The Bengals are in the playoffs facing the Houston Texans, who beat them by one measly point in Week 14. Luckily for Cincinnati, they are much healthier heading into their wildcard game in Houston than they were in Cincinnati a few short weeks ago. For one, Carlos Dunlap will be on the field today, which is huge considering the Bengals were able to sack T.J. Yates five times without him.
The players that won't be playing today don't include any heavy contributors. Safety Taylor Mays, linebacker Dontay Moch, safety Robert Sands, guard Otis Hudson, wide receiver Armon Binns and defensive tackle Nick Hayden are the only players that will be watching the game from the sidelines.
The Texans are healthier too. They played in Cincinnati without No. 1 receiver Andre Johnson. He will be on the field today in Houston and the Bengals secondary will need to be on him everywhere he goes. The Houston players that are inactive for today's playoffs game include quarterback Jeff Garcia, wide receiver Jeff Maehl, cornerback Brandon Harris, safety Troy Nolan, guard Thomas Austin, offensive tackle Andrew Gardner and tight end Garrett Graham.
The roof of the Texans stadium will be closed today so it's sure to be loud. Hopefully the Bengals fans that were able to make the trip represent us well. I'm sure they will.