Week 10 is a huge game for a Browns team looking to get into serious playoff contention coming off its bye week. In a role reversal of 2018's meeting in Week 13, a 29-13 Texans home victory which helped keep Houston hot late and helped them make the playoffs, the Browns are now the team looking to take care of business against a struggling Houston team thrust into a coaching transition.
Nick Chubb and Austin Hooper are nearly certain to return, and Wyatt Teller could join them, providing a massive boost to an offense that will need to find its identity in the second half, lacking star playmaker Odell Beckham, Jr. Co-star Jarvis Landry continues to see his performance impacted by a broken rib so its unclear just how much he can impact games with his injury.
On defense, the hope is that a week of rest and recovery will see the defensive line play with more power and speed than they showed against Las Vegas in Week 8's loss. The defense certainly needs them to play better because the back end of the defense remains a massive question mark.
When the DBs make big plays, and catch interceptions thrown right to them, they have shown they can overcome their collective weakness in coverage. But when they don't generate turnovers, this unit can't be counted on to get a stop when it matters -- outside of The Warden, Denzel Ward, that is. Ward is playing at an All-Pro level and one shudders to think where this defense would be without him.
Especially because the linebackers remain an absolute disaster. It's hard to see how the Browns defense can overcome two sub-standard units on a regular basis to actually contend for a first-round win.
That journey begins on Sunday, November 15. Until then, let's kick off this thread with Houston's performance in Week 9 vs. Jacksonville, where we join the action with the Texans up 13-7 in Q2...
Here's your quick scouting report on the game through almost two quarters: Yikes.
We've seen this kind of football before. Literally. Since Romeo Crennel is now the interim head coach, Houston plays like your classic "don't lose the game before you have to" team.
Outside of a Brandin Cooks 57-yard catch-and-run TD, Houston's offense appears circa-2017 Browns stupid. I'm not watching, mind you, just keeping tabs (what do y'all think I am, totally insane? No. I'm only partially insane. I'll watch the short version via Game Pass later and report back.) What a waste of a great QB. I feel for Deshaun.
Texans are becoming a sad story. Had a ridiculous collection of talent all over the field except on the OL and have gradually eroded. I don't think Watson's as special as some seem to want him to be, but he's certainly a good QB you can win with... and their 1-6.
Their defense has been just dreadful. I hope the team's love of Jacob Phillips is real and he steps in and looks like a rocket. I think he's at least 2.7 times faster than our next fastest LB. More him, more Malcolm, more Redwine... less Sendejo.
Mack Wilson is close to playing himself into a special teams role. We can only hear that it's this reason or that for so long before we accept that he fell that far for very good reasons. I mean... a 29 PFF?!
I feel really optimistic about the offense. Our hopes for the defense depend finding some traction, figuring out how to be the best version of what we are until we bring in probably 4 or 5 pretty serious upgrades in the offseason.
I really would start with Smith/Phillips at LB and Harrison/Redwine at safety. My guy Karl Joseph has been bad, too, but he should stay in the rotation. Ditto KJ. He can play... but he hasn't yet.
Texans survive a late flurry by Jax and a heck of debut by their QB who scored to pull the Jags within 2. The 2-point try fails and Houston has a one-game winning streak on its way to Cleveland.
I am impressed. Not actually even into game week, and the GDT is up. Well done.
I am glad you mentioned the last Texans trip into Cleveland, dama. That is exactly what will happen if the Browns treat this game like it is already won. We did that right before the bye and got our asses handed to us on a silver (and black) platter.
As we saw yesterday in Dallas, any NFL team can beat any other NFL team on any given day. The Texans just got their second taste of victory this year. I am sure they liked it. Any team that has J.J. Watt and DeShawn Watson has a chance.
I expect this to be a tougher than expected contest. It will set the tone for the second half of the season. I don't know if Chubb makes it back this week, but that would certainly be welcome.
I watched the highlights last night and two things jumped out:
1. Fuller and Cooks will kill us if we aren't careful. They each scored on a long catch and run. Bend but don't break may be the right answer this week.
