Texans vs. Bengals Point Spread: NFL Week 10 Odds, Prediction
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Edgar Chaput
Looking at the NFL calendar any time before September, few would have batted an eye at this matchup pitting the Texans and Bengals. Cincinnati is its usual Super Bowl contending self, but the surprise is Houston, who are quickly surpassing expectations with phenom rookie QB C.J. Stroud. The Texans are coming off a breathtaking 39-37 win over the Buccaneers. The Bengals once again got the better of the Bills, this time 24-18.
The NFL odds are showing some respect to the Texans. Cincy is favoured, make no mistake, but only by a touchdown – minus 7.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
To say that this is a different Texans club than the one the Bengals played during the 2010s and as recently as 2020 is an understatement. This unit has virtually nothing to do with any of those iterations. For that matter, it isn’t as if Joe Burrow has been around for a long time either. That Houston holds an 8-2 edge over the 10 most recent contests is a fun “did you know that” statistic, but arguably holds little water for this upcoming date.
As pleasantly surprising as the Texans have been through eight games, the reality is that they are surpassing what were particularly low expectations. Let’s keep it real, the club is 4-4, both in the standings and ATS. Of note, Houston has not covered once in three tries when favoured, so perhaps the underdog status will give them a boost here.
Cincinnati’s situation is more a case of bearing the brunt of expectations. When expected to win every week, not all games will provide covered spreads. True to their nature, they started slow, failing to cover twice and getting a push in Week 3. Since then, however, they’ve handled four of five spreads, hence the 4-3-1 record.
Houston Texans
Few would dispute that the Tampa Bay-Houston contest down in Texas in Week 9 was the game of the week as far as entertainment value is concerned. Both teams went at it with abandon, a devil-may-care attitude, rewarding neutrals with a thrilling match. The Texans ultimately rewarded their fans with a 39-37 victory.
The story here is, unsurprisingly, Stroud’s true coming out party. He had played very solid football previously, but this was special. A 30-for-42 day that went for 470 yards and no fewer than five scores. Oh, and that last one came with six seconds left on the clock and his team trailing 37-33. He was sensational, putting on a show truly befitting of a first-round draft pick. Lost in the hoopla is that Tampa Bay’s attack put in a good effort too, but when you lose it feels all for naught. Receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell are revelations this year, and both Noah Brown and Dalton Schultz easily surpassed 100 yards catching.
Cincinnati Bengals
Despite the Sunday Night Football billing, the Bills-Bengals contest was not as bewitching as the early slate’s Bucs-Texans affair. Cincy won’t care. They won, showed a ton of grit in the process, and once again got the better of a club with championship aspirations.
How many more times can the Bengals emphatically look like the better side? “Emphatically” is a strong word, but they were the better team on the field on Sunday evening. On the topic of that grit we mentioned, this was a very good defensive performance by the hosts, just as it had been last January when they visited Buffalo in the playoffs. They produced two turnovers (a fumble and interception) at stages of the match when the result was still in the balance. Burrow loves playing the Bills. He went 31-for-44, 348 yards and two TDs, a near-flawless performance. The Bengals can attack with anyone. Tee Higgins got the best yardage on the night (110) but it was lesser-known players Irv Smith Jr. and Drew Sample getting in the endzone.
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