Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals: 2017 Week 2: Three things to watch

The Houston Texans look to bounce back after one of the most embarrassing losses in franchise history as they travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. Here’s three things to watch Thursday night.

Ahh, another fine meeting between the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals. Both teams got absolutely beat down in Week 1, and only have scored a meager seven points thus far on the season. A win for both teams would jump start their season.

Despite all the attention from the media since Sunday and the depressing Brian Cushing suspension, the Houston Texans are hoping to silence the distractions and get a much needed win on Thursday night.

Here’s the game info for tonight:

Date: Sep. 14, 2017

TV: NFL Network

Time: 7:25 p.m. CDT

Radio: Sports Radio 610 AM, FM HD 2 100.3 The Bull

As per the NFL Network’s Taylor Bisciotti, Deshaun Watson will get the start tonight:

#Texans Deshaun Watson will START his first #NFL game on his 22nd birthday on Thursday. #TNF
— Taylor Bisciotti (@TaylorBisciotti) September 13, 2017

In the last time these teams met, this game was a snooze for the people who aren’t a fan of either of these teams, but I’m sure there will be a lot of people who will want to see Watson play with the bright lights on in prime time. The last time Watson had this type of stage to do his thing was the National Championship where he led the Clemson Tigers on one of the greatest drives in college football history.

More from House of Houston

What are the three things that the Texans need to do in order to get their first win of the 2017 season and Watson’s first win as a starter which many people are hoping, including myself, will be a great career?

3 Things To Watch For:

No.1: Offensive Line

It’s the obvious choice. The Texans O-Line did the exact opposite of what I said they’d do in my game preview last week. In my 17 years of life, that was by far the WORST performance from a single unit I had ever seen. It’s sad, there are youth football teams out there that blocked better last weekend than the Texans 0-Line did, and the Texans line are nothing but professional football players.

But, that’s last Sunday, hopefully they learned from their mistakes and moved on. The only way to go from that performance is up. HOPEFULLY, they will actually give Watson time in the pocket to throw downfield. They traded up to get him in the 1st round, to which the Texans front office sacrificed a lot to get him under center and they must protect him at all costs.

Greg Mancz will be inserted at guard and hopefully he provides some stability at that spot. Still, I don’t know why he wasn’t a starter in the first place. Xavier Su’a Filo is just not cutting it, if he does not start blocking better his time in Houston will be coming to an end.

#2: From Austin, with love

We should see more D’Onta Foreman than Lamar Miller tonight. Foreman is a up-the-middle type back that can give you three to possibly five yards per run. Last week, the Texans made a huge mistake with not playing Foreman more and got heavily criticized for it. Look, Miller has an insane amount of talent, but his body isn’t made to be running up the middle constantly. That’s why we drafted Foreman, a 250-pound speedster that runs with power through the holes.

If we can get Foreman going, it will make the night easy for Watson. I really like Foreman, I thought the Texans stole him in the 3rd round. I just hope O’Brien calls his number multiple times Thursday and lets Texans fans see Watson and Foreman in the backfield, which is a duo we hope to see for a long time.

#3: Last week took an L but tonight we bounce back

As rapper Big Sean says in his hit single, it’s time to “Bounce Back.” This is exactly what the Texans defense needs on Thursday. Kevin Johnson had a bad game, he blew so much coverage and had a costly penalty in the game last weekend. I think Johnson will eventually become CB1 for the Houston Texans but there is a lot of stuff he has to get better on.

Brian Cushing is now out because of a concussion and also a suspension. The Houston Texans match up against the Jacksonville Jaguars is maybe the final time seeing him in the Deep Steel Blue and Liberty White. But, as the Texans should do, we should move on from him and focus on the future.

Zach Cunningham and Benardrick McKinney will be better than Cushing ever will, Cunningham is fast and can stop the run pretty well as he had three run stopping tackles last week. With Cushing gone, defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel will be giving McKinney the headset in the helmet to call the plays on the field. This is a HUGE step and task for the kid who I have so much faith in.

J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney, we’ve got to hear your name Thursday, especially J.J. This week, I hope J.J. is back to full potential because last week Watt looked totally different and Clowney looked lost. We need to move Clowney to DE and not outside linebacker because he wrecks more havoc at the end.

Next: THREE things Brian Cushing didn't say about his suspension

Prediction:

This game could be a boxing match as both teams will shove it down each others throats. Watson will be just fine and the O-Line will play much better as they will only allow three sacks. It won’t be a classy win, but the Houston Texans will steal a win in Cincinnati to make their record 1-1 on the season.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: 17-10 TEXANS

Go Texans!