Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans: Complete Week 12 Preview for Cincinnati
The second stop on a three-game road stretch places the Cincinnati Bengals in Houston for an encounter with the rebuilding—and dangerous—Texans.
Andy Dalton and the Bengals scored an impressive return to form last week with a dominant 27-10 win in New Orleans. The Bengals are alone in first place in the AFC North at 6-3-1, but cannot afford a hiccup down in Texas considering all four teams in the division have a minimum of six wins.
A .500 Houston team with a new quarterback would love to play the spoiler, too.
The first season of Bill O'Brien's rebuild has been rocky, but the Bengals know well enough how great the Texans can be based on their recent dances over the past three years and change.
Ryan Mallett is the new man under center and has old-reliable names such as Andre Johnson and Arian Foster to lean on, while the defense has a talent who can single-handedly win a game on his own by the name of J.J. Watt.
Sunday is a stiff test for the Bengals. Not only is Houston quietly a dangerous team in most respects, the biggest issue in the Queen City this year has been consistency.
With only a handful of games left the Bengals have a lot to prove in Week 12.
Week 11 Recap
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The Cincinnati Bengals were in a seemingly impossible spot.
A 24-3 embarrassment at the hands of Cleveland in prime time seemed to spell doom for the franchise, especially heading into a daunting road tour that began in a near-impossible place to win, New Orleans.
Alas, Marvin Lewis' team responded in a major way in Week 11 with the 27-10 win.
Despite injuries, the defense rose to the occasion and limited Drew Brees to 255 yards and one score. The Saints gained just 75 yards on the ground. Dre Kirkpatrick looked sound as a starter, running lanes were clogged and tackling issues were few and far between.
Andy Dalton had an uptick in play with 220 yards and three scores. Rookie Jeremy Hill had an emphatic homecoming with 152 rushing yards. A.J. Green was his usual self with six grabs for 127 yards and a touchdown.
In short, the Bengals looked like the contender most had picked them to be this past preseason before an up-and-down journey to this point.
Going to New Orleans and silencing the Superdome is an impressive feat. It is hard to name an area of the team that was not improved in the process, too. The key now is riding that momentum into another victory through smart play calls, few mistakes and great execution.
News and Notes
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Andy Dalton's Return to Form No Shock
For those within the Cincinnati Bengals organization, a sudden return to form for quarterback Andy Dalton was no big surprise.
After throwing three interceptions and gaining a 2.0 quarterback rating two weeks ago, Dalton responded with three scoring passes in New Orleans. As veteran offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth told the media this week, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey, there was little doubt the TCU product would turn things around:
"He's Andy. It's the same thing I've said all along: 'He'll bounce back, he'll play well.' We didn't put him in a great position to play well last week. We all had our part in it, and obviously we've got to play better. This week we all did, and he played better, as well.
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It should need little reinforcing at this point, but Dalton has the respect of his team through the good and bad. He is the leader that most have thrown their weight behind, a notion that continues to emanate from the organization each week.
The fact that the tune about Dalton each week never falters is perhaps a sign of just how closely knit the locker room truly is at this point.
Old Friends Collide
The Bengals are destined to have some serious issues with Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt Sunday.
Kevin Zeitler is the main man tasked with limiting said issues.
The two go way back to their Wisconsin days and are still offseason workout partners, but line up on opposite sides of the line Sunday. From Zeitler's side, it is all about respect.
“The guy is pretty freaky in terms of his strength and speed levels and his agility,” Zeitler said, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It's pretty amazing to watch.”
Watt is a terror and perhaps on the way to MVP accolades if he keeps his current form. Zeitler has been great himself as of late, but an added emphasis is placed on his performance Sunday with right tackle having been a weakness as of late.
Andre Smith may or may not be back, but either way the spotlight will fall on a motivated Zeitler.
New-Look Committee
When the season began, it was Giovani Bernard who led rookie Jeremy Hill in the backfield.
Now the roles may be flipped.
Bernard sounds ready to return, but offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is in no way committing to Bernard as the lead back once again, per Hobson:
"I think he deserves it. And I think with Gio just coming back, it's going to be hard for me to just say let's just thrust him in there again and let him go again. I think we've got to work him back into our process and how we do things. What will determine that is just how fast and how we think he is ready to go.
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This is a great problem to have.
