Beware of the Texans

[oldschooler]

[b][size="5"]Beware of the Texans[/size][/b]
October 14th, 2009 | [url="http://www.allproblogger.com/category/bengals/"]Bengals[/url], [url="http://www.allproblogger.com/category/nfl/"]NFL[/url] [b]
[/b]

The Bengals play host to the Texans this Sunday at PBS. I'm starting to see this match up as being the toughest game for the Bengals to date. I know that the Texans don't look like a formidable foe, but believe me, they are very dangerous. If both teams play their best, the Bengals should have the advantage because they are at home. If both teams play a sloppy game the Texans have the advantage because they are better on offense and they can put up points in a hurry. The Bengals are coming off a tough four game stretch where they faced the Packers on the road and three division opponents. Now they are back at home in a comfort zone. Always a dangerous spot. I have been there before where as a team, you start to exhale. It's natural, no matter how much you try to deny it. I look at how the Bengals have been winning, and it allows for teams to stay in the game. And you can't keep doing that against explosive teams. The Bengals will have to start playing to a level of excellence, and not to the level of their opponent. Last minute comebacks are the exception, not something you do every week. I applaud the Bengals for being able to win in the last minute of each game, that takes a lot of heart. And as Marvin Lewis told me, "FAITH." But at some point, you want to see this team put someone away. Maybe just have Carson Palmer hand it off during the last 8 minutes of game. Then he will get to rest up his ankle, thumb, and arm. That's what the Giants did with Eli Manning last week. Jumped to a big lead and rested his heel. Maybe this is the week that starts to happen, I hope so.






[url="http://www.allproblogger.com/2009/10/14/beware-of-the-texans/"]http://www.allproblogger.com/2009/10/14/beware-of-the-texans/[/url]

[Oldcat]

Well actually handing off would hurt his hand more than passing from what I understand.

I agree that the Texans could beat us if we don't play well, but I wouldn't say that they have
better playmakers than we do on offense. Sure Andre Johnson is good, but Chad is up there. Our depth at WR there is better. Carson is better than Schaub. And from what I've seen, their defense is not as good as Pittsburg or Baltimore or Denver, not as familiar with us as the Browns' D is, so I like us in a sloppy game if both sides are sloppy.

Would be nice to see an easy win - say scoring the winning TD at the 2 minute mark in the 4th quarter...

[ccartman2]

Kind of odd post. For one minute he is saying this is a very dangerous game and then at the end he thinks he can beat them so bad we can rest Carson. Personally I think if we are up enough to just hand it off for 8 minutes, then maybe JT should do it. Really not buying that one.

[Whodeyman]

[quote name='Oldcat' date='14 October 2009 - 09:12 PM' timestamp='1255569165' post='816471']
Well actually handing off would hurt his hand more than passing from what I understand.

I agree that the Texans could beat us if we don't play well, but I wouldn't say that they have
better playmakers than we do on offense. Sure Andre Johnson is good, but Chad is up there. Our depth at WR there is better. Carson is better than Schaub. And from what I've seen, their defense is not as good as Pittsburg or Baltimore or Denver, not as familiar with us as the Browns' D is, so I like us in a sloppy game if both sides are sloppy.

Would be nice to see an easy win - say scoring the winning TD at the 2 minute mark in the 4th quarter...
[/quote]


And we have Ced Benson running the ball.

[Oldcat]

[quote name='Whodeyman' date='14 October 2009 - 07:19 PM' timestamp='1255569541' post='816475']
And we have Ced Benson running the ball.
[/quote]

Yes, but their runner is decent, and I was addressing the "they're explosive compared to us" thing JT wrote about.
I think Ced is better, there too, and given the way their line played a few games back might get 200 yards.

[|Bunghole|]

JT is conveniently forgetting our defense in his blog. Does anyone think for a moment that Zimmer is going to let his defense have a letdown?

It's all on the offense at this point, and it has been the last few games. Yes, they are producing points when it matters, but we need to score more points throughout the rest of the games, not just in the fourth quarter. The defense is doing it's job, the special teams hopefully improve by shedding dead weight in St Louis...will the offense start carrying it's weight?

