The Houston Texans are set to begin their season by playing host to the Washington football team. Needless to say, they're hoping it goes just a little bit better than the beginning of their 2013 campaign. Houston had a miserable start to last season, and it never got better. The Texans finished 2-14, with the first overall pick in the draft and more questions than answers.
Washington vs. Texans 2014 game preview: Robert Griffin III, Ryan Fitzpatrick try to get their teams on track
The Houston Texans and Washington both struggled last season, and both are hoping to get this year started off with a win in the season opener on Sunday.
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Washington didn't fare much better. The supremely annoying power struggle between Mike Shanahan, Dan Snyder and everyone else in that organization dominated the headlines. It was such a prominent news piece that it wasn't surprising in the least when Washington finished 3-13 in the regular season, with an 0-6 mark against NFC East rivals.
While both teams struggled, they’re also both in completely different situations. Let’s take a look at each of them:
Meet Washington
Griffin now has two seasons in the league, one of which was good and one of which was just ... decent. The latter was the more recent season, as he didn’t look that impressive coming off major knee injuries. He didn’t look as fast, he didn’t look comfortable in the pocket and he completed fewer passes. He was also shut down by Shanahan near the end of the season, giving you some idea of how ridiculous things got before the coach was fired.
This offseason has been filled with ridiculous questions about whether Washington should replace its franchise quarterback. That's not going to happen, as coach Jay Gruden will be working with Griffin to give him every chance to succeed. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson was signed this offseason, and he should be Griffin's top target. Griffin will be looking for him early and often.
Griffin will have some help from Alfred Morris, a capable back who put up 2,888 yards and 20 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Meet the Texans
Griffin and Morris will have to deal with the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney. He joins a line that includes J.J. Watt, and together the pair promise to be an imposing force against both quarterbacks and running backs in 2014-15. The big question will be how much Griffin intends to run the football, and whether or not Clowney and Watt will be able to handle that.
The Texans are now led by head coach Bill O’Brien, as Gary Kubiak was fired mid-season. Kubiak was well-regarded at the time, and is still a solid coach, but he did come up short in the playoffs when the Texans were playing well, too.
Offensively, the Texans are a much bigger question mark than Washington. They've got Ryan Fitzpatrick at the quarterback position after trading Matt Schaub to the Oakland Raiders. Fitzpatrick didn't inspire a whole lot of confidence in the preseason, and there's not much else behind him if he flounders. He's got running back Arian Foster to support him, but Foster has dealt with significant injuries in recent seasons. He should be ready to go for Sunday, though.
Injuries
For Washington, pass rusher Brian Orakpo is dealing with an ankle injury that is definitely something to watch. He was listed as questionable on the official injury report, but was a full participant in practice on Friday. He’s expected to play and start without issue. Then there’s tight end Jordan Reed, who was also listed as questionable with a thumb injury but should be good to go.
Clowney has been a little banged up for Houston, but he was not listed on the team’s injury report on Friday. The biggest name is cornerback Johnathan Joseph, who has a foot injury and is expected to start, as evidenced by his probable designation. In all, the Texans have 11 players listed on the injury report, though most of them are minor injuries.
Follow the Fun
Texans:
Washington:
Odds
The line for this game opened up at even money, but the Texans, the home team, grew to 3-point favorites on most sites, according to OddsShark.
Next Week
Washington will play its home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 14. The Texans will play their first road game against the Oakland Raiders on the same day.
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