The Cincinnati Bengals have won seven of their last eight games entering their playoff game against a Houston Texans team that lost three of its final four.

But according to Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, none of that means anything heading into Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. Wild Card game at Reliant Stadium.

“Momentum finished (Sunday),” he said. “It’s what you do now that counts. You get not points for momentum, nor will they subtract any from the Texans. They played the end of their season the way they felt was best for them. They earned the right to do that by what they had done earlier in the year.”

Houston (12-4) won 11 of its first 12 games on the way to clinching the AFC South Division. And even though the Texans entered their season finale having lost two of three, they still had a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye with a victory.

But Indianapolis beat Houston 28-16, dropping the Texans to the No. 3 seed and setting up a Wild Card rematch against the Bengals (10-6).

Houston won last year’s Wild Card game 31-10, with the signature play being defensive end J.J. Watt’s leaping interception that he returned 29 yards a touchdown to give the Texans a 17-10 lead with 52 seconds left in the first half.

“There were a lot of plays after that play that mattered in the football game, but that was obviously a big play for them,” Lewis said. “Any time you have a chance for points and end up giving up points the other way, obviously that swings things a little bit. But we had a lot of football left to play. We didn’t overcome it, and never got back in it.”

Watt and many of the other Houston players who starred in the franchise’s first ever playoff victory will be on the field again Saturday.

** Join Jay for a live chat on the Bengals/Texans this Thursday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. **

Here is an early look at the Texans:

OFFENSE

Led by six Pro Bowl selections, Houston ranks seventh in the NFL in total offense with an average of 372.1 yards per game.

Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Schaub, who did not play in the Wild Card game against the Bengals last year, has thrown for 4,008 yards with 22 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions this season. The Texans rank 11^th in passing offense (239.4). Schaub’s top target is Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson, whose 112 catches led to a career-high 1,598 receiving yards, which were second only to the NFL record of 1,964 posted by Detroit’sCalvin Johnson.

Houston also boasts a potent rushing attack, led by running back Arian Foster, another Pro Bowler. Foster rushed for 1,424 yards and an NFL-best 15 touchdowns this season.

With a Pro Bowler at left tackle (Duane Brown), left guard (Wade Smith) and center Chris Myers), the Texans average 132.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks eighth in the league.

DEFENSE

Despite losing Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Cushing to an ACL injury in October, Houston still finished with the league’s No. 7 ranked defense, allowing only 323.3 yards per game.

The Texans are seventh against the rush (97,5) and 16^th against the pass (225.8).

Defensive end J.J. Watt and cornerback Jonathan Joseph, a former Bengal, are headed to the Pro Bowl. Watt led the NFL with 20.5 sacks to go along with four forced fumbles and two recoveries.

The Texans rank eighth in the league in total takeaways with 29, and their turnover margin of plus-12 ranks seventh.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Shayne Graham, another former Bengal, has made 31 of 38 field goals this year. Only four players kicked more field goals, but Graham’s 81.6 percent success rate ranks 26^th.

Punter Donnie Jones ranks 11^th with a 47.2-yard average and 13^th with a 40.5 net average.

Punt return Keshawn Martin averages 12.1 yards per attempt, which ranks seventh in the league. He averages 23.9 yards on kick returns.

SERIES

Houston leads the all-time series 4-3 and has won four in a row, which equals the longest current winning streak against the Bengals by an AFC team. The Bengals are 1-2 against the Texans in Houston.