Cleveland Browns: 3 reasons Browns will tame Texans in Week 10
3. It’s all on Deshaun
When a quarterback like DeShaun Watson is on the other sideline, nothing’s a lock. But the Texans are a team in peril. They fired their coach. They traded their stud receiver in a bizarre offseason trade. Old friend Duke Johnson will start at running back this week. We all love Duke, but he’s averaging 2.8 yards per carry this season.
This may be exactly the type of game the Browns’ defense needs, as Josh Jacobs added four- and five-yard carries at will before the bye, Cleveland needs to perform better against the run.
As for Watson–he’s going to get his stats, much like Dak Prescott did earlier in the season. The key for the Browns will be to control the ground game, put Mayfield in a position to convert high-percentage throws and score–a lot.
That allows the defense to bend, and hopefully not break.
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And while Hopkins is no longer a Texan, Watson still has weapons. Will Fuller (590 yards, six TDs) and Brandin Cooks (510, three) are both on pace to eclipse 1,000 yards.