This game will not be for the weak of heart. The Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals each have something in common and that’s they are both victims of Week 1 blowouts. The Bengals lost 20-0 in front of their home crowd to the Baltimore Ravens, while the Texans were embarrassed on their home soil by the Jacksonville Jaguars 29-7. Needless to say, both teams will be chomping at the bit in this one and the Houston Texans may just have an ace up their sleeve.
The Game
The Houston Texans match up well with the Bengals. While the team’s offence will be a bit of a question mark behind rookie Deshaun Watson, their defence is as stellar as it gets. They led the league last season in Yards Allowed Per Game giving up just 301.3 per contest. They also finished second in the league for Passing Yards Allowed with 201.6. The two teams also have 2016 playoff appearances in common. The Texans had to rely on Tom Savage filling in for Brian Hoyer and Brock Osweiler which led to an early exit at the hands of the Chiefs, while the Bengals could’ve been Super Bowl contenders if not for some bonehead penalties in the divisional round. The Texans more than make up for their question mark offence with JJ Watt healthy and leading the way.
The Injuries
The downside for Houston is that they are battling some early-season injuries right off the hop. Former rookie of the year linebacker Brian Cushing is out along with tight ends Ryan Griffin and Stephen Anderson along with wideout Bruce Ellington. Those four are in concussion protocol already. Meanwhile, Jeff Allen, Alfred Blue and Will Fuller will also be on the shelf this Thursday.
The Rookie
Selected 12th overall, Deshaun Watson will finally get a taste of the first team offence right from the get-go. He came in in relief of Tom Savage last week, after an abysmal first half. Watson then threw one touchdown and one pick.
After leading the Clemson Tigers to the national championship in his final year of college last year, he put together an up and down preseason. It was good enough to land him the back up job on a team that lacks at the position considerably. Watson has all the makings to be a premier player in the National Football League and the path to those great heights could truly begin on Thursday Night Football.