2. Blitz Deshaun at your peril.
Jax played well on D but it was obvious -- again, just from highlights -- that leaving your backfield exposed on blitzes against Watson is neither wise nor sound. Every TD scoring play for Houston featured a blitz that didn't get home.
So, I'd like to prepare everyone: expect more of the same from Joe's calls. Mostly rushing four and dropping seven, keep everything in front, no long TDs.
Then grind them, go up, and grind them some more.
This is the way.
Looks mostly sunny (and headed for sunny) on Teller and Chubb joining Hooper, giving us our full post-OBJ allotment... and more time to figure out just how that looks. Still thinking more Hodge going deep (4.4) to open things up. Gotta take some shots at it for sure.
Need to win these next two games to get to 7-3. Both are very winnable.
Damn, that's a beautiful sight. That's a SQUAD coming back to practice, baby!
I'd like to go into a Browns game with no excuses for a loss... either several key injuries or unfamiliarity with the systems. Ravens fit the unfamiliarity part and Steelers/Raiders fit the injuries part.
Seems like we go into this next game pretty whole and, as I said before the season started, post-bye should be the end of complaining about being a new staff with new systems in a weird year with no preseason.
Now, if Baker has COVID, all bets are off again.
I know OBJ is gone but I don't feel like he's critical to winning or losing. I may get told I'm wrong and everything gets constipated without him, but I just don't think so. I think he's that engine that lets you go 130 instead of 125 and you can't reasonably do either.
(I remember this from leasing the FX45 instead of the FX35 and gradually realizing, "Oh, so I'm a fucking idiot. Cool.")
LOL at that analogy, Shep.
But yeah, you gotta wonder if OBJ is like a super cool Italian sports car that is totally gonna be awesome to drive in NE Ohio for...six weeks.
And then you have to put the top back on. And you have to change the tires. And you have to watch out for potholes and ice. And you have to lease a garage.
Eventually, you stop driving the damn thing because, who needs the headache? And you just throw all your shit in the back of the pickup, dial in the 4x4 and get to where you need to go, with minimal fuss.
I suspect the Browns want to be a pickup truck offense and not an Italian roadster.
If you wanna start a fan war, you say, "OBJ is the Barry Sanders of WRs."
Back on topic now...
The Texans are going to be without David Johnson so we'll get to see the Return of the Duke to FE Stadium.
In another sincerely amazing turn of events, the Texans have picked up Nate Orchard -- yes, THAT Nate Orchard, one-move Nate Orchard -- and he may be in uniform for this week, per Zac Jackson at The Athletic.
Going back to the mini-preview of the Jax game, there's really no question now that the Texans are going to have to open up the offense and air it out versus the suspect Browns secondary.
In another interesting tidbit from The Athletic, under Bill O'Brien the Texans were in the bottom-5 of the Cook Index, which measures how often teams choose to run or pass on downs that are roughly neutral, i.e., when teams had the most choice.
Since his firing, they are now in the top-10, choosing to pass far more often. Not surprisingly, they are seeing more return feeding their WRs and letting Deshaun deal than they were with DJ and DJ running the ball.
The idea is this metric gives an idea, over time, of how an offense chooses to attack its opponent and also provides some insight into a coach's potential feelings about his personnel.
In this case, either BOB really didn't believe in Deshaun -- or was a really stubborn and dumb coach.
Early returns are on the latter.
Baker was cleared and is practicing. Stef says he's "ready to ascend," and Stef doesn't usually talk that way. Extremely measured, but seems legit excited about where Baker is now with the offense.
Sounds like they're being careful with both Chubb and Teller. Bet the former is on a pitch count (splits carries) and the team would love to pull Teller with a lead. Two of the most important keys to making the playoffs.
Team's excitement about getting Phillips back has become pretty obvious. Tells you where we are with our LBs. In short, he's fast and he tackles consistently.
Sione is doing extremely well against the run. He's one dimensional but at least he has a dimension. And they bring him off the edge.