Houston Texans can send more pressure with OBJ out
One of the Cleveland Browns best players won’t see the field Sunday.
Odell Beckham Jr., one of the biggest stars of the Browns team, will be out for a second consecutive game. This comes on the heels of OBJ getting some warmup reps before the game in Kansas City last week, but then he was held out of the game- something that caused confusion for Browns fans and fantasy owners alike.
This is great news for Defensive Coordinator Lovie Smith and the Houston Texans secondary. Anytime that you can send more pressure, it’s going to make life easier on the corners and safeties. The Texans excelled at getting pressure against the Jaguars offensive line but only got 1 sack out of all the pressure they applied.
Just look at the Browns current injury report. Not only is Odell Beckham Jr. on that list, but a handful of starting offensive linemen are on there as well. Expect to see the defensive line teeing off against Baker Mayfield on passing plays and more pressure from the blitz.
Houston Texans should revel in the fact Odell Beckham Jr. is out
No one ever wishes an injury on anybody, let’s make that very clear. However, it’s a business, and the chances for the Texans to win this game have considerably increased. The combination of OBJ being out, along with an iffy status of multiple offensive linemen could make the Browns offense one-dimensional.
Do Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, and Anthony Schwartz strike fear into the hearts of Texans fans? No. Are they decent receivers who can occasionally make a big play? Yes. The only other possible threat is David Njoku, but even his production has been spotty and inconsistent.
Offensively, the Texans need to take advantage of this by running the football and keep Baker Mayfield on the bench. The longer he sits, the more he’s likely to get into his own head and think about last week’s loss.
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This could easily also just be the blowout that everyone expects, and there’s a totally realistic chance that happens. Sunday will tell all.