Bengals vs. Texans: Who Wins the AFC Wild Card Matchup on Saturday?

For the first time since 1993, there'll be an NFL playoff game being held in the city of Houston. That being said, who wins the AFC Wild-Card game between the visiting Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans?

Well, here's a breakdown of when each team has the possession of the ball and a predicted score at the end.

Bengals Offense vs. Texans Defense

Houston has arguably the NFL's best defense, and they finished ranked inside the top five against the rush and pass. In their first meeting, the Bengals offense was limited to just 285 total yards, scored 19 points and turned the ball over twice.

QB Andy Dalton was sacked just once, however, he was pressured four other times, and the Bengals went 5-of-13 on third down. As for this game, don't expect anything different.

Houston will blitz relentlessly to fluster Dalton and limit receiver AJ Green's time to get open down field. Green is Cincy's biggest threat to moving the ball on Houston, so you can also expect him to be double-covered.

For the Bengals to have any shot at effectively moving the ball, receiver Jerome Simpson and tight end Jermaine Gresham need to have a big day. They'll likely see single coverage all game long, and with the ground game being shut down, Dalton has to look elsewhere than Green.

Texans Offense vs. Bengals Defense

In the regular-season matchup the Houston Texans were without receiver Andre Johnson who returned to the field in Week 17. Still, Texans rookie QB TJ Yates led an impressive game-winning drive and managed to hit 300 passing yards while also throwing two TDs.

Now with Johnson back, Cincinnati's defense is even more mismatched. Houston's rushing attack will draw up the defenders as Arian Foster led the NFL's No. 2 ranked ground game.

With defenders stacked against him, the play-action pass becomes an essential part to Yates gaining confidence in the pass game. Johnson will clearly stretch the field, so the underneath routes to Kevin Walter and Owen Daniel will be open.

In turn, that allows for the screen pass and draw to work against an even more vulnerable Bengals defense. When Johnson was not in the regular game, Cincy could blitz and get a lot more QB pressure.

This time though, they must press cover and double Johnson all day to have any shot at slowing Houston's multidimensional offense down.

Prediction

Let's put it this way. Without Andre Johnson even on the road, the Houston Texans still defeated the Cincinnati Bengals thanks to TJ Yates' game-winning drive.

Now with Johnson out wide, you can bet on coach Gary Kubiak stretching the field to get Cincy off balance early. That will then force the Bengals to throw more often with a non-existent ground game, and Houston's No. 3 ranked pass defense will suffocate Cincy's No. 20 ranked pass offense.

Texans 28, Bengals 17

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