(Photo: HoustonTexans.com)
Intriguing Game- NFL, Week Ten
Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
Texans: I’ve really enjoyed watching them this year. This team is headed in the right direction and they have the right man to help lead the team in first-year Head Coach, DeMeco Ryans, the former Houston Texan himself. At first I was worried about him taking that job in Houston because I saw how things transpired with Lovie Smith and David Cullen as they were both fired after one season each. I said to myself hopefully DeMeco pans out because if he doesn’t succeed, he’ll get the pink slip too. I remember when he was still playing and while J.J. Watt was their best defensive player, DeMeco was the heart and soul and was compared to a Head Coach on the field. I also remember Brian Cushing saying DeMeco was the one guy you didn’t want to get angry because he would let you know about yourself. Years later, here we are and the Houston Texans have such a bright future ahead of them. One of the key guys responsible for their success this year is their rookie Quarterback, C.J. Stroud. I’ve watched so much of him dating back to his college days at Ohio State and what’s the label that follows any Quarterback to come out of Columbus? They don’t prosper in the NFL. So far, C.J. is looking to break that trend and he’s become the odds on favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and after that performance he put on this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has my vote! C.J. set a rookie record throwing for 470 yards and five touchdowns in that thrilling game over Tampa in week nine. Let’s cool it though on calling him an elite Quarterback because he is still a rookie and yes, he has been great this year, but this is just a sample size of what he can do and what he can become. As a wise man always says, do it again next year. This Sunday, they will make a trip to Cincinnati.
Bengals: I kept telling people they weren’t done. When they lost that game to the Tennessee Titans in week four, I can admit to you all that I was concerned because they looked so out of sync and the Joe Burrow injury was much worse than he was letting on. You could tell it was limiting his abilities not only to push the football up the field, but to extend the play and move within the pocket. I kept telling everyone on the shows I contribute for that all they needed was that one game to get back into the swing of these and that’s exactly what we saw in Arizona. The following week, they had to get ugly and win a defensive struggle against the Seattle Seahawks and then, we saw them go into Levi’s Stadium and punch the San Francisco 49ers in the mouth before coming back home this past weekend to face those Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. I said the 49ers and Bills’ games would be tests for them, but they passed those with flying colors. I understand how great the Baltimore Ravens have been this year and they’re sitting atop of the AFC North. The entire division has been strong this year because the Steelers and Browns have also been tough, but let’s not discredit the team that’s won this division the last two years and that’s the Cincinnati Bengals. They are getting healthy and are beginning to click at the right time and they have a knack for doing this. It’s great to see Joe finally looking like the elite Quarterback he is and the other weapons are stepping it up as well. The defense is also gelling and playing consistent football. This is a team I wouldn’t want to see down the stretch because they will be a tough out for anyone facing them. This Sunday, they welcome a hungry Texans team to town.
Texans X-Factor: Tank Dell– He’s become Stroud’s top target this year. Tank has earned his Quarterback’s trust. He runs every route and makes every catch each time the ball is thrown in his direction. It’s almost as if teams forget about Tank and they don’t circle in on him because I’ve seen him wide open far too many times for my liking. Tank is so explosive and dynamic and is great at setting up defenders to think he’s going one way and go in a different direction.
Bengals X-Factor: Sam Hubbard– Along with Trey Hendrickson, he and Sam have formed an underrated duo of pass rushers on the edge. Sam impacts the play not just as a pass rusher. He has the long arms to get his hands up to bat down the ball and his ability to pressure amazes me because he’s able to get home with a pure bullrush. Sam can also stunt and change directions to get home. He’s also strong against the run.
Final Thoughts: There’s an Ohio State connection here. Joe Burrow red shirted for the Buckeyes before transferring to LSU and of course, C.J. Stroud was the conductor behind one of the best offenses in the nation in Columbus. The key matchup I’m watching in this game is C.J. Stroud against this Bengals defense that will cause him some problems. The one thing I’ll say about Houston is they’ve been trending in the right direction after years of rebuilding. Can the Bengals keep the momentum going? Three of their wins in this four-game winning streak have come against the Seahawks, 49ers and Bills. Cincinnati also has far more experience and way too many weapons for Houston to compete with and that’s what will keep the Bengals and their winning ways going. I like Cincy to extend this winning streak to five games with a win here in week ten.
Prediction: Bengals 28, Texans 20
