WHEN THEY PASS
WHEN THE BROWNS PASS
Two quarterbacks — New England’s Tom Brady and Kansas City’s Alex Smith — have carved up the Texans’ secondary, but they’re doing that to just about every defense. With a less effective pass rush because of the season-ending injuries to J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus, there’s pressure on defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel to scheme to get after Kevin Hogan, making the first start of his career. The Browns’ leading receiver is running back Duke Johnson (23 catches for 270 yards). They have one wide receiver (Rashard Higgins) with more than 11 receptions. The Texans must watch rookie tight end David Njoku, who has caught three of their six touchdown passes. Hogan has appeared in nine games.
WHEN THE TEXANS PASS
Deshaun Watson has thrown nine touchdown passes in the last two games. DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller have combined for nine this season, making them the second-most productive twosome in the league at their position. The Texans are fourth in scoring (28.8 points) and 21st in passing (204 yards), but Watson’s 12 touchdown passes are third to Aaron Rodgers and Carson Wentz. The Browns better keep back two safeties to guard against deep passes. They have a talented defensive line and a defensive coordinator (Gregg Williams) who loves to blitz, so expect them to come after Watson a lot. End Myles Garrett, the first overall pick in the draft, is making his first start after being sidelined because of an ankle injury.