The Houston Texans prepare to take on the Cleveland Browns Sunday, and it’s a winnable game for Houston.
The fact that the Houston Texans came out and steamrolled the Jacksonville Jaguars with authority and are now on top of the AFC South, coupled with the Cleveland Browns choking a 22-10 lead late in the game says a lot about this matchup. There is a fighter’s chance that the Texans can snag a victory from one of the toughest teams in the league.
Head Coach David Culley has worked seamlessly alongside new General Manager Nick Caserio. Both have played a part in rebuilding a roster that had a strong preseason and a blowout Week 1 win. Cleveland’s head coach isn’t a pushover either, as Kevin Stefanski is the reigning Coach of the Year award recipient.
To transform the Browns into a serious Super Bowl contender is an incredible feat, and Stefanski was rewarded with some hardware for last year’s efforts and divisional round appearance. This is pretty much a trap game for the Browns that they cannot afford to lose. Being behind in the AFC’s best division will make any postseason dreams
The blueprint provided by the Chiefs is a great start on beating the Browns. There is weakness in the secondary, specifically at the safety position. Can the Houston Texans force the Cleveland Browns into making their own mistakes like the Chiefs did? Can the run game be the reason the Texans win this big matchup?
All of those factors are just a part of the three reasons the Texans will beat the Browns on Sunday. Let’s dive deeper into those reasons:
The Houston Texans will copy Patrick Mahomes with the deep ball
In Week 1, the Browns gave up 210 yards on eight completions that were 10 yards or further downfield. Last week’s big-time catch by receiver Brandin Cooks showed what can be possible with the aerial attack from Offensive Coordinator Tim Kelly. There should be more of that coming in Week 2 as it’s definitely worth taking a shot early in the game when the Browns may not expect it.
There’s also the fact the Browns Defensive Coordinator, Joe Woods is facing pressure from the fans after failing to stop the Chiefs in what basically are back-to-back games. That’s rather odd considering how bad Cleveland’s defense really used to be.
So what will happen if the Texans go into halftime with the lead at FirstEnergy Stadium? Will there be boos from a crowd that expects more out of their team? Whether that happens or not, it’s all the more reason to keep throwing the ball deep against this Browns team.
As of this writing, Browns Safety Ronnie Harrison has not been suspended for his altercation on the sideline with a Chiefs coach. If Harrison does get suspended, then we all know where the biggest weak spot is on this defense. Especially when the backup, Grant Delpit missed the entire season last year due to injury.
A fresh rotation of the Houston Texans running backs will win time of possession
With an offense as potent as Cleveland’s, it helps to keep them off the field as much as possible. With the previous point about Tyrod Taylor taking deep shots, one may be asking why this is the follow-up reason. The Houston Texans running game has the capacity to have whoever’s in the game produce decent yards.
Don’t forget after Mark Ingram that David Johnson, Philip Lindsay, Rex Burkhead, and preseason hero Scottie Phillips are capable of making plays. Having five running backs on the roster gives the Texans a chance to rotate them through and keep everyone from getting burned out too quickly.
By keeping the defense honest with a continuous rushing attack will only help slow down Myles Garret and Jadeveon Clowney. When defensive linemen have to guess where the offense is going on run plays, even the slightest delay can be the difference when Taylor goes back to pass the ball on a different play.
This creates a more tired defense, and a frustrated one too. If done successfully and a long drive is sustained, this will make Browns defenders crazy. In order for this to work, the Texans must stay in the game score-wise and not abandon the run too early. Otherwise, the opposite will happen and the Texans will be trailing by a big margin.
This is simply a trap game for the Browns that the Houston Texans can win
After last week’s win (that wasn’t supposed to happen), there were a lot of pleasantly surprised Texans fans and just as many frustrated Browns fans wondering what just happened. The fact that the Browns could be going down to an 0-2 record is enough to increase the pressure at home.
There’s also the aspect that the Houston Texans have no expectations at all. No expectations, no pressure. This was the squad that was supposed to be the first team to go 0-17. Houston has a chance, and before some may say that’s not going to happen, remember the NFL and its “any given Sunday” atmosphere is just as prevalent as they’ve ever been.
Could the sight of seeing the Bengals and Steelers ahead in the division also slowly eat at this tough Browns squad? It’s definitely likely as Joe Burrow is now healthy this season and the Steelers stole a win in Buffalo on the road.
Houston can make this a tight game, and if it’s within one score heading into the fourth quarter then it will be must-see television. For a final score, here’s what it would look like:
It’s a late Joey Slye field goal that makes the difference in this one. The Houston Texans leave 2-0 and are one of the most surprising stories in the NFL.
Any given Sunday, folks. Any given Sunday.