While Bernard is a special talent, Hill has bruised his way to gaudy numbers as the workhorse and been a critical facet of the balanced Bengals attack. Working Bernard back into the mix slowly to both keep him healthy and provide another wrinkle defenses must account for is smooth planning on Jackson's part.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Vontaze Burfict | LB | Doubtful |
| Giovani Bernard | RB | Questionable |
| Cedric Peerman | RB | Questionable |
| Terence Newman | CB | Questionable |
*All injury reports are from ESPN.com. This slide will be updated when the official report is released.
A few of the usual suspects line the list at this point. In an ideal world, the Cincinnati Bengals would get Vontaze Burfict back. That said, the run defense looked good with Rey Maualuga back in the fold last week. Ditto for a pass defense without Terence Newman thanks to the play of Dre Kirkpatrick.
One name not on the list? Right tackle Andre Smith, who will prove a key participant Sunday against a defense led by J.J. Watt.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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A.J. Green vs. Houston Secondary
Seemingly full speed after a nagging toe injury, Cincinnati Bengals wideout A.J. Green is a critical element to Sunday's encounter with the Houston Texans.
Really, the Georgia product is in any contest, but especially on the road against this defense.
The Texans, with a secondary led by a guy named Jonathan Joseph, rank 31st against the pass this year, allowing 278.1 receiving yards per game on average. As Matt Hammond of Sports Radio 610 summarizes, No. 1 wideouts have absolutely roasted the unit this season:
"Victor Cruz went for 107 yards and a touchdown on five catches for the New York Giants in Week 2. Dez Bryant caught 9 balls for 85 yards and a score for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. T.Y. Hilton erupted for 223 yards and a touchdown on nine grabs for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6. Antonio Brown went for 90 yards on nine catches for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7. Jeremy Maclin had 158 yards on six catches and two touchdowns for the Philadelphia Eagles three weeks ago.
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Given the trend, Green should be in for a huge day. If that proves true, it likely means the Bengals are moving the ball well enough to score a road victory.
Bengals Linebackers vs. Arian Foster
Feel free to replace the above name with Alfred Blue if Arian Foster is not healthy enough to suit up Sunday.
The Texans make their money on the ground this year, ranking third in rushing with an average of 144.6 yards per game. It just so happens that the Bengals are miserable in this regard, ranking 28th while allowing scarily close to that same average.
Now, things were much better last week in this regard with Rey Maualuga back in the fold. But this is an area Houston thrives in, not an afterthought that is only effective by way of the attention placed on a guy like Drew Brees.
Foster has repeatedly torched the Bengals in the past. If he is not good to go, keep in mind that Blue is one of the most capable backups in the NFL. Just last week he turned 36 carries into 156 yards in a win over Cleveland.
If the Bengals linebackers play the wrong gaps or suddenly regress and struggle with tackles once again, chains are going to get moved consistently. When that happens, it means the Cincinnati offense sees the field less than it should.
X-Factor of the Week: Jeremy Hill
Bengals rookie back Jeremy Hill has rushed for a minimum of 150 yards in two of his last three outings.
With Giovani Bernard sounding like he will see limited usage in Houston, the pressure once again falls on the shoulders of a first-year player who has come up big for his team as of late.
Hill is going to need to move the ball at a consistent pace up the field when asked against a Houston defense that ranks among the top half of the league against the rush. His ability to move the chains will take pressure off of Andy Dalton and the offense and keep Houston's talented backs off the field.
Keep in mind that Hill will need to get strong with the football, too, having fumbled twice in his past two outings. It is a small note, but something to watch for in a game that could wind up quite close.
If Hill has a big game, it is hard to imagine a scenario in which the Bengals lose Sunday. If not, it places the load on Dalton, which could lead to mistakes if the attack becomes one-dimensional.
Keep a close eye on No. 32 in Cincinnati, as always.
Prediction
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The Cincinnati Bengals continue to get healthy at just the right time as the final stretch of the season looms closer.
Houston is no joke of an opponent. Arian Foster is arguably the best back in the league and has given the Bengals fits in recent years, even when the unit has ranked in an elite fashion against the rush. The defense has J.J. Watt, which at this point is really all that needs said.
How the Bengals adapt will decide this one. If the team comes out with a predictable, quick-hitting attack with screens and the like and Houston is all over it, Marvin Lewis and his staff will need to alter course in a hurry.
The good news is that the Bengals have a potent ground game. So long as Andy Dalton is accurate and careful with the football, players such as A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu can and will hurt the Houston secondary.
This one is going to be much closer than anticipated, especially if Foster suits up. But Cincinnati is the better team with players on the edges of the offense who can change games late when it matters. That trumps a rebuilding team with an offense led by Ryan Mallett getting just his second start of the year.
Prediction: Bengals 24, Texans 20
Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
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