The Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans will play each other on Monday Night Football in what is expected to be a lopsided game. Although this match isn't a great rivalry, it has huge playoff implications.

Let's preview the game and pick a winner.

Cincinnati Bengals (8-0)

The Bengals are one of the few undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. Only the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots can say the same. The Bengals have the longest active playoff win drought in the league, dating all the way back to 1990, but Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton are trying to end that notorious streak this year.

Dalton is playing like an MVP candidate with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. The Bengals offense is very balanced, as they can pass and run the ball effectively. Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill have created a fantastic combination in the backfield, helping the Bengals rank ninth in rushing yards and first overall in rushing touchdowns this season.

Let's not sleep on the Bengals defense either. They rank second in points allowed, and it's getting extremely difficult to run against this unit. At this point in the year, the Bengals have pretty much taken over the AFC North, but they still have their eyes set on the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The Bengals face the Arizona Cardinals next week.

Houston Texans (3-5)

As crazy as it may sound, the Texans are still in this playoff race. Even at 3-5, the Texans are just one win behind the Indianapolis Colts for first place in the AFC South. The Colts are on a bye week, and Andrew Luck is recovering from a terrible injury he suffered against the Denver Broncos.

The Texans haven't done much right this year. They haven't won back-to-back games all year long, and injuries are piling up. J.J. Watt is arguably the best defensive player in the league, but the Texans defense still ranks 23rd overall. It's time for other players to step up and take pressure off Watt because he is constantly being double teamed.

The Texans are coming off a bye week, so they've been preparing for this game for quite some time. Unfortunately, star running back Arian Foster is out for the year, so Alfred Blue will get a lot of carries. DeAndre Hopkins has emerged as the team's No. 1 wide receiver, with Andre Johnson now in Indianapolis.

The Texans face the New York Jets next week.

Schedule

The Texans and Colts will play each other on Monday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The game will be played at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. You can watch a live game stream here.

Prediction

The Texans are only one game back in the division, but the Bengals are just a flat out superior squad. They have a better offense and defense, and they will be at home. The Bengals need to win this game to stay in the race for the No. 1 seed in the conference.

Bengals win 31-17

 Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1