[Jason]

My main concern is an emotional let down after the funeral and those events.

Diva thinks differently though. She thinks they will feed off this all year and go 13-3.

And last year she thought they would only win 2 games, so she has been close before.

[|Bunghole|]

[quote name='Jason' date='14 October 2009 - 10:51 PM' timestamp='1255575114' post='816497']
My main concern is an emotional let down after the funeral and those events.

Diva thinks differently though. She thinks they will feed off this all year and go 13-3.

And last year she thought they would only win 2 games, so she has been close before.
[/quote]
Now that you two are married, if Diva is "the scabbard" and you are "the sword"....then who's in charge of the bills?




I hope she's right...

[ThurmanMunster]

No matter how good your defense is Andre Johnson can still fuck it all up. The Jets were able to contain him but that is a rarity.

[Inigo Montoya]

The Texans are plenty dangerous. Matt Schaub has played pretty well this season, with the exception of the season-opener against the Jets. He'll target Andre Johnson heavily and he also has a good TE, Owen Daniels. Injuries have weakened their o-line and they have struggled to run the ball with Steve Slaton. It'll be a big challenge for our defense against an explosive passing team like the Texans. On defense, Houston has a few very good individual players (Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, Dunta Robinson) but they haven't played very well this year, except against Oakland and for one half against Arizona. They have allowed several very huge rushing performances, including 190 yards to the Jets, 240 yards to the Titans, and 184 yards to the Jags. They also have only forced 7 turnovers and racked up 6 sacks in five games.

[dex]

There are some really good receivers in the AFC, but I think Andre Johnson is the very best. I put AJohnson right up there with Fitzgerald as the two best in all of football.

[oldschooler]

[b][size="5"]Texans' D changed at half[/size][/b]

[b][size="4"]Houston improves, looks for consistent play[/size][/b]
By Kristie Rieken • The Associated Press • October 15, 2009


[b]HOUSTON[/b] - Houston allowed 21 points and almost 300 yards in the first half of a loss to Arizona last weekend.


The Texans turned it around after halftime, giving up just 43 yards and holding the Cardinals scoreless. Now the question is which defense will show up Sunday against the Bengals.

"I can see how people could be confused," defensive end Antonio Smith said. "But it's our job to take that confusion away. It's our job to be consistent in everything we do."

It was the second straight week the Texans held a team scoreless in the second half. Arizona's only second half touchdown came on an interception return that allowed the Cardinals to hold on for the 28-21 win.

Coach Gary Kubiak called the second half performance dominant and wouldn't mind seeing something like that again. He'd settle for solid play throughout a game though.

"You don't hold somebody to 43 yards in this league, that's incredible," he said. "But you can go through a game and play good for four quarters and contain somebody instead of having the spurts that we've had."

Everyone had different ideas about why the defense played so well after halftime following such a bad start. The players came up with things like paying more attention to detail and wanting to make up for the poor first half. As for how to correct it, they had one easy answer: start faster.

"If we can get a better start, we'll be fine," cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "We've got to focus on starting better because it's hard to dig yourself out of a hole in this league. Whatever it is that is causing us to start slow, we've got to figure it out and make sure it doesn't keep happening."

Houston was able to hold the pass-happy Cardinals to just 44 yards rushing, but remain among the league's worst in defending the run. The Texans have allowed a 100-yard rusher in three of their five games, including 197 yards by Tennessee's Chris Johnson.

Now they'll face the NFL's leading rusher in Cedric Benson, who has 487 yards rushing this season.

"He's a fine player and as you can see he's hungry right now," Kubiak said. "We're very impressed and know that stopping them starts with stopping him right now."

Linebacker DeMeco Ryans knows they'll have to be at their best to deal with Benson.

"It's like he's got a new spark, a new light," he said. "He's running with a lot more aggressiveness and he's doing a lot better job than he's done in the past."

On offense, the line took another hit Wednesday when right guard Mike Brisiel was placed on the injured reserve after surgery on his left foot. Houston was already playing without left guard Chester Pitts, who suffered a season-ending injury earlier this season.

Antoine Caldwell, a rookie out of Alabama who hasn't played this season, is set to start in Brisiel's place against the Bengals.





