Show notes
When he takes the field on Sunday, Watson will have gone 700 days since he last played in a regular-season game. (Expect to hear that number a lot on Sunday). Watson was a full participant in the offseason program, training camp, and has a full week of practice under his belt, but there is no way of knowing how much rust he has and how long it will take him to get into a rhythm.
One thing working in Watson and the Browns favor is that Houston’s defense is not good, so he should be able to get in enough throws to be comfortable enough going into the next two games, which are key division tilts against the Cincinnati Bengals (+2) Given how poorly Houston is against the run, a nice game plan that features just enough passes from Watson to get him in a groove combined with a proactive running game that reaches into Cleveland’s depth to keep Chubb fresh should be on order for Sunday.
It’s the Browns, there must be some cause for concern?: It really doesn’t matter who they play, the Browns defense struggles to keep anyone in check when they are running with the football. That could be a problem against Houston rookie running back Dameon Pierce, who has rushed for 788 yards on the season. However, Pierce is in a bit of a slump as he has gained a total of 16 rushing yards over the past two games.
Nothing puts a hop in a running back’s step quite like playing the Browns, so Cleveland will have to keep an eye on Pierce to make sure he does not rediscover the mojo that saw him rush for 670 yards during a seven-game stretch earlier this season.
A healthy secondary: Cleveland received some good news on Friday as cornerback Greg Newsome II is expected to play after missing two games with a concussion, and fellow cornerback Denzel Ward is also on schedule to play after dealing with a tight hamstring in practice.
That gives the Browns their top trio of Ward, Newsome and rookie Martin Emerson Jr. – who had himself quite a game last week against Tampa Bay – back on the field together with an opportunity to get in some work as they prepare for next week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Game Notes
The Browns remain among the league leaders in rushing as they are No. 2 with 18 rushing touchdowns, No. 5 with 1,698 rushing yards, No. 5 with 101 rushing first downs and No. 3 with 56 runs of 10-plus yards.
Cleveland wide receiver Amari Cooper is tied for fourth in the league with seven receiving touchdowns.
Cleveland running back Nick Chubb is one rushing touchdown away from setting a career high with 13. Chubb is also 164 rushing yards away from becoming the fourth running back in franchise history to rush for at least 6,000 career yards.
Houston is minus-2 in turnovers the past three games and have lost the turnover battle in five of their past six losses.
Cleveland defense end Jadeveon Clowney , Houston’s No. 1 selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, will play against the Texans for the first time in Houston.
A Final Quote
Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski on expectations for quarterback Deshaun Watson’s impact on the offense (quote via a team-provided transcript):
“For this football team, for Deshaun and for the offense, they need to focus on playing good football this week. The big picture of what that means and that type of thing, I don’t think our guys are worried about that. We have to worry about our preparation this week and make sure that we have a good plan for Houston. We are excited that Deshaun is able to play for us. We are excited that he is back out there. The guys have enjoyed, like we mentioned, back in the room the last few weeks. Having him out on the field will bring an element to our offense that is different, but how different I think remains to be seen.”
Those are just a few things to keep an eye on; now it is time to have your say. What are you looking for from the Browns in Sunday’s game against the Texans?
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