Dawg Pound Daily joined Toro Times to answer five questions about the Houston Texans road matchup with the Cleveland Browns.
Randy Gurzi, the Site Expert over at DPD was kind enough to take time out of his day to talk about this week’s matchup between the 1-0 Houston Texans and 0-1 Cleveland Browns. Most would have expected the Browns to come in with a 1-0 record, but losing to the Kansas City Chiefs isn’t the worst thing in the world.
The Cleveland Browns present a new challenge that the Houston Texans did not face in their Week 1 matchup vs. Jacksonville. That new issue is the fact that is a playoff team that some consider even to be a potential Super Bowl candidate. Kevin Stefanski, the Browns head coach has turned the Browns into a true title contender- something that some Texans fans have never seen in their lifetimes.
Turnovers in the second half were the reason Cleveland blew a 22-10 lead when they looked to be in control. The rushing attack of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt can create a dangerous situation for the defense, as Baker Mayfield can hit any of the Browns wide receivers for a big gain at any given time.
If the Texans can win the time of possession battle and force at least two turnovers, there may be a chance that Houston can steal an upset win. At the same time, this may be the biggest test for this Texans team in the entire season.
As for the questions, they range from talking about the Browns rookies, players that were hurt, game predictions, and more. Jump into the first question below!
TT: How have Greg Newsome II and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramorah adapted to Joe Woods’ defense and life in the NFL?
RG: Greg Newsome seemed to hold his own and the fact that he was starting right away was encouraging. As for JOK, he seemed to really be doing well in the preseason but then logged just 25 snaps on Sunday.
That indicates to me he hasn’t gained the full trust of Joe Woods, but I still expect that number to climb in Week 2 and beyond.
TT’s take:
These are two rookies that were phenomenal picks for a Browns defense that needed help. They nearly took another win away from Kansas City last week. It will be interesting to see how JOK is used, as the Chiefs had a lot of mid-range success against the Browns last week. Will Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator Tim Kelly find a way to exploit that weakness?
Meanwhile, Greg Newsome was a shutdown corner at Northwestern and showed he can hold his own against some of the league’s best receivers. Look for Tyrod Taylor to not throw to Newsome’s side of the field on Sunday.
How much of a loss was not having Odell Beckham Jr. for last week’s game? Is he on track to play this week?
RG: It really seemed like he was going to play but it just didn’t happen. At first, it might not seem like they lost much since rookie Anthony Schwartz played very well in his place as the deep threat, but the rookie left two plays on the field that proved costly.
One was a deep ball from Baker Mayfield that should have been a touchdown. Schwartz slowed on his route and turned the wrong way, whereas OBJ probably keeps going and turns that to six.
The second was a late third-down play. Schwartz had the ball in two hands and would have had a first but it was knocked out of his hand by Juan Thornhill which led to a punt. It’s hard to be upset with Schwartz since the safety made a heck of a play but OBJ has insane hand strength and he may have held onto that one. Those two plays could have been the difference.
TT’s take:
Schwartz came out of nowhere and did pretty well in his first game with the Browns. If there is anyone who may sneak past the Texans secondary, it could be Schwartz as he just doesn’t demand the attention that OBJ and Jarvis Landry do.
Is Jadeveon Clowney excited to play against the Houston Texans, the team that drafted him? How is he approaching the game?
RG: Jadeveon Clowney has said very little since joining Cleveland. And when he does, he seems to speak about “us,” as he goes on about what he and Myles Garrett can do together. He seems to have really bought into the culture Kevin Stefanski is selling.
Having said that, he’s a professional athlete. He’s going to want to prove the Texans should have given him the big contract, even if he doesn’t say it.
TT’s take:
That’s an unusual stance as most former players who leave disgruntled have a lot to say once they arrive at a new destination (*cough* Patrick Peterson *cough*). After bouncing around a handful of teams since the Texans traded him away, I’m sure that he has plenty of personal bulletin-board material to get him amped for the game.
As much attention that Clowney draws, the Houston Texans cannot forget about Myles Garrett. Garett had a huge sack on Patrick Mahomes late in the 4th quarter that helped give the ball back to the Browns. The offensive line will have their work cut out for them.
Will there be more of a commitment to running the ball if Cleveland builds a lead similar to Week 1?
RG: I think Kevin Stefanski will always stay committed to the run but he will also be willing to air it out as well. He has faith in his players and knows the best way to win on offense is to stay two-dimensional.
Who’s one player Browns fans should watch out for?
RG: I want to say Brandin Cooks because the deep speed is what killed them with Kansas City but maybe it’s Tyrod Taylor. He played incredibly well in Week 1 and even took off for a lot of yards — and Cleveland did give up some chunk plays to Mahomes on the ground who isn’t as fast as Taylor.
Add into the mix the fact that Taylor lost his job in Week 3 of the 2018 season and he’s probably looking for a bit of revenge — although he’s far too classy of a dude to ever say anything.
TT’s take:
The moment the Jaguars game ended, the difficulty of this matchup is astronomical compared to Week 1. The Browns are so well balanced it’s hard to really predict what they will do with the ball. That makes Mayfield’s play-action game so much more dangerous as he’s proven himself as a passer.
On defense, deep throws seem to be Cleveland’s kryptonite. Especially after Ronnie Harrison got ejected from the game in the first quarter for pushing a Kansas City coach. Expect Taylor to be throwing some long bombs in hopes that Cleveland hasn’t learned their lesson.