Saturday, December 24, 2016

NRG Stadium

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The Cincinnati Bengals take on the Houston Texans on Saturday, December 24, 2016 at NRG Stadium. The opening line for this game has Houston as 3.5 point favorites and the over/under was set at 41. The Bengals are 5-9-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 6-8-0. The Texans have an over/under record of 6-8-0 and they are 6-7-1 against the spread.

Andy Dalton finished with 157 yards through the air for Cincinnati last week. He completed 16 passes out of 27 attempts for a 59% completion percentage. The Bengals were led in rushing by Jeremy Hill, who finished with 43 yards on 20 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 2 yards per carry. Brandon LaFell was the team leader in receiving with a total of 91 yards and 7 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 13 yards per reception. As a team in that game Cincinnati got a total of 19 first downs. Of those first downs, 8 came on the ground while 9 came through the air. They ran 56 total plays for 222 yards for the game. The Bengals ran for 76 yards on 28 attempts.

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Tom Savage finished with 260 yards passing for Houston last week. He went 23 for 36, resulting in a 64% completion percentage. The Texans were led on the ground by Lamar Miller, who finished with 63 yards on 22 carries. He ended the game with an average of 3 yards per rush. DeAndre Hopkins led the team in receiving with 87 yards and 8 catches. He finished the game with an average of 11 yards per reception. Houston had 23 first downs total. 6 came from running the ball and 13 came from a pass. They ran 78 total plays for 387 yards for the contest. The Texans ran for 79 yards on 31 carries as a team.

Cincinnati scores 21 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. In the passing department, they average 23 passes on 35 attempts for a 66% completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 249 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 16th in the league. The Bengals run for an average of 112 yards per game on 28 attempts for an average of 4 yards per carry. That ranks them 13th in the league. They also run 66 plays per contest and average 5.5 yards per play for an average of 360 yards per game, ranking their offense 12th overall this season. The Bengals average 22 first downs per game which ranks them 13th in the NFL. They accumulate 46.1 penalty yards per game via 5.7 penalties, which ranks 30th in the league.

Cincinnati allows 242 passing yards per game, ranking 13th, and they allow 21 points per contest on defense, which ranks 11th. They give up 23 completions on 37 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 62%. The Bengals allow 118 rushing yards per game on 27 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 26th in the NFL. Cincinnati allows 359 total yards per game including 5.5 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 21st in terms of yards per game. They get flagged for 7 penalties for 63.1 yards per game, ranking them 16th among NFL teams.

Houston averages 18 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 28th in the league. In the passing department, they complete 22 passes per game on 36 attempts for a 61% completion percentage. They throw for 198 yards through the air per game, ranking them 30th. The Texans run for an average of 123 yards per game on 29 attempts for an average of 4.2 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 5th on the ground. They also run 67 plays per game and average 4.8 yards per play for a total of 321 yards per game, ranking them 26th in the league on offense. The Texans get an average of 19 first downs per game, which ranks 22nd. They average 57.7 penalty yards per game via 5.6 penalties, ranking them 32nd in the NFL.

Houston allows an average of 204 passing yards per game, which ranks 2nd in the league. Their defense overall allows 21 points per contest, which has them ranked 12th. They give up 20 completions on 33 attempts for a completion percentage of 61% per game. The Texans allow 103 rushing yards per contest on 25 carries for a 4.1 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 16th in the NFL. Houston allows 307 total yards per game for an average of 5.2 yards per play, which ranks 1st in the league. They force 7.2 penalties for 59.9 yards in each contest, ranking 17th.

Cincinnati Betting Trends

Cincinnati is 6-8-0 against the over/under this season

Cincinnati has an ATS record of 5-9-0 this season

Houston Betting Trends

Houston is 6-8-0 against the over/under this season

Houston has an ATS record of 6-7-1 this season

Injuries to Watch

Cincinnati

12/18/16 DE Wallace Gilberry Calf "?" Saturday vs. Houston
12/18/16 WR A.J. Green Hamstring "?" Saturday vs. Houston
12/18/16 LB Vincent Rey Hamstring injured last game, "?" Saturday vs. Houston
12/18/16 LB Vontaze Burfict Concussion injured last game, "?" Saturday vs. Houston
11/21/16 HB Giovani Bernard ACL out for season
08/31/16 DT Andrew Billings Knee IR
08/31/16 DT Brandon Thompson Knee PUP
08/31/16 HB Cedric Peerman Forearm out indefinitely

Houston

12/19/16 RB Lamar Miller Ankle probable Saturday vs. Cincinnati
12/19/16 QB Tom Savage None expected to start Saturday vs. Cincinnati
12/18/16 TE C.J. Fiedorowicz Concussion "?" Saturday vs. Cincinnati
12/18/16 LB Whitney Mercilus Back "?" Saturday vs. Cincinnati
12/18/16 G Jeff Allen Concussion "?" Saturday vs. Cincinnati
12/18/16 LB John Simon Chest "?" Saturday vs. Cincinnati
12/18/16 CB Johnathan Joseph Ribs "?" Saturday vs. Cincinnati
12/14/16 WR Braxton Miller Shoulder IR
12/10/16 WR Jaelen Strong Ankle IR
11/12/16 S Lonnie Ballentine Groin IR
10/25/16 T Derek Newton Knee IR
10/17/16 S K.J. Dillon ACL IR
10/17/16 CB Kevin Johnson Foot IR
10/05/16 DT Devon Still Undisclosed IR
09/30/16 DE J.J. Watt Back IR
08/31/16 S Kurtis Drummond Leg IR
08/31/16 G Nick Martin Ankle IR
08/31/16 K Ka'imi Fairbairn Quad IR

Guy's Pick: Take Houston -3.5

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