Cincinnati Bengals Vs. Houston Texans: What To Look For

The Houston Texans won perhaps in one of their best outings this season as far as performance against the Cleveland Browns.

It seemed as if all of the team was clicking on all cylinders.

Although their play was far from perfect, it definitely showed that this team can knuckle down and concentrate at the task at hand.

It’s the first game in awhile where they maintained control of a game against a formidable opponent.

Yes, they did the same with the Tennessee Titans a few weeks back but they’re a bad team and one they’re supposed to manhandle.

This team is showing signs of life once again and with the 2013 season safe in rear-view mirror this team is playing for something in November.

I know they’ll make the best of it and it will be a tough test against the Cincinnati Bengals.

They’ve fared quite well against them in their last few meetings — but they’re a lot better than they were back then.

Tomorrow’s game will highlight a match up that we’ll remember for ages for sure though.

As both teams take the field tomorrow afternoon, here’s some things to look for position-wise:

Nov 6, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback

Andy Dalton

(14) throws a pass during the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

QUARTERBACK: For the first time in nearly two seasons, the quarterback play for the Texans was quite solid. Ryan Mallett made his first career start against the Browns this past Sunday and he did not disappoint. I honestly think that he took all Texans’ fans by surprise with the way he played. My expectations were cautiously optimistic — rooting for his success but would understand if he struggled. He didn’t and looked as if he’d been under center of an NFL team for quite some time. It’s way to early to gauge if he’s the answer to our quarterback woes but he is certainly off to great start and I look forward to seeing him be our signal-caller the rest of the way. At this point — having him as a component gives the team their best chance to win. By the way, he went 20-for-30 for 211 yards passing with two touchdowns and one pick. That’s good enough for a 67 completion percentage and a 95.3 QB rating. This may be another gem for Mallett as the Bengals aren’t the best at defending the pass — they’re ranked 20th in the league giving up 250 yards per game. We’ll be seeing Andy Dalton once again and he’s been somewhere in the middle this season — not great but not horribly bad either. The Texans have fell to second-to-last in the NFL (31st) in pass defense, giving up 278 yards per game. And all-out ball-hawking effort will be needed by the defense to keep their offensive weapons in the air at bay. The Red Rifle has passed for 2,180 yards so far this season passing for 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions for an 83.2 QB rating. His completion percentage is at 62 percent. That’s nothing to write home about and let’s hope the Texans keep it that way.

Nov 16, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Houston Texans running back

Alfred Blue

(28) dives ahead for extra yards after being tripped up by Cleveland Browns inside linebacker

Karlos Dansby

(56) during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

RUNNING BACK: Arian Foster may miss his second-straight game with another one of his nagging hamstring injuries. He’s a valuable weapon on the field but my best guess is that he will sit once again after a spectacular performance by Alfred Blue against the Browns. No need to rush him back to have him play hurt. Blue had a franchise-record setting game last Sunday, carrying the ball 35 times. He also threw in 156 yards with the plethora of carries that he had. I see no reason as to why Blue won’t have another century-laden mark game against the Bengals. They’re 28th in run defense giving up 136 yards per game. Jonathan Grimes will be around to help Blue out with some of the workload if needed — he had 13 carries for 54 yards last week. Jeremy Hill has been extremely productive — rushing for 571 yards so far this season off only 74 carries. In constrast, Giovanni Bernard, the featured back has rushed for 109 yards for 446 yards so far. These Bengals weapons are dangerous and the front line must do everything they can to shut them down. Hill has been used more on first-downs and his been quite successful at that feat. The Texans are 15th in rush defense giving up 109 yards per game.

Nov 16, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver

DeAndre Hopkins

(10) makes a pass reception against Cleveland Browns cornerback

Buster Skrine

(22) during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Texans won 23-7. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

WIDE RECEIVER: As mentioned previously, the Bengals are not as good as defending the pass. I see good game in the air for the Texans with Mallett’s arm and quick release, allowing our wide outs to catch the ball. I see Mallett continuing to spread the ball around DeAndre Hopkins, Andre Johnson and Demaris Johnson with Hopkins likely leading the team in yardage tomorrow. It’s obviously clear that Hopkins is poised to takeover the featured wide-out position later down the line and has been a terrific understudy for Andre Johnson. A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu are definitely guys the Texans must pay close attention to. Green missed three straight games earlier in the season with a toe injury but it looks like he has been getting back into form since his return in Week 9, his workload has slowly been increased with his first triple-digit receiving mark in awhile with 127 yards against the Saints. Sanu continues to be a threat as well as he has 671 yards off 44 carries this season — that’s quite productive at 15.3 yards per catch. With as bad as our pass defense is, they cannot let these guys run wild.

Nov 16, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Houston Texans tight end

Garrett Graham

(88) scores a touchdown during the second quarter as Cleveland Browns cornerback

Joe Haden

(23) and Cleveland Browns strong safety

Donte Whitner

(31) defend at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

TIGHT END: I haven’t talked about tight end play in quite some time because Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t seem to want to throw to our talented tight ends that much. But with Mallett in the mix, he seems that he will be poised to use Garrett Graham and C.J. Fiedorowicz more the rest of the way. He should — it was a shame those two talents were being underutilized. Graham had two catches for 34 yards last week. I expect to see more him as the season goes on. The Bengals have Jermaine Gresham but they don’t seem to be using him as much as opposed to past season when the wide out play wasn’t as good. He can be a threat so the secondary must watch out for him too.

Nov 16, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Houston Texans defensive end

J.J. Watt

(99) makes a touchdown reception against Cleveland Browns inside linebacker Chris Kirksey (58) during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSE (FRONT 7 & SECONDARY): The front line did an excellent job limiting the running game of the Browns. They held them to only 58 yards. Arian Foster had more carries than Ben Tate last Sunday and he didn’t even play. Ha! This lead to Tate’s demise and eventual jettison from the Forest City to the Twin Cities as the Minnesota Vikings’ featured back for the rest of the season. What can I say? J.J. Watt is every bit of deserving of the league MVP award as him being a lock for the defensive player of the year award. Mallett’s first touchdown pass was to Watt in a two-yard throw as he was quickly brought in as a tight end. Dalton does have better protection with offensive line than in past seasons but do you really think that matters to Watt? Hell no! He’ll bust through and take down the Red Rifle just like anybody else. It was an absolute delight to see Brian Cushing without any braces on last Sunday — it has been along time since that has happened. He’s feeling good out there and it’s showing. He had six tackles and two assists. A.J. Bouye really stepped up in Kareem Jackson‘s absence with nine tackles and one assist last week. I hope to see more games like that out of him. It also important to note that Akeem Dent played solidly as well with five tackles and one assist. Both he and Watt took down Brian Hoyer twice — each getting themselves a sack. The secondary gave up 317 yards in the air last week — I’ve said it time and again, they must do better on this front! The pass defense is getting so bad it’s alarming. I can only hope they get it together. Watch out for Reggie Nelson and Emanuel Lamur, the Bengals top tacklers at 68 and 71 respectively. Carlos Dunlap is their sack-leader with 4.5 on the season. Geno Atkins’ numbers are down from past seasons but is considered a threat on their line. Vontaze Burfict will be out at weak-side linebacker tomorrow with a knee injury so the Texans must take full advantage of him being out. Vincent Rey should step in his stead and cannot be taken lightly.