The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Browns look to corral Texans
BROWNS AT TEXANS
The Browns trounced the underachieving Atlanta Falcons and overpowered toothless Cincinnati Bengals to win back-to-back games for the first time in more than four years.
They’ll have to beat the big boys on Dec. 2 in Houston to make it three in a row and prove they might really be a legitimate wild-card contender in the AFC.
The Houston Texans, 0-3 to start the season, are on an eightgame winning streak. They are the first team in NFL history to go from 0-3 to 8-3, and there is nothing fluky about how they climbed to the top of the AFC South.
Texans defensive end J.J. Watt leads the AFC with 11.5 sacks. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a master at making acrobatic catches, is second in the AFC with 73 catches for 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, spurned by the Browns in the 2017 draft, has thrown 20 touchdown passes to nine interceptions. He has also rushed for 345 yards and two touchdowns on 62 attempts.
For all that, the Browns (4-6-1) are not intimidated.
“We don’t care about what they’re doing,” Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry said. “Obviously, we understand that they’re on an eight-game winning streak. But for us, we know it’s going to come down to us executing and doing the things that we do to put us in place to win the game. When: 1 p.m., Dec. 2
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston Records: Browns 4-6-1, Texans 8-3
TV: WOIO; Radio: WKRK-FM 92.3, WNCX-FM 98.5, WKNR-AM 850
“We’re not really worried about what they’re going to do. Obviously we understand that they are a good football team, a great football team and we have to play our best game. We definitely are a
confident team. Each and every guy in this locker room believes in each other. That’s the most important part — just believing in each other and trusting that everyone is going to do our 1/11th.”
Confidence is a good thing, but it’s still going to come down to slowing Watt, Jadeveon Clowney plus Whitney Mercilus on
the Texans pass rush, keeping Watson in the pocket and somehow keeping the damage Hopkins does to a minimum.
If the Browns can do those things, feed the ball to running back Nick Chubb and keep quarterback Baker Mayfield on his hot streak they do have a chance to send a message to the rest of the AFC that they are for real.
Of all those challenges, slowing Watt’s fast motor will be the most difficult.
“J.J. does a very good job of seeing more than just the obvious, and then, his power, his strength and his quickness all aid into now can you slow him down once he has guessed right?” Browns head coach Gregg Williams said. “He does guess, but more times right than wrong.”
Left tackle Greg Robinson has emerged as a key player in the Browns’ suddenly potent offense. There is no longer a debate about whether he or Desmond Harrison will be on Mayfield’s blind side. Robinson has started the last three games and he will start against the Texans.
“Oh, we’re going to keep (Mayfield) clean,” Robinson said. “I feel like we just need to trust each other and don’t really change anything, know that each play, each down is going to be a challenge, and we’re up for it.”
The Browns did not give up a sack in either of their last two games.