

A nice edge to have when hosting your first playoff game in franchise history.

Prediction

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster sat out last week's 23-22 home loss to the Tennessee Titans, but that should prove useful in having him ready to roll for this contest.

NFL teams that enter the playoffs off multiple losses are a solid 9-1 ATS when possessing a better record than their opponent, while the youthful Bengals have been running out of gas in getting out-gained in their last five games.

Lay the small number and cash.

Pick: Houston Texans (-3)