[url="http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091015/SPT02/910150374/1066/Texans++D+changed+at+half"]http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091015/SPT02/910150374/1066/Texans++D+changed+at+half[/url]

[Bengals1181]

FYI, first 4-3 opponent of the year.

[Oldcat]

First or second half doesn't say much about their run defense. Cardinals don't have a good enough running attack to tell either way.

[oldschooler]

[b]
[b][size="5"]Two Texans linebackers are hurting[/size][/b]
[/b]
With a matchup at Cincinnati on the slate, both of the Texans' starting outside linebackers are on the Week Six injury report.

Rookie strong-side linebacker Brian Cushing, the club's leading tackler, [url="http://www.houstontexans.com/news/Story.asp?STORY_ID=5695"]needed an MRI on his foot[/url] Thursday and missed practice. Weak-side linebacker Zach Diles, a new addition to the injury report, had [url="http://www.houstontexans.com/gameday/InjuryReport.asp"]"limited" participation Thursday[/url] due to an in-practice injury.

"We're expecting him to play," coach Gary Kubiak said of Cushing after the workout. "I think he'll be alright," Kubiak added of Diles.

Still, the injuries are concerning for a [url="http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?season=2009&seasonType=REG&defensiveStatisticCategory=RUSHING&d-447263-o=2&conference=ALL&tabSeq=2&role=OPP&d-447263-p=1&d-447263-s=RUSHING_TOUCHDOWNS&d-447263-n=1"]Texans defense that has surrendered[/url] more rushing touchdowns and a higher yards-per-carry average than anyone in the league.

On Sunday, Houston will try to stop [url="http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=0&statisticCategory=RUSHING&conference=null&season=2009&seasonType=REG&d-447263-s=RUSHING_YARDS&d-447263-o=2&d-447263-n=1"]NFL rushing leader Cedric Benson[/url] (for real). In Week 5, Benson became the first back in 40 games to [url="http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&id=3139"]top 100 rushing yards against the Ravens[/url].




[url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/m/2009/10/15/two-texans-linebackers-are-hurting/"]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/m/2009/10/15/two-texans-linebackers-are-hurting/[/url]

[oldschooler]

[size="5"]Bengals try to stop Texans, win fifth in row[/size]
Associated Press
Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009 - 7:55 p.m. ET



CINCINNATI -- The roll call is impressive: Greg Jennings, Braylon Edwards, Derrick Mason[img]http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2.gif[/img]. All of them faced the Cincinnati Bengals' secondary this season. None of them caught a pass.

Not even one.

The Bengals (4-1) have taken control of the AFC North[img]http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2.gif[/img] because of their shutdown defense and their endgame confidence. They've won four in a row, all in the final 22 seconds. A victory on Sunday over the Houston Texans (2-3) would give them their first five-game winning streak since 1988, when they went to the Super Bowl.

To do that, they've got to add Andre Johnson[img]http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2.gif[/img] to the list.

"We've got a good one coming up," safety Chinedum Ndukwe[img]http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2.gif[/img] said. "That guy gashed us big-time."

He's not exaggerating.

Last year, the teams played in Houston and the reeling Bengals got their comeuppance. Johnson caught 11 passes for 143 yards - the most receptions and yards by any opposing receiver last season - during a 35-6 win that dropped Cincinnati to 0-8.

Johnson had his way against a depleted and discouraged defense, one that's itching to face him again now that the Bengals have turned themselves around.

"He had a field day," Ndukwe said. "He's a big receiver - fast, physical, great hands, a complete package. Basically, I'm excited. We've played some good guys so far, but I think Andre Johnson last year was definitely the best guy we faced."

The Texans need him to be good again, and right away.

Similar to the Bengals, the Texans have taken their time to get going on offense. Unlike the Bengals, they've lacked the knack to pull games out at the end. They fell behind 21-0 in the first half against Arizona on Sunday, but had a chance to send it to overtime. They failed on three plays from the Arizona 1-yard line in the final minute.

Two weeks earlier, the Texans had a similar chance to pull even late in a game against Jacksonville, but fumbled at the goal line.

