Tag: NFL Week 2

Texans QB Deshaun Watson seeks to ‘turn the page’ against the Ravens

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson hopes the AFC South club can “turn the page” from Week 1’s loss as they face the Baltimore Ravens.

The Houston Texans dropped a consequential game against the Kansas City Chiefs to open the season, and quarterback Deshaun Watson says the team must move on.

Houston fell to Kansas City 34-20 at Arrowhead Stadium on Opening Night in the NFL. The loss not only gives the Texans a 0-1 record, but a 0-1 record in the AFC.

Rather than dwelling on the loss, Watson believes the Texans have to act quickly to move on from the disappointment and gear themselves for the challenge that is the Baltimore Ravens, who will visit NRG Stadium Sunday at 3:25 p.m.

“It’s very big, especially being at home,” Watson said. “You’ve got to win your home games, you’ve got win your AFC games. It’s a great opportunity playing a great team. They were a playoff team last year. We got to try to turn the page and get on that winning streak as far as Sunday.”

The Texans have not started 0-2 since 2018, when Houston fell as far as 0-3 on the year before turning around their season with a nine-game winning streak. The Texans wouldn’t mind igniting that winning streak a little earlier in 2020 and not waiting for another loss to mount.

“We know what we go to do,” said Watson. “We got to play sharp. We got to play smart. We got to play fast. We got to play as a team. If we can do that, great things can happen.”

The Ravens demolished the Texans 41-7 in Week 11 last year with Watson going 18-of-29 for 169 yards and an interception. The Texans were coming off of a bye week that was mandated by the league because Houston played the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in Week 9. The Texans won’t have any jetlag from going across the Atlanta Ocean this time, but the task will be as formidable as it was a season ago.

Report: Texans RB Duke Johnson practices despite sprained ankle

Houston Texans RB Duke Johnson practiced Wednesday despite having a sprained left ankle and being a long shot to play versus the Baltimore Ravens.

Houston Texans running back Duke Johnson practiced Wednesday, according to a pool report via the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson.

Johnson was limited to five carries for 14 yards and was targeted once in the passing game. The former Cleveland Brown left the 34-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a sprained left ankle.

According to coach Bill O’Brien on Monday, Johnson was a “long shot” to play against the Ravens.

The injury report, which will be released late in the afternoon, will reveal just how much Johnson was able to participate and give likely insight as to his availability for Sunday’s game.

Texans move up one spot in NFL.com Week 2 power rankings

The Houston Texans actually moved up one spot despite losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Week 2 NFL.com power rankings.

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Even though the Houston Texans lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 34-20 in Week 1 at Arrowhead Stadium, they actually went up in NFL.com’s power rankings.

Dan Hanzus presented his power rankings for Week 2, and the Texans moved up from No. 16 to No. 15 overall.

Deshaun Watson can’t do it by himself . Too often, that’s how it feels when watching the Texans on offense. A play breaks down, and the quarterback does his dancing magician act behind the line, eyes always upfield in search of the big play. The genius of Watson is that sometimes, this works … but not on Thursday night. Will Fuller did most of his damage after the game was decided, and Randall Cobb was virtually invisible in his Texans debut. Houston’s defense deserves credit for not allowing Patrick Mahomes to go wild, and new running back David Johnson moved like a veteran with something to prove, but these two teams exist in different worlds. Just like January.

The Texans were the only team in the top-16 to lose a game in Week 1 and move up in the power rankings. The Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, and Detroit Lions dropped their Opening Day bouts, but they were already on the south side of No. 20 to begin with.

The Tennessee Titans held forth at No. 5. The Indianapolis Colts dropped to No. 18 after starting out at 11. The Jacksonville Jaguars moved up from No. 32 overall to 29th.

