The Cleveland Browns are now No. 1 in their division. The last time that sentence rang true was two decades ago when the Browns were still playing in the now-defunct AFC Central division. Will the good times keep on rolling when they host the struggling Houston Texans? Or will the Texans come away with a much-needed win, one that will jump-start their chances for a playoff spot?
Got time for more NFL Week 11 game previews? You can check out our complete breakdown of Steelers vs. Titans here.
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Houston Texans vs. Cleveland Browns Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland
When: Sunday, November 16, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Houston Texans (+3) at Cleveland Browns (-3); total: 42.5 – see all NFL lines
Betting on the Houston Texans
Pardon the cliché, but Houston, you have a problem. After a blazing 3-1 start this season, the Texans followed that up with four losses in their next five games, including a 31-21 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9. Clearly, something must change in Houston before it’s too late to make a push for a wild card spot.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The team has already made one big alteration in their lineup after the loss to the Eagles, naming former New England Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallet as the new starter in place of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Mallet has a cannon arm and is the type that prefers to stay in the pocket rather than venture outside of it using his legs like Fitzpatrick.
Keeping Mallet safe for the duration of the game against Cleveland should be a tough challenge for Houston judging from the kind of punishment the Browns laid on Andy Dalton last week and also from the quality of their protection of Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick was been sacked 20 times this season, eighth-most in the league.
With less running expected from their quarterback on Sunday, Arian Foster and Alfred Blue will need to pick up the slack. Foster and Blue are the Texans’ top two rushers with 822 and 234 rushing yards, respectively. Wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins (684 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Andre Johnson (563 yards 1 touchdown) may also see more balls coming their way if Mallet proves to be more effective in the pocket than Fitzpatrick.
The over is 4-0 in the Texans’ last four games overall.
The Browns have been playing terrific football since their Week 4 bye. They are 5-1 since then, their latest win being a ruthless 24-3 drubbing of the Cincinnati Bengals, whom they absolutely crushed on both sides of the field in Week 10. Armed with a defense that has been dominant of late and a deadly rushing game, the Browns are coming into the game against Houston looking to solidify their hold of the top spot in the AFC North, the NFL’s most competitive division.
Cleveland was like sauce over spaghetti against Andy Dalton and the Bengals, sacking Cincy’s quarterback twice for a loss of 14 yards and intercepting three of his passes. Before Dalton was subbed by Jason Campbell, the $100-million quarterback already had a deplorable 2.0 passer rating. By taking away Dalton’s production, the Browns were able to limit Cincinnati down to just 165 total yards, far from the Bengals’ season average of over 300 yards.
As mentioned, the Texans don’t have an excellent protection unit, one the Browns could easily exploit. However, they have a taller task of containing Houston’s backfield that puts up 137.0 rushing yards per game. The Browns are giving up 134.2 rushing yards per game, fifth-most in the league thus far. They’ve been doing better over their last three games, though, allowing opponents to rush for just 90.0 yards per game during that stretch.
Cleveland has a dependable backfield of its own to fall back on in case J.J. Watt gets to Brian Hoyer. Against Cincinnati, the Browns recorded 170 rushing yards and three touchdowns care of Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell, and Ben Tate. The Browns have a 12th-ranked rushing defense that surrenders 117.8 yards per game.
