Can C.J. Stroud Become an MVP Candidate on Sunday?
Oddsmakers Trust Joe Burrow More When Looking At The Texans vs Bengals NFL Odds
With so many top-tier quarterbacks on a bye week this weekend, the Texans-Bengals matchup scheduled for Sunday is arguably the best quarterback matchup in the NFL in Week 10.
Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow is fully healthy from a calf injury he sustained in training camp. Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud is the heavy favorite to win the Rookie of the Year as the No. 2 overall selection in the latest NFL Draft.
Houston has traded wins and losses practically all year. However, they’re coming off a win against the Buccaneers, 39-27, in which Stroud threw for nearly 500 yards and five touchdowns.
On the other hand, the Bengals are on a four-game winning streak after Burrow’s 348-yard passing and two touchdowns against the Bills.
With that, the Bengals are -7 (-105) against the Texans at home. The total is currently sitting at 47.5.
Can Stroud shock the world and help the Texans get by the Bengals on the road?
Let’s review the Texans vs Bengals NFL odds for Sunday’s AFC tilt.
Houston Texans vs Cincinnati Bengals 
Day/Time: Sunday, November 12, 1:00 p.m. ET, 10:00 a.m. PT
Location: Paycor Stadium
Streaming: CBS
Texans vs Bengals NFL Odds
Although the Texans earned a thrilling victory over the Buccaneers last weekend, Houston didn’t cover in that game. They were 2.5-point favorites and only won by two. That pushed the Texans to 4-4 against the spread in eight games this year. Meanwhile, the Texans have hit the Under in five of eight games. But the latest NFL game against the Buccaneers reached the Over for the first time in five games.
On the other hand, the Bengals aren’t just on a four-game winning streak. They’ve also covered the last four games. After beginning the NFL season 0-3-1 against the spread, the Bengals are now 4-3-1 this year. But like the Texans, the Under has hit in five of eight games this season for the Bengals.
The last time the Bengals played the Texans, Cincinnati earned a 37-31 win over the Texans in December of 2020. The Bengals were 7.5 underdogs and didn’t have Burrow for that game.
What About The MVP For C.J. Stroud?
Coincidently, Joe Burrow is the most bet player in the NFL to win the MVP recently. But what if Stroud and the Texans earn a win against Burrow and the Bengals on Sunday? Stroud wouldn’t just be a Rookie of the Year candidate. He’d be an MVP candidate.
In half of a season, Stroud is one of the stats leaders with 2,270 yards, with 14 passing touchdowns and just. one interception. His QBR is 12th in the NFL, and he’s only getting better week-to-week.
Concerns For Ja’Marr Chase
Cincinnati’s leading receiver, Ja’Marr Chase, is dealing with back soreness after a major hit he suffered in last week’s game against the Bills.Chase finished last week’s game, but the pain worsened the following day.
At this time, it’s unclear if Chase can play on Sunday. The Bengals are taking it day-to-day and won’t force Chase into playing on Sunday if he’s unable to perform.
Chase has 64 catches for 697 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Exposing The Defenses
While the Cincinnati pass protection hasn’t been up to par this season, the Bengals are still finding success offensively.
The Bengals have only averaged 19.38 points per game this season. However, in three of the last four games, the Bengals have scored at least 24 points and have two games with at least 31 points over the previous month.
Chase will potentially miss this game. However, Tee Higgins would be the main contributor for the offense at receiver. Although he’s been inconsistent, Higgins led Cincinnati with eight catches for 110 yards against the Bills last weekend. He’ll be up to the challenge against an underrated Texans pass defense.
However, the Texans’ run defense isn’t nearly as good. The Texans have missed many tackles and allowed 97 yards per game on the ground. That number doesn’t seem so bad, but the Texans will allow big plays in the run game when you least expect it.
On the other hand, the Bengals have been awful in coverage despite having a solid pass rush. Cincinnati’s pass rush will create chaos and cause havoc. But the secondary needs to play better. Still, the defense has allowed no more than 20 points in their last four games.
They’ll face a Texans offense that has earned nearly 24 points per game. The Texans have added about 265 yards in the air per game. The ground game hasn’t been effective consistently, but with the Bengals allowing nearly 130 yards per game on the ground this season, Houston could still have success rushing the football.
Earlier this season, the Bengals didn’t expect to have such a competitive game on the NFL game schedule against the Texans. But the Texans have already exceeded expectations this year under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans.
However, most of the public will still back Cincinnati despite Houston’s recent offensive surge, per the NFL betting split. After looking over the Texans vs Bengals NFL odds, I’ll back the Bengals at -6.5 (-118). The Bengals are playing like Super Bowl contenders at this moment.
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