Bengals vs. Texans – NFL fans and gridiron gamblers everywhere will be treated to what promises to be a new era in the AFC when they meet in Saturday’s AFC Wild Card matchup when it gets under way at Reliant Stadium at 4:30 PM ET. That’s right pro football lovers, nobody expected either of these two teams to be in the postseason when the 2011 regular season began, but here they are and apparently prepared to get it on!

No. 6 Cincinnati (9-7) at No. 3 Houston (10-6)
When: Saturday, January 7th 2012 at 4:30 ET
Where: Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX
TV: NBC
Prediction: CLICK HERE FOR THE WINNING BETTING PICK
Point Spread: Houston Texans (-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (+3) Over/Under 38.5

Cincinnati Bengals (9-7 SU, 8-6-2 ATS, 11-5 O/U)
The Bengals made the postseason in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, thanks mostly to their underrated defense and the eye-opening play of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and exciting first-year wide receiver A.J. Green.

Cincinnati lost its regular season finale to Baltimore a 24-16 while failing to cover the NFL betting line as a 2.5-point home underdog to fall to 2-3 SU over its final five games and a discouraging 1-2-5 ATS over its L/8 games overall.

The Bengals went 5-5 SU over their L/10 games but only lost to three teams in dropping all four NFC North division matchups against Pittsburgh and Baltimore – and their heartbreaking 20-19 Week 14 home loss to Houston as a 2.5-point favorite.

Cincinnati struggled to score the ball a bit this season as they averaged 21.5 points per game (18th) but succeeded more often than not as their stout defense gave up just 20.2 points per contest defensively (9th).

The Bengals saw Dalton surpass all of their expectations this season in completing 58.1 percent of his passes for 3,398 yards with 20 TDs and 13 interceptions. Veteran running back Cedric Benson rushed for 1,067 yards while the fleet-footed Green led the team in receptions with 65 for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns. Cincy has run for at least 100 yards as a team in nine straight games.

Here is a look at some of the Bengals’ key trends this season.

The Bengals are 6-1-2 ATS in their last 9 road games.
The Bengals are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games in January.
The Bengals are 0-4-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
The Bengals are 0-5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. AFC.
The Over is 10-2 in Bengals last 12 vs. AFC.
The Over is 4-1 in Bengals last 5 games in January.
The Over is 4-1 in Bengals last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.
The Over is 6-2 in Bengals last 8 games as an underdog.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BENGALS VS. TEXANS WINNING PREDICTION
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Houston Texans (10-6 SU, 9-5-2 ATS, 6-10 O/U)
The Houston Texans made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and the entire Texans’ staff, including head coach Gary Kubiak, should be thanking their luck stars they were able to land the veteran defensive coordinator as he turned the Texans into the league’s No.2 defense in just his first season.

Houston enters the postseason riding a dismal three-game SU losing streak that includes a crushing 23-22 home loss to Tennessee on Sunday as a 1-point home dog that dropped them to 1-2 ATS over their last three games.

The Texans lost starting quarterback Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart weeks ago – but had they not – they would have never found out that third young stringer T.J. Yates apparently has one of the brightest futures of any young quarterback in the league.

Yates started five games for the Texans while completing 61.2 percent of his passes and throwing three touchdowns and three picks.

Houston averaged 23.8 points per game this season (10th), led by its overpowering second-ranked rushing attack (153.0 ypg). Starting back Arian Foster rushed for 1,224 yards while averaging a healthy 4.4 yards per carry while backup Ben Tate could start for almost any team in the league as evidenced by his 942 yards and seriously impressive 5.4-yard average.

Here is a look at some of the Texans’ key trends this season.

The Texans are 3-0-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
The Texans are 6-2-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
The Over is 4-0 in Texans last 4 games in January.
The Under is 5-1 in Texans last 6 games as a home favorite.
The Under is 8-2 in Texans last 10 games as a favorite.
The Under is 6-2 in Texans last 8 home games.

If you enjoyed this Bengals vs. Texans prediction and point spread preview, be sure to visit Touthouse.com this entire NFL playoffs season for winning NFL football predictions from our professional sports handicappers.