Texans vs. Bengals game tonight has early implications on Browns’ future

Texans. Bengals. Thursday Night Football!

This is a match-up that might have sounded interesting until you saw what happened to each of them in Week 1. Andy Dalton and the Bengals’ offensive line was terrible in a 20-0 shutout home loss to the Ravens. The Texans, meanwhile, were sacked 10 times in Week 1 and were blown out by the Jaguars 29-7 at home as well. Yikes.

Texans head coach Bill O’Brien is at it again, making another quarterback change and starting rookie Deshaun Watson despite the short week of prep. This game has implications on the Browns for both sides. If the Bengals keep losing, it tips the scale toward the Browns having a better standing in the AFC North. But deep down, I’m sure Sashi Brown and Cleveland’s front office would love to see as many losses by the Texans as possible. That’s because the Browns own Houston’s 1st- and 2nd-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft.

With how poorly both offensive lines and quarterbacks played last week, I don’t know what to think. My wild guess is to take the Texans on the road. Texans 20, Bengals 17

Game: Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Date/Time: Thursday, September 14, 2017 at 8:25 PM ET
Television: NFL Network - Mike Tirico& Cris Collinsworth