"We had two games, right there on the 1-yard line where we should have scored a touchdown and we didn't do it," Johnson said. "That's the NFL. You can look at Cincinnati and say they're a tipped ball away from being 5-0, so this is a crazy league."

While the Bengals have rescued themselves with Carson Palmer's last-minute passing, the Texans have run into dead ends. Their inability to run the ball has put the onus on Matt Schaub, who set career highs with 35 completions and 50 attempts against the Cardinals. He threw for a season-high 371 yards and two touchdowns - to Johnson, of course.

It'll be more of a challenge in Cincinnati, where rookie Antoine Caldwell is expected to start at right guard in place of Mike Brisiel, out with a season-ending foot injury. Houston also is missing left guard Chester Pitts for the rest of the season.

With all that's happened, the Texans need to get off to a good start.

"As an offense, we've got to get started quickly," left tackle Duane Brown said. "Coach (Gary) Kubiak threw out the stat - last year, we scored on 10 out of 16 of our first drives. We haven't done that this year. So we've got to come out strong, and I think that will give us momentum throughout the game instead of coming out and trying to feel our way through the defense and gradually improving."

Cincinnati doesn't mind waiting until the final minutes to finally do something.

Palmer led the Bengals on a last-minute scoring drive in the opener against Denver, only to have a tipped pass give the Broncos a touchdown and the win. He led a tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter at Cleveland, then a drive to the winning field goal in the closing seconds of overtime. He also led winning touchdown drives against Pittsburgh and Baltimore that left the Bengals 3-0 in their division and gave them a sense that this could be their season.

"I think that as the season moves on, you start to look at the playoff picture and home-field advantage[img]http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2.gif[/img] and first-round bye or whatever," Palmer said. "It's obviously way too early to be looking at that. We're worried about this team (Houston). It's an AFC opponent, and that gets thrown into the playoff picture at the end. It's an important game to win."

The Houston game starts a favorable four-week stretch for the Bengals, who have home games against Houston, Chicago and Baltimore along with their bye. The second half of the season includes games against Oakland, Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City.

If the Bengals can come out of the next four weeks in first place, the playoff talk will begin.

"If you're not first, you're last," receiver Chad Ochocinco said. "So it feels pretty good. They key for us is staying there - being consistent, winning the games we should win against teams we should beat. I think that's our next step."






[url="http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2009-10-15/bengals-try-stop-johnson-win-5th-row"]http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2009-10-15/bengals-try-stop-johnson-win-5th-row[/url]

[The Scales]

The Zimm will gameplan to remove Andre Johnson from the equation as much as possible.

Schaub will get good and knowledgable about the texture of Paul Brown Stadium Field turf.

The men in the Bengal Defense will be disciplined about their responsibilites, and sharp and firm with their tackling. They will not allow the Back to Slip out of their grips like Ray Rice did.

Cedric the Great Gashes them for 139 and a score.

C.J breaks a hundy in yards and Dunta Robinson kisses the baby.

Andre the Giant, wide eyed as ever, looks more and more like a faster T.J well before T.J. ever looked like T.J.

Coles and Coates . . . I got nothing nice to say at the moment about those two.


Carson catches Fire.


Bengals 78

Texans 10

[oldschooler]

From FOX Sports' Adam Schein




[b]4. Baltimore and Cincy will be tied by Monday.[/b]


I'm going to call this one a [b]boom[/b].

I know the Bengals are 4-1. Mike Zimmer's defense has been outstanding all year. Carson Palmer has the magic back. Benson is having a brilliant season. And Houston has had some awful losses.

But I like some of Houston's matchups in this game.

Matt Schaub has been hot, throwing for 10 touchdowns against three picks and a quarterback rating of 107.4 in the last four weeks. I love Andre Johnson finding the end zone a couple of times against Cincy. Steve Slaton can do to the Bengals defense what Ray Rice did to them last week. And you can never quite figure out the Texans. I have a feeling on this one. Cincy could be ripe for a letdown after last week's hard-fought win in the division.




[url="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/10221240/Boom-or-Bust:-Watch-for-a-Cincy-letdown"]http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/10221240/Boom-or-Bust:-Watch-for-a-Cincy-letdown[/url]