Bengals vs. Texans: 3 Reasons Cincinnati Will Take out AFC South Champs

The last time the Bengals won a playoff game was at the end of the 1990 season. That year, they beat the then Houston Oilers 41-14 in the Wild Card Round before losing the next week to the Raiders. On Saturday, that two-decade drought will come to an end against Houston's new team, the Texans. 

There are a few reasons that this will happen, despite the fact that the Texans beat the Bengals 20-19 in Cincinnati earlier in the season. As a matter of fact, let's start with that game. 

The Texans Are a Different Team

The Week 14 win in Cincinnati was the last game the Texans won this year. They had shown tremendous resiliency up to that point and were still winning despite a rash of injuries, but their luck has expired. The Texans lost to the Panthers, Colts and Titans coming in. None of those teams are in the playoffs, and only one is above .500. 

They still have a good defense, but they're going to have a hard time putting up any points against the Bengals, who are also a fine defensive squad. Cincinnati can load up to defend Ben Tate and Arian Foster, and trust it's elite secondary against the receivers. 

Ultimately, it directly leads to my next point. Houston got by early because didn't know what to prepare for on offense. Now they do, and what they're preparing for is not good.

T.J. Yates vs. Andy Dalton

The advantage of being a third-string quarterback is that scout teams don't know a lot about you, neither do defensive coordinators. So, when you're thrust into action, you can keep those NFL defenses guessing. That's what happened to the Falcons and Bengals in Yates' first two starts. 

Now, the Bengals know exactly what to expect with Yates. They are game planning for him, and he's not a good enough quarterback to survive against a good NFL defense without the element of surprise. 

Andy Dalton has been phenomenal all year. He'll protect the ball well enough and find A.J. Green when the time is right, making the right amount of big plays. And while we're on that note...

A.J. Green

I know what you might be thinking. Don't the Texans have Andre Johnson? They do, but he's been hurt all season and has to rely on T.J. Yates. Green doesn't have those health concerns, and he has Andy Dalton. 

Green has been a machine all year. If it weren't for Cam Newton, he'd be the obvious Rookie of the Year. He's a fantastic playmaker, and will make just enough big plays to put his team over the top. 

I don't like the Bengals' long-term chances in the playoffs, but they'll get through this game. The Texans have too many injuries.

Prediction: Bengals 20, Texans 13

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