Before the 2011 season kicked off, if you had announced that the Bengals and Texans were serious playoff contenders, you would have been greeted with gales of laughter. Sure, the Texans have been a contender in the AFC south for the past few years, but they have always seemed to find a way to lose to the Colts. The Bengals with rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, rookie wide receiver A.J Green, and a cast of no names were expected to be at the bottom of the league, especially in the extremely tough AFC North division.
Both teams have exceeded expectations and if the playoffs started today the Bengals and Texans would be on the field. Unfortunately, for the Bengals (7-5) and Texans (9-3), there are still 4 weeks left to go and they haven’t reached the post season just yet.
The Texans went into the season optimistic that they could fight for a playoff spot and finally overcome the mighty Indianapolis Colts, and they were definitely right. Sure, the Colts lost their Super Bowl winning, four-time MVP and 11-time Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning, but one player isn’t a team. Right? Apparently, Manning was the team or at least more of it than anyone thought. The Colts have yet to win a game this season and Manning is still out with a lingering neck injury that was not expected to have this long lasting effect. In Week 1, the Colts and Texans met and the Texans made a big statement running over the Colts in a 34-7 win.
The roller coaster ride of an NFL season seemed to be going too smoothly for the Texans and soon the ride became bumpy when the Texans placed pro bowl quarterback Matt Schaub on injured reserve a few weeks ago. The loss of Schaub really hurts the Texans whole offensive game plan and it will pressure running back Arian Foster to play the best football of his young career.
Foster is having an all pro year after an early season injury. However, the reliance on the run will be huge for the Texans, with third string quarterback T.J Yates under center for the rest of the season. The Texans have brought in veteran quarterbacks Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia to add some depth at the position, but the job is currently Yates’ to keep.
Yates most likely won’t have the luxury of throwing to one of the best receivers in football this week, either. Andre Johnson has missed over a month with a hamstring injury and in his first game back last week against the Falcons, he suffered another hamstring injury in the Texans win. Johnson did not practice Thursday and his chances to play this week are slim. Yates will have to utilize his tight end Owen Daniels along with his running backs to keep a mix of run and pass, and to stretch the field against a fierce Bengals defense.
At the beginning of the year, expectations were not very high in Cincinnati, but in a matter of weeks people were buying into the Bengals. Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver AJ Green are playing lights out and are a big reason that the Bengals are 7-5. Dalton and Green have built up a strong chemistry with each other, hooking up 50 times, 7 times for touchdowns. Not only are Dalton and Green being talked about as rookie of the year candidates, they are both being talked about as Pro Bowl contenders, which is quite an accomplish for rookies.
Although Dalton and Green are getting most of the attention in Cincinnati, running back Cedric Benson is quietly having a very solid year averaging just under 4 yards per a carry and scoring 5 touchdowns. With such a balanced attack on the offensive side of the ball, Cincinnati can put up points (averaging slightly over 22 a game), which is scary considering how solid there defense is.
The Bengals defense from top to bottom is very strong, built of a bunch of “under the radar” players that mesh well with each other. They are in the top third in the NFL in passing and rushing yards allowed per game, and are 6th in the league allowing just over 300 yards to opposition’s offenses. Not only have the Bengals limited opponents yardages, they also can get to opposing quarterbacks with regularity. The Bengals average over 2.5 sacks a game and the pass rush is very spread out considering their sack leader Geno Atkins has six.
The team excels at open field tackling with linebackers Rey Maualuga and Thomas Howard, which keeps short plays from turning into explosive long plays. The Bengals are a poor team at getting turnovers in the secondary, and their 6 interceptions is tied for second worst in the league, but their phenomenal run defense can make the opposition one dimensional in the passing game.
The Bengals need to come out strong this week if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. With a loss to the Texans, it’s hard to imagine the Bengals sneaking in with a meeting against division rival Baltimore still on the schedule. Although the Texans have a little breathing room from the Titans, they are only 2 games up and with all their injuries, anything could happen.
It is crucial for the Texans to make a statement and prove that their defense is for real this week, considering all their injuries on the offensive side of the ball. The Texans defense, like the Bengals, has been playing tough all year and will have to continue to carry much of the burden if they want to make a run.
Look for Arian Foster to get a lot of carries and short passes with young quarterback T.J. Yates making his second start of the season. If the Bengals can control Foster and force Yates to try to stretch the field, it could be a long day for the Texans offense.
The Texans defense has a similar game plan. They will hope to contain the Bengals big three of Dalton, Green and Benson and force some turnovers. This game looks to be a defensive battle, and should be low scoring and very intense with both teams fighting to make the playoffs and prove all those doubters wrong.
