2012 NFL AFC Wild Card Playoff Matchup: Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans Preview

The Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans

Saturday. 4:30 p.m., Reliant Stadium

The NFL is in full pads and ready to play some playoff football! 

The quarterback play will most likely decide the game. Two young rookie and inexperienced gun-slingers will be looking to add their name to the list of rookie playoff winning quarterbacks. Both had seasons good enough to get them here but, will it be enough to keep them here? One will prevail to lead there team further to the AFC divisional playoffs and one will be sent packing for home. Andy Dalton the kid from Katy, Texas took his team to a (9-7) season with 3,398 passing yards will be going home to his home state to do it in front of family and friends. T.J Yates took over for the injured Matt Schaub in the last six games leading them to a (10-6) record. In the six games, Yates threw for just under 1,000 yards with 949 yards. Conservative passing yards from a team that loved to throw earlier in the season. Look for these two to have the fight and will to win.

Dalton

Yates

The running game is where it is at for both teams. The Texans with the 2nd leading team in the NFL with 153.5 yards per game will lead the way with the healthy Arian Foster. Arian rushed for the 1,224 and Ben Tate rushed for 942 a tandem that has been hard to stop all year. The Bengals 19th in the league in rushing at 111.1 yards per game struggled at times in the running game with Cedric Benson eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark with 1,067 and Bernard Scott had 380 making Benson a valuable commodity in this game.

Benson

Foster

Scott

Tate

 The defenses will need to keep an eye on the young talented receivers from both sides. They have the speed and the skills to run it to the house for a touchdown on any given play! Julio Jones has emerged lately in the absence of superstar wide out Andre Johnson, but had only 3 catches for 39 yards in their last meeting on December 11th a 20-19 loss to the Bengals. He must step up. On the other side of the ball wide receiver A.J Green put up a stellar 1,057 yards receiving in 2011 and solidified the number on slot. in his only shot at the Texans defense he caught 5 balls for 59 yards. Neither star had a touchdown against their playoff nemesis and what to make it happen.

Prediction Bengals 17 - Texans 21

So fans lets stand up and cheer for your team to win!

SI Expansion 11.15.2010 Issue Cam Newton, LaMichael James, Andy Dalton

Here is my first installment of the expansion of each weekly issue of  Sports Illustrated. Each week I will be going through my thoughts on the cover, pictures and articles of each magazine, while adding in a link or to of fun and interesting additions found on the net.

The Cover:

 The BCS and the mess it's in with a non playoff format for the national championship highlights the cover. The cover guys are Andy Dalton, (TCU Horn Frogs) LaMichael James, (Oregon Ducks) and the controversial Cam Newton (Auburn). All heisman candidates a must keep for any SI collection.

The Line Up:

1. Leading story is about the TCU Horned Frogs and there quest for a BCS National Championship. Best line of the piece "College Football could have an opera instead, it has a soap opera".

2. Raiders and Chiefs NFL rivalry takes the next spot. Who would have thought the standings would like this mid season? It's Early!

3. Center Stage is the infamous Gilbert Arenas and what is adding to the Washington Wizards backcourt. The Wiz with John Wall being there go to guy and Gilbert playing it cool, maybe?

4. Next? I put a question mark there because I am not a hockey follower. So, Ilya Kovalchuk of the Devils was a good read. Living in the state of Texas hockey is mixed with the NFL and NBA and it's hard to get me to watch it on tv, but I will go to the ice. Hockey is maybe one of the best sporting events to watch live.
So is the $100 million dollar man worth it New Jersey?

5. Going the distance article is the marathon. The Pheidippides marathon and it is raced in Greece from Marathon to Athens. A long way. Some runners even wore costumes to celebrate the occasion. Running in sandels and armour and must have been tough. By the way, Jared Fogle (Subway Jared) he finished the New York City Marathon. Way to go Jared.

There of course were many more great items in the magazine but, you can read it. I will be posting a weekly installment and add even more fun and exciting splashes to each copy of SI. I will also be going retro every once in a while to throw a curveball at you.