THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LIVE STREAMING: TEXANS VS BENGALS WEEK 2

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LIVE STREAMING - The Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals both opened the seasons with disappointing home losses. The Texans fell at home to Jacksonville, 29-7, while the Bengals were shut out at home against their division rival Baltimore Ravens, 20-0. Both teams need to bounce back after horrific home performances but have just a few days to turn it around. Last season, the Texans edged the Bengals at home, 12-10. Watch THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LIVE STREAMING: TEXANS VS BENGALS WEEK 2 online on your PC, laptop, Mac, I-pad, Tab, Ps4/3, I-phone Android or any other online device.

 

  TEXANS VS BENGALS LIVE STREAM: http://watchnfl.org/

 

Houston Texans -

It appears as if Hurricane Harvey wasn’t done piling on the misery unto the city of Houston, as the Texans were blown out at home in their season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, 29-7.

The Texans offense was lost in the storm of the Jacksonville’s revamped defense, with quarterbacks Tom Savage and rookie Deshaun Watson combining for just 164 yards on 19-of-36 passing. In fact, Savage and Watson had more lost fumbles (three) than touchdowns thrown (one) during the contest.

What’s more peculiar about Houston’s play in Week 1 is that its defense didn’t live up to its billing. Even with a healthy J.J. Watt back in the lineup, the team failed to generate neither a sack nor a turnover against the Jags.

Perhaps Week 2’s clash versus the Bengals can get the Texans back on track. They’ve won five of their last six games against Cincinnati (4-2 ATS), with three of those victories coming at Paul Brown Stadium.

Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

When: Thursday, September 14, 2017, 8:25 PM ET

TV Broadcast: NFL Network

 

Cincinnati Bengals -

Similar to the Texans, the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t have the best of starts to their 2017 season to say the least after being shutout by the Baltimore Ravens, 20-0.

The Bengals were blanked at home for the first time since 2001, with quarterback Andy Dalton having one of his worst games as a pro. Dalton went a mere 16-of-31 for 170 passing yards and tied a career-high for interceptions with four. He also lost a fumble to give him five brutal turnovers for the afternoon.

Cincy’s offensive woes starts with their lackluster offensive line, which might not have starting right guard Trey Hopkins (left knee injury) for Thursday’s game against the texans. The O-line was also responsible for five Jacksonville sacks and a paltry team rushing total of just 77 yards on 22 carries.

Although Cincinnati’s defense can possibly expose Houston’s inexperienced QB tandem, we’re still not high on the team emerging victorious on Thursday night, as the Bengals are just 5-5 in their last 10 home games (4-6 ATS). Even worse, they’re just 5-11 in primetime games since 2011 with Dalton as their starting quarterback.

Both of these teams are coming off rough season openers, as the Texans fell flat on their face at home despite a crowd showing up and an emotional pregame as the city still recovers from Hurricane Harvey. The Bengals couldn't score a single point and their quarterback threw the game away with every turn. Good luck picking this game based on both showings and the fact they have short rest to prepare. I'm going to side with the Bengals because Dalton can't possibly play any worse and the Texans are still trying to find a QB after flipflopping last week. I expect the Bengals to play better and find a win at home. The Texans can't improve much until Savage or Watson prove they're worthy of leading the offense.

Keys to Victory -

Both of these teams are desperate to avoid starting the season 0-2. For the Texans, the offensive line needs to block better for whoever their quarterback will be. In Week 1, the Jaguars racked on 10 sacks against the Texans quarterbacks. The constant pressure was a large reason the Texans turned the ball over so much.

Savage and Watson combined for three fumbles and an interception, all due to how much pressure the Jaguars were able to put on the quarterback. If the Texans continue to struggle to stop the pass rush, they need rely more on running back Lamar Miller to lessen the pressure on the quarterback.

The Bengals only recorded one sack in their Sunday contest, so getting pressure on Houston would be huge. Most importantly for the Bengals, though, is that they need Dalton to keep his composure. Dalton put on one of the worst quarterback performances in NFL history on Sunday, and he is a franchise quarterback, unlike Savage or Watson.

The Bengals also need to establish a run game in order to set the tone on Thursday night. Houston allowed rookie running back Leonard Fournette to rack up 100 yards and a touchdown in his debut, so the Bengals know they will be able to run. However, on Sunday the Bengals rushed 21 times for only 75 yards as they split carries between Giovanni Bernard, Jeremy Hill, and Joe Mixon.

In practice this week, the Bengals need to decide who is the most talented back and try to set them up early in the game. Having multiple running backs split equal time rarely works, especially when your team’s quarterback throws 4 interceptions and barely completes 50% of his passes.

Prediction -

Week 2 is really early to say any game is a “loser leaves town” match, but this game certainly has that feel. The Texans looked terrible against the Jaguars but ultimately Watson coming into the game did provide a spark for the offense. Watson deserves to get the start of Thursday and ultimately I believe the will.

Meanwhile, how can Dalton come back after posting a 0.6 Total QBR and be fine? I think we see a shell shocked Dalton and the Texans are able to pull off a close one, relying on their defense.

Prediction: Houston Texans: 14, Cincinnati Bengals: 12