The Browns Wire Podcast: Bengals vs. Browns ultimate preview, NFL best bets and more

Listen on how to win an Autin Hooper autographed photo

Welcome to The Browns Wire Podcast, hosted by Josh Keatley (@JoshKeatley16). This week, Adam Moore (@Moore2102) and I speak to Ryan Keeffe (@rkweefe) and talk about a wide range of topics:

  • Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals Ultimate Preview
  • NFL odd and best bets
  • College Football odds and best bets
  • Austin Hooper Autograph Giveaway

Now recording live on Facebook!

It’s also available on all of your favorite podcast apps, including iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher and Spotify. Thanks for listening!

Will Texans WR Keke Coutee be more involved against the Ravens?

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says that receiver Keke Coutee could help the team possibly as early as Week 2 versus the Baltimore Ravens.

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The Houston Texans may see more from receiver Keke Coutee as they take on the Baltimore Ravens Sunday at 3:25 p.m. at NRG Stadium.

According to coach and general manager Bill O’Brien via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the former 2018 fourth-round pick from Texas Tech may see activation and opportunities against the Ravens as the Texans open their home venue to zero fans for Week 2.

“Doing a really good job,” O’Brien said of Coutee. “Was injured in camp, has more to do with that injury. I believe will help us possibly this week, this year. We feel good about Keke.”

Coutee sustained a stress fracture in his foot that kept him out of multiple practices midway through training camp, and he was ultimately inactive against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.

If Coutee were able to go at some point, the Texans could add a receiver who is a quick option for quarterback Deshaun Watson. DeAndre Carter, who is the team’s returner, played 13 snaps at receiver against the Chiefs. Realistically, this is where Coutee would come in as Will Fuller, Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks, and Kenny Stills took the majority of the team’s snaps at receiver in Week 1.

Browns sell out all available seats for Thursday’s home opener

Fans still want to see the team even during the COVID-19 pandemic

There won’t be many fans in the stands at FirstEnergy Stadium for Thursday night’s home opener, but it’s certainly not for lack of interest.

The Browns quickly sold out all 6,000 tickets made available for the limited seating capacity for the visit from the Cincinnati Bengals. The reduced capacity at the nearly 68,000-seat venue is due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Browns only recently had their plan for the limited seating allowance, with heavy limits on fan movement, spacing and interactions, approved by Ohio governor Mike DeWine.

Season-ticket holders were given priority to purchase the limited rations. Any worries about fans being repulsed by the stripped-down experience, or the Browns’ awful performance in Week 1, quickly went away. Tickets are currently starting at over $200 on the secondary market.

Browns still big favorites to beat the Bengals

The Browns are 6-point favorites in their home opener

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No NFL team had a worse point differential in Week 1 than the Cleveland Browns. Yet the 32-point loss in Baltimore didn’t do much to alter the Browns’ status as big favorites for the Week 2 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Browns remain 6-point favorites to beat the Bengals as of 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday at BetMGM. The over/under for the game is set at a low 43.5 points, meaning the oddsmakers at BetMGM believe the Browns will prevail at home 25-19 or 24-18, depending on your preference of over or under.

Cincinnati also lost in Week 1, falling at home to the Los Angeles Chargers, 16-13. Rookie QB Joe Burrow impressively rallied the team late but WR A.J. Green was called for offensive pass interference on the potential game-winning touchdown and then kicked Randy Bullock shanked the game-tying field attempt.

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Ravens open as heavy favorites over Texans for NFL Week 2 odds

After beating up on the Browns in Week 1, at least one oddsmaker is giving the Baltimore Ravens odds to do it in Week 2 to the Texans

The Baltimore Ravens are looking to stay perfect as they head to Houston to take on the Texans for Week 2. The Ravens are fresh off decimating the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 while the Texans are still licking their wounds from a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Though the Texans are no slouch, having gone deep in the playoffs last season, the Ravens are heavy favorites opening this week. According to BetMGM, Baltimore is a 7-point favorite for Week 2.

