Bengals poised for breakout against Texans

Call me a pessimist but I'm not feeling good about this game.

"Oh, ye of little faith," y'all will say.  But I can't help but cringe at some of the stuff I'm hearing from talk show hosts [Matt Jackson being the worst] and fans alike about how this 'terrible' 0-7 10-point dog coming into Reliant on Sunday is nothing more than a speed bump in the next-to-last leg of our long journey back to .500. 

My advice for Sunday?  Take the points and bet the over.  And I feel very strongly about both.

There's a couple of reasons I'm feeling this.  One is that the 0-7 Bengals are not the Lions ... or the Chiefs.  Nor are they the 2 -14 Bengals of 2002.   You remember them, right?  They're the ones who came in here 0-7 and proceeded to stomp a 38-3 hole in the Texans who were favored in that game, too.

Yes, those were far different teams.  But that's part of the point.

These Bengals have been very competitive against some pretty good teams this season - and yes, even with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback.   

Last week, the Bengals were in a 17-10 game with the Steelers with about 11 minutes remaining and were out-gaining the Steelers and holding the advantage in time of possession.  The game got away from them at that point but they proved that they could go toe-to-toe with the Steelers for more than 3/4ths of a game.

You remember what the Steelers did to the Texans, right?  I seem to remember something about them pulling their starters in the third quarter.  Of course that was before Alex Gibbs' guys really understood what the heck they were doing.  But that's not the side of the ball I'm worried about.

The Bengals also took the Giants to OT and gave the Cowboys fits (when the Cowboys were still good).

Coach Marv's guys are primed to break out because they're still playing hard and they haven't quit on him.  Despite their poor offensive stats this year, they have the weapons and the potential to give a porous Texans defense major problems.

Don't laugh, Bengals fans.  It's true.

The Bengals will spread the field on the Texans who will likely respond with a lot of nickel and deep cover two.  The Texans will have difficulty putting pressure on Fitzpatrick (what else is new?) even though he was sacked seven times last week and even though Bengals QBs are among the most sacked in the league.

You can almost sense the relief coming from some of the Bengals players when they talk about the 'challenges' posed by the Texans defensive front as opposed to what they've faced in recent weeks.  You may also notice that Mario Williams is about all that comes up during that brief discussion- - other than comments like 'they don't blitz much.'

They don't blitz much.

- Bengals left guard Andrew Whitworth on the Texans defense

The Bengals seem to have come to grips with the fact that Carson Palmer isn't going to be around much this year, and they are becoming more settled in behind Ryan Fitzpatrick and with Ced Benson at running back. 

I'm sure that Benson wants to prove that he's still a viable NFL back.  He's been running hard and has a few things to prove.  And what better place to do it than back in his native Texas?

While the Texans offense should continue to be productive, the defense may be just what the doctor ordered for a sick Bengals offense.

I'm feeling something like 41-38 in one of those 'whoever has the ball last' kind of games.  Get off the floor and stop laughing, Bengals fans.  Your team is due, not done.

Just wait one more week, okay?

Extras:

• Bengals with ties to Texas include offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski (San Angelo), RB Cedric Benson (University of Texas, Midland), OT Anthony Collins (Beaumont), CB Jamar Fletcher (Houston Texans), QB Jordan Palmer (UTEP), S Marvin White (Texas Christian), G Bobbie Williams (Jefferson) DB Kyries Hebert (Houston Texans).
• A Texans win this week would improve Gary Kubiak's home record to 13-7.
• Through six games, the Texans have been penalized just 16 times. That’s an average of 2.7 penalties per game and puts the Texans on pace for 43 penalties on the season. The Texans are on pace to be the least-penalized team since the NFL moved to a 16-game season in 1978. The 2007 Seattle Seahawks hold the record for the fewest penalties in a 16-game season with 59, an average of 3.7 per game.