There was no gift from the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday, as they turned back into the Bungles when the nation’s spotlight shone brightly upon them. No continuation of a Houston Texans [team stats] collapse, either, as the team that lost three straight to end the regular season looked renewed and dangerous.
Houston took down Cincinnati, 31-10, in front of an electric record crowd of 71,725 at Reliant Stadium in the AFC wild card round, ensuring a potentially weary road for the Patriots to the Super Bowl.
Had the Bengals continued their bounce-back season, they would have traveled to Foxboro to play the top-seeded Patriots next Saturday night. It was a reality former Patriots wide receiver and now-Bengals kick returner Brandon Tate considered before playing the Texans.
“Yeah, I did think about it,” Tate said, “but we came out on the wrong end.”
Now, the Patriots could face back-to-back street fights against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens on their road to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton looked like the ill-prepared rookie, turning in a three-interception performance. Arian Foster ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, humiliating the Bengals’ previously vaunted defense with a 42-yard breath-taker in the fourth quarter to vault the Texans right into the mix of a wide-open AFC playoff race. Houston will play at No. 2 Baltimore next Sunday.
And today, the Patriots wait to see who wins the Steelers-Broncos matchup in Denver.
“Obviously if Cincinnati wins then we know what we’re doing,” coach Bill Belichick said last week. “If it goes to Sunday’s game, then it goes to Sunday’s game.”
It does go to today’s game, and excuse the Texans if they don’t care. They lost starting quarterback Matt Schaub and star pass rusher Mario Williams to injuries during the regular season, then played without Foster and receiver Andre Johnson for long stretches.
“In the past, we wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Houston tight end Owen Daniels said. “Those experiences matured us. This year, this is a real team.”
The game-changer was defensive end J.J. Watt’s 29-yard interception return for a first-half score.
“That was the turning point,” Foster said.
Johnson put it away with a 40-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.
When Dalton threw it up for grabs and into the hands of Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph in the fourth quarter, it was too much. Foster merely put it away.
Today in Denver, a banged-up Steelers team will rumble with Tim Tebow and the Broncos.
The Pats spent their bye week honing their own game.
“Because you all think we’re perfect and we’re not, I promise you,” receiver Deion Branch said.
The Patriots were ambivalent about who they would want to play, saying the familiarity with the Steelers and Broncos could work positively or negatively. Plus, “everyone’s starting from scratch at this point,” receiver Wes Welker said.
If it’s the Steelers, the Patriots can avenge one of their three regular-season losses. If it’s the Broncos, prepare for another week of Tebowmania like the one that preceded a Pats win.
Just don’t expect to see the Texans down the playoff road, feel-good win or not. Houston’s flaws looked too big.
Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates held up admirably in his five regular-season starts. But he was woeful yesterday, going 11-of-20 passing for 159 yards. Think Ravens pass rusher Terrell Suggs is salivating?
Foster’s running was impressive, but one-dimensional teams don’t last, even teams with opportunistic defenses.
When a sure pick-six was dropped before Johnson’s touchdown catch, it proved it wasn’t the Bengals’ day. And the Texans took advantage.
Johnson’s score with 1:18 left in the third made it 24-10 and put the game out of reach of an anemic Cincinnati offense. The usually efficient Dalton would throw two more picks, and Foster’s 42-yard touchdown rumble was the highlight.
The Texans head to Baltimore, while the Pats are still waiting.
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