The Cleveland Browns have responded to adversity positively under the direction of interim coach/defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, and they will get another test today by taking on the hottest team in the NFL, the Houston Texans.
Winners of a league-high eight consecutive games, the Texans (8-3) are in first place in the AFC South Division and will be playing in front of the home fans at NRG Stadium in Houston, where they have a 4-1 record this season.
Here are three things to watch for during today’s game between the Browns (4-6-1) and Texans.
TEXANS D-LINE PLAY
Multi-time All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt has been dominant during his eight seasons with the Houston Texans.
Through the first 11 games this season, Watt registered 11.5 sacks, which rank him tied for second in the NFL and first in the AFC. Additionally, he is tied for first in the NFL with five forced fumbles, tied for fourth in the league with 13 tackles for lost yardage, and is top-10 in both the league and conference in quarterback hits (19).
Currently, Watt ranks first in tackles for lost yardage, quarterback hits, multi-sack games and fumble recoveries since the start of the 2011 season.
In addition to Watt, the Texans have another standout lineman, Jadeveon Clowney, with the ability to wreak havoc in the backfield. Since the start of the 2016 season, Clowney is second in the NFL in tackles for lost yardage with 49 in just 40 career games.
“I think Romeo (Crennel) and that staff have done a good job on how they are utilizing those guys, and it is also good -- you see J.J.’s brother (T.J. Watt) in our division,” Williams said. “We thought a lot about him, too, when he was coming out on how we evaluated him on how well he is playing. Good gene pool.”
ILLUSIVE MR. WATSON
When the Browns are on defense, there is another big challenge, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
This season, Watson has completed 220 of his 333 attempts (66.1 percent) for 2,807 yards and 20 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Watson has thrown 34 passes for at least 20 yards and combined on four 40-yard plays.
“Him battling through that injury, it shows you the toughness that he has,” Williams said. “He already had one of those earlier in his career, and then, coming off the ACL, you can see that as the season has gone on, he has gotten more and more confident that everything is okay.
“He is a really gifted athlete. You can tell that he is a very smart leader and the guys really appreciate playing with him and for him. I think he has grown quite a bit in a short amount of time.”
With a quarterback with the athleticism Watson has, plays are far from over when the original plans break down.
Out of the backfield, Watson has rushed for 345 yards and two touchdowns with one 20-yard scramble to his credit. Watson has rushed for 614 yards and four touchdowns on 98 career carries, an average of 5.4 yards per attempt.
“They have shortened the game in some areas there, too, but he still has the ability at any point in time and he is still scrambling, he is still able to extend plays and he has the big arm,” Williams said.
“When he extends the play, the play is never dead. He will find DeAndre (Hopkins) some place 100 yards down the field. We have to understand that even though he is extending the play, he has a big enough arm to go find him no matter how deep he is.”
MAYFIELD’S DECISION-MAKING
Despite being just nine games into his NFL career, Mayfield has begun picking up on the intricacies of the professional game, including the increased level of productivity with a quicker release.
Mayfield completed 19 of his 26 throws for 258 yards and a franchise single-game rookie-record four touchdowns against Cincinnati. Mayfield averaged 9.9 yards per attempt and connected with eight different receivers in the win over the Bengals.
Prior to the bye-week break, Mayfield led the Browns to a dominant 28-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday, November 11 by completing 17 of his 20 throws for 216 yards and three passing touchdowns.
Mayfield completed 13 consecutive throws at the start of the game against the Falcons, and since the coaching change, has connected on 65 of his 88 attempts (73.8 percent) for 771 yards and nine touchdowns against just one interception.
“When I get the ball out quicker and into our playmakers hands, we have more success,” Mayfield said. “We get into a rhythm and extend drives. They’re able to make a few people miss down the road. That’s where that comes from.”
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