The Houston Texans enjoyed a successful debut in the playoffs, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 at Reliant Stadium, and setting themselves up for a clash with the Baltimore Ravens in the next round. This was the Texans first appearance in the playoffs in their 10-year history, and fans are now eagerly awaiting the team’s trip to Baltimore next week to play the Ravens.

The Texans didn’t get off to the greatest start, with Glover Quin being called for pass interference on rookie wide receiver A. J. Green, which gave the Bengals 52 yards on a drive, culminating in Cedric Benson going for a touchdown from the 1-yard line. The Texans struck back quickly however, with Arian Foster moving the chains for Houston with a display of intelligent running, and the tailback finishing off the drive with a touchdown on an 8-yard run, leaving the Bengals and Texans all tied up at the end of the first quarter.

Despite retaking the lead momentarily through a field goal from Mike Nugent, the Bengals struggled with the well-tuned offense of the Texans, and couldn’t make any decisive plays on the defensive side of the ball. A field goal from Neil Rackers tied the game before rookie defensive end J. J. Watt showed great hands and athleticism by grabbing a pass thrown by Andy Dalton at the line of scrimmage, and returned it for a 29-yard touchdown.

Although close on the scoreboard, the Texans never looked to lose their lead, and soon began to add to it. Andre Johnson, who was also making his first appearance in the playoffs, caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from rookie T. J. Yates in the third quarter and extending their lead. This was just before Foster finished the game for the Texans with a 42-yard rushing touchdown, capping an excellent game for his team and himself.

The Texans will be pleased with how their offensive stars performed, Foster racking up 153 yards on just 24 carries, and Johnson registering 90 yards on five receptions, with the pair contributing three touchdowns between them. Yates also performed notably, if not spectacularly, but a game manager is all that is needed in this Texans offense, and Houston will need all three performing their best if the team is to beat the Ravens next week. They have already lost to them once this season.

This result brings the Bengals season to an end, but there is plenty to be optimistic about if you are a Cincinnati fan. The losing seasons and dressing room controversies seem done with, and the addition of rookies Green and Dalton give the franchise a great base to build around in the coming years. Throw into the mix that the Bengals have two first round picks this year, and two second round picks next year, the future looks very healthy indeed. Baltimore and Pittsburgh fans will need to keep an eye on the previously unsung franchise.

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The Cincinnati Bengals (9-6) put together a highly impressive performance in their 23-16 victory over the in-form Arizona Cardinals (7-8). The win keeps the Bengals in the hunt for the final wild card slot in the AFC, with the first already taken by either the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers, depending on which team eventually takes top spot in the AFC North.

The Bengals took control of the game immediately, moving into a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter. An early field goal gave Cincinnati the lead, then Jermaine Gresham extended it when he collected an 11-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback, Andy Dalton.

Cincinnati then doubled their lead before halftime. Jerome Simpson acrobatically jumped over an Arizona defender to complete a 19-yard touchdown pass before Mike Nugent added a field goal, as time ran down in the second quarter. Despite Nugent adding another field goal in the third quarter and extending the Bengals lead to 23 points, the fourth quarter brought a scare for the home fans, with the Cardinals mounting a dangerous comeback. A 30-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald sparked the Cardinals into life, and soon after, they were celebrating another touchdown after a 2-yard pass to Jeff King in the end zone.

A field goal for Arizona late in the fourth quarter reduced the deficit further and made it a one possession game with time running down. Despite being inside the Cincinnati 20-yard line with two minutes left on the clock, the Cardinals were unable to breach the Bengals defense and succumbed to a disappointing defeat.

Although Arizona fans will be pleased with the two touchdowns and 298-yards thrown by John Skelton, they will look back at the three interceptions given up by the second-year quarterback as arguably the most definitive factors behind their defeat. The Cincinnati defense was suffocating all game long, picking up three interceptions and five sacks, with safety Reggie Nelson picking up one of each, as the Bengals defense did a great job of giving their offense good field position. Dalton put in another efficient performance, throwing for two touchdowns and giving up no interceptions, but may find his hopes of earning the accolade of Offensive Rookie of the Year dashed, due to the more dynamic and explosive performances of Cam Newton.

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The Tennessee Titans (4-4) battled hard, but ultimately lost a close game 24-17 to the visiting Cincinnati Bengals (6-2). Despite looking the stronger team early on at LP Field, the Titans could not maintain their first half momentum, and gave up 17 unanswered points in the second half as they fell to defeat.

