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Houston Texans (0-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
NFL Football: Thursday, September 14, 2017 at 8:25 pm (Paul Brown Stadium)
The Line: Cincinnati Bengals -3 -- Over/Under: 38 Click to Get Latest Betting Odds
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On Thursday out at Paul Brown Stadium, the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals will be kicking off the Week 2 NFL action.
The Texans are starting things off at 0-1 this year after a dismal showing against the Jaguars in Week 1. Houston allowed 100 yards and a TD on 26 carries to Leonard Fournette, while Lamar Miller only posted 65 yards on 17 carries for the Texans on the other side. Deshaun Watson finished 12-of-23 for the game, throwing for 102 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Houston is coming off a 2016 in which they went 9-7 and finished first in the AFC South. The Texans won the Wild Card Game 27-14 versus the Raiders, but lost in the Divisional Round to the eventual champion Patriots 34-16.
Over on the Bengals’ side, they’re currently 0-1 as well after their 20-0 shutout defeat at the hands of the Ravens. Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton finished 16-of-31 in that one, throwing for 170 yards and four interceptions. Dalton had a total of five turnovers on the day including his fumble.
Cincinnati managed to go 6-9-1 last season, which left them in third place in the AFC North. It was a regression from their 12-4 campaign in 2015, and Cincinnati missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
The Texans are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games in Week 2, and 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall. Houston is also 1-5 ATS in their last six versus the AFC and 0-7 ATS in their last seven Thursday games.
Meanwhile, the Bengals are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games in Week 2, and 4-1 ATS in their last five versus a team with a losing record. Cincinnati is also 18-7-2 in their last 27 games in September, and they’re 4-1 ATS int heir last five home games versus a team with a losing road record.
Both Cincinnati and Houston need a fresh turnaround this week after some pretty abysmal performances in the opening week. The Texans were bad on both sides of the ball, and need to get into shape in a hurry if they want to contend for the division. As for the Bengals, their No. 1 problem this past week was Dalton, who is enough of a veteran that he should have his act cleaned up here. I think the familiar surroundings will do the Bengals some good here so I’ll take Cincinnati to cover.
Andrew’s Pick Cincinnati Bengals -3
AUTHOR: Andrew Jett
