NFL
By Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals will face the Houston Texans at home in week 10 of the 2023 season.
When: Sunday, November 12, 2023
Where: Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio
Network: CBS
Offense
Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense got off to a hot start against the Buffalo Bills. Even though they put up three point sin the second half, it was still enough to secure the win. Even without Tee Higgins in the lineup, I think there will be plenty of opportunities to put up points against the Texans. This game has the potential to turn into a shootout.
The Bengals need to score first and fast to build a lead and gain momentum. Since 2021, they are 18-2 when scoring first and 20-1 when leading at the half. Cincinnati has scored the most points in the first quarter since week five.
Houston will have Derek Stingley Jr. back in the lineup at cornerback. It’s a big boost to a defense that is giving up an average completion percentage of 70.5% with only four interceptions all season. A fully healthy Burrow coupled with Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and more of Andrei Iosivas will have a very favorable matchup. Even if the Texans look to take away Chase and Boyd, Burrow will find the open man.
Protecting Burrow should also be a much easier task this week. Instead of facing a Bills pass rush that was second in sacks, the Texans are 25th in total sacks. Their pressure rate is in the top five, however. Rookie edge rusher Will Anderson picked up a sack last week and could start to be much more productive going forward though. Burrow should still have enough time in the pocket to pick the defense apart and make plays downfield. Even when there is pressure in his face, he is one of the best in the league at making plays.
Defense
Truth be told, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is arguably playing like an MVP candidate. He has been playing lights out. This Bengals defense is battle tested though. Cincinnati has the highest turnover differential in the NFL right now with a differential of +9. They are also tied for second in the league with 11 interceptions. Forcing the rookie to make mistakes will be key to winning this game. Stroud is coming into this match with just one interception thrown. I expect that to change.
The bad news for Houston is that they will be without their leading receiver Nico Collins. The Bengals biggest weakness in the passing game once again lies at the tight end position. With rookie receiver Tank Dell getting more targets, Dalton Schultz could also be in for a big day.
The Bengals will be without defensive end Sam Hubbard. This creates more opportunity for rookie first-round pick Myles Murphy and other guys in the rotation such as Joseph Ossai and Cameron Sample. We will see much more of what they can do. On the flip side, a key matchup to watch on the line will be offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil against Trey Hendrickson. Tunsil had been dealing with a knee injury but has still played at a high level when active.
The Texans don’t have much of a rushing attack as they are only averaging 3.3 yards a carry. With Stroud playing as good as he is, that most likely won’t matter though. Much of the Bengals game plan needs to go into trying to confuse the rookie as much as possible and causing him to make mistakes. This is what defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is very good at doing. He’s done it to Geno Smith, Brock Purdy, and Josh Allen in the last few weeks. Lets see if he can do it again with Stroud.
Prediction
Bengals win 28-21
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