The Bengals continued to suffer from the absence of injured linebacker Rey Maualuga, as well as tight end Jermaine Gresham, although defensive end Carlos Dunlap was available after being listed as doubtful. Although the Titans had injury problems of their own, especially in the secondary, they were more concerned with the poor form of running back Chris Johnson, whose future in Tennessee seems to become less and less certain with each poor performance the tailback turns in.

Tennessee took an early lead with a field goal in the first quarter, but the lead was not to last long, with quarterback Andy Dalton picking out tight end Colin Cochart for a one-yard touchdown, making the score 7-3 to the visitors. The Titans regained their lead quickly though, wide receiver Damian Williams making an excellent catch at the back of the endzone for an eight-yard touchdown.

With time running down in the second, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck orchestrated a drive down the field with a culmination of timeouts and the Titan’s no-huddle offense, which ultimately resulted in Hasselbeck passing for 16 yards to Lavelle Hawkins and the touchdown.

Cincinnati continued to look dangerous however, and cut the lead to just three points when Dalton threw his second touchdown pass of the night, this time to Jerome Simpson for 15 yards. Dalton then continued to lead the Bengals comeback, ending the visitors drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Caldwell, giving them a four point lead over the Titans.

A field goal from Mike Nugent with two minutes left to play was enough to secure the win for the Bengals, and Head Coach Marvin Lewis will be pleased with his side’s second half comeback in what was a challenging away game. Dalton impressed throughout the game, and was pivotal in leading his side’s comeback, passing for 217 yards, as well as three touchdowns.

Rookie wide receiver A.J. Green also continued to impress, making 83 yards on seven receptions, and distancing himself at the top of the rookie receptions table. Although the Titans will be disappointed with a loss at home, especially after they took a substantial lead early in the game, but the continuing good form of Hasselbeck will not leave Titan’s fans completely disheartened.

Tailback Johnson’s 64 yards from 14 carries, and 46 yards from four receptions may not be particularly sensational, they do represent an improvement on his recent form, and the quickest way for the Titans to return to winning ways would be for Johnson to find his groove again, which would in turn allow for Hasselbeck to be even more effective.

The Bengals now face a testing schedule for the next four weeks, which sees them meet the Steelers (twice), Ravens and Browns, in a series of games which could make or break their season.

The Titans face a slightly easier challenge, taking on the Panthers and Buccaneers in their next games, but will be eager to ensure they do not have any slip-ups as they seek to put pressure on the Houston Texans at the top of the AFC South.

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Most experts were predicting a low scoring and close fought game between the Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) and Seattle Seahawks (2-5), and many will have been surprised with the Bengals’ 34-12 victory at CenturyLink Field. The Bengals went ahead with a field goal, extending their lead to 10 points when rookie quarterback Andy Dalton found Jerome Simpson for a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Dalton looked to be in good form and gave Cincinnati a 14-point lead when he linked up with fellow rookie, A.J. Green, for a 43-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

The touchdown extends Green’s lead at the top of the receiving yards table for rookies, coming into the game with an impressive 453 yards so far this season, whilst opposite number Doug Baldwin, one of his biggest rivals, had registered 330 yards prior to kickoff.

The game exploded back into action in the fourth quarter, when Tavaris Jackson moved the chains well for the Seahawks, pushing them 79 yards up the field in just seven plays and raising the possibility of a Seattle comeback when Marshawn Lynch ran in a two-yard touchdown. Despite pulling his side back into the game, Lynch had a fairly unsuccessful outing, with just 24 yards for his 16 attempts.

A Mike Nugent field goal helped alleviate Cincinnati fans’ anxiety, before Brandon Tate ran home a 56-yard punt return touchdown to confirm the victory for the visiting side. With the Seahawks needing something special to turn the game around late in the fourth quarter, Jackson launched a deep pass whilst under pressure, and safety Reggie Nelson collected the interception for a 75-yard return touchdown.

Despite Jackson passing for 323 yards, almost double Dalton’s 168 yards, it was not enough to secure the win for the Seahawks. Furthermore, with Ben Obomanu and Sidney Rice both receiving over 100 yards each, Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell will be left wondering why his side weren’t able to put more points on the board.

The Bengals have reason to celebrate however, as Head Coach Marvin Lewis now surpasses Sam Wyche in the list of Bengals Head Coaches with the most wins, this victory being his 65^th.

They will also look forward to welcoming back running back Cedric Benson, who was fifth in the N.F.L. with 117 carries prior to this game, as he will have served his suspension and be raring to go against the Titans in Tennessee next week.
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