With the return of veteran Cecil Shorts next Monday night from a hamstring injury sustained against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans will be able to have him operate in tandem with starters DeAndre Hopkins and Nate Washington in three-receiver sets. Cincinnati allows 244 passing yards per game which is middle of the pack in the league. It was a good time for the organization, the team, the coaches and everybody at that time. He’s thrown 18 touchdown passes with only four interceptions and has been sacked only 11 times in those eight games.
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Meanwhile, the Bengals are still looking sharp as they annihilated the Cleveland Browns, 31-10, at the home stadium on November 5th for a midweek matchup, via SB Nation.
Texans Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Duane Brown and rookie starting inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney returned to practice Monday after recovering from concussions.
Although Winston may or may not end up playing Watt, he’s the only guy here that has played with him so he’s got an idea what makes him tick and it’s not so much about being a hellacious physical specimen seemingly popping out of a few Sci Fi lab. There is a lot of want-to in the beaker, too. He’s been targeted in the double digits in two different games – and he responded with 100-yard efforts in both contests. Last week against Cleveland, he tossed three touchdowns and 234 yards passing.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is second in the league in sacks with 8.5, and has 40 tackles and five passes defensed and continues to wreak havoc across offensive lines.
Watt’s response was direct and to the point. – Barring a surprise, the Texans will be without Jadeveon Clowney. But Clowney’s dealt with injury throughout his brief career while Mercilus has recorded at least five sacks each of the last four seasons.
The Texans signed the veteran away from New England to help shore up the run defense, but the 34-year-old has had his issues in that regard. When the pass rush is disrupting the opposing QB, it helps take pressure off an average secondary.
TV: ESPN with Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Jon Gruden (analyst) and Lisa Salters (sideline), WLWT-TV (Channel 5). The Bengals are 8-0 for a reason, and it’s because they have an MVP candidate under center that has a ridiculous arsenal of weapons to work with at every position group.
Rank of the Texans’ pass defense. He played five seasons there. They’re the number one defense on third downs, so we’re facing a good team.
A victory over Houston (3-5) would not only pad their sizable lead in the AFC North but also mark the Bengals’ best winning streak in their 47-year history.
Bengals offensive lineman Trey Hopkins and safety George Iloka are from Houston.
Rookie cornerback Kevin Johnson will start again opposite Johnathan Joseph with Jackson sidelined.
Ogbuehi was the Bengals’ first-round selection in the 2015 draft. When it comes down to it, the Texans are going to have to try and force turnovers if they want to slow down Cincinnati’s offense. And it happens to be another undefeated team. He was on the team for two months before being released in November 2012.
Texans guard Brandon Brooks went to Miami, and the fourth-year guard has started all seven games he’s played this season.
Houston linebackers coach Mike Vrabel is from Akron and played his college ball at Ohio State before moving on to the NFL.
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Yep, it’s come to this: The Bengals quarterback is playing so well that he’s getting as many questions about his scalp as his stats.