That isn’t the biggest spread of the week thus far but it’s a pretty impressive one for a few reasons. The game is in Houston, and while fans won’t be in attendance, the home team typically gets a little boost to the point spread to compensate for it. Secondly, the Texans are a strong team that went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs for most of their Week 1 contest. Considering the Ravens were 7.5-point favorites over the Browns and ended up beating them 38-6, that’s quite a lot of confidence to place in Baltimore this week.

Then again, there’s also some solid reasons for BetMGM having that level of confidence.

The Ravens looked like the same regular-season team that was so dominant last season. They played hard-hitting defense and while the run game didn’t gash Cleveland, it did a fair job of picking up yards and first downs when needed. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is already making a serious run at winning back-to-back MVP awards, posting the highest passer rating of Week 1.

Baltimore also blew Houston out of the water in their matchup last season. In Week 11, the Ravens beat the Texans 41-7 in a game that was effectively over by halftime. Baltimore turned on the jets in the second half and gained a massive lead over Houston, benching Jackson at about the midpoint of the fourth quarter to coast the rest of the way with backup Robert Griffin III.

That makes this a tough Ravens bet to call. With such a massive spread, the odds aren’t exactly on Baltimore’s side here. But with how dominant they were in Week 1 and how they beat up on Houston last season, there’s little reason to believe this won’t be another slaughter.

If you really believe in the Ravens, or just really don’t believe in the Texans, a $100 bet would return $91. Make sure you get over to BetMGM to lock in the spread now before it potentially changes later this week and the Ravens’ odds get worse.

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Texans take a tumble in John McClain’s NFL power rankings

The Houston Texans have taken a tumble in the latest local power rankings from the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain.

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The Houston Texans dropped near No. 20 in the latest local power rankings.

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans dropped to No. 19 in his latest NFL power rankings ahead of Week 2.

The Texans couldn’t stop the run or protect Deshaun Watson at Kansas City, where they lost a fourth consecutive opener.

McClain originally had the Texans ranked No. 11 before their 34-20 loss to Kansas City in the Thursday night opener at Arrowhead Stadium. Being unable to stop the run and failing to ignite the deep passing attack factored into the Texans’ loss, and subsequently their drop in the power rankings.

The Tennessee Titans moved up one spot from No. 9 to No. 8. The Jacksonville Jaguars jumped from No. 24 to No. 13 thanks to their 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts, who dropped from No. 15 to No. 23 in the power rankings.

The Texans have a tough challenge ahead of them going against the Baltimore Ravens, who trounced the Cleveland Browns 38-6 in Week 1. Houston at least gets the benefit of playing the Ravens at NRG Stadium, though with no fans.

Nonetheless, receiver Brandin Cooks remains confident.

“I’m confident,” Cooks said. “Confident going into last game. I think going into this game, we’ve got that same confidence. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to execute throughout the week so you can continue to keep that. I think we’ll definitely do that.”

If the Texans can beat the Ravens, they will even their record at 1-1 and should take a few leaps in the power rankings.

Browns injury update: Jedrick Wills back at practice, Jack Conklin sidelined

Wills quickly improving but Conklin remains idle two days in a row

With just one more day of preparation and rehabilitation before the Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, the injury status of the team remains troubling.

Starting right tackle Jack Conklin missed his second consecutive practice on Tuesday. He is working through separate injuries to his finger and his ankle.

Also out on both Monday and Tuesday:

  • CB Greedy Williams (shoulder)
  • CB Kevin Johnson (liver)
  • LB Jacob Phillips (knee)
  • LB Mack Wilson (knee)

On the positive side of the ledger, starting left tackle Jedrick Wills and swing tackle Chris Hubbard both returned to the practice field. Wills left Sunday’s game with a leg injury and was a limited participant on Monday. The Browns have listed it as a shin injury. Hubbard missed Week 1.

Defensive end Olivier Vernon and center JC Tretter were both limited in Monday’s practice but were spotted doing drills in the portion of practice open to the media on Tuesday.

The official game status designations will be made later.