Andy Dalton had the worst performance of his football career in the Bengals’ season opener on Sunday. He’ll have to hope four days is enough time to correct his mistakes when Cincinnati hosts the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football, starting at 8:30 p.m. ET and broadcast live on NFL Network (live stream).
Texans vs. Bengals 2017: Start time, TV schedule for ‘Thursday Night Football’
Two teams with bad quarterback situations meet in primetime.
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Houston has its own quarterback problems. Starter Tom Savage lasted just one half before head coach Bill O’Brien had enough and inserted 2017 first-round pick Deshaun Watson in his place. Neither quarterback could do much behind a cheesecloth offensive line — the pair was sacked a combined 10 times in a loss to the Jaguars.
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
- TV: NFL Network
- Streaming: NFL Network (except in blacked out areas)
- Odds: Cincinnati is favored by 6.5 points.
Texans at Bengals news:
- The Texans decided not to pay left tackle Duane Brown this offseason. It’s not working out so well.
Houston can’t do anything about its rivals’ upgraded defenses, but there’s an easy fix that will allow Watson or Savage a little extra security — the team can pay Duane Brown. Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler, has been an anchor of the team’s offensive line since 2008, protecting the blindsides of passers like Matt Schaub, Brian Hoyer, and Ryan Fitzpatrick at left tackle.
- Houston should keep playing Watson — partially because he’s the better quarterback, but mostly because he’s WAY more fun.
Watson was the best player in Clemson history, and he almost destroyed the Alabama Death Star in 2015’s national title game before he finished that job in a rematch a year later. Not only was a bad word never spoken about Watson. His teammates advocated for him relentlessly, and his head coach said that passing on him would be akin to passing on Michael Jordan.
- J.J. Watt may not be 100 percent after missing a chunk of the season opener with a finger injury.
‘I messed up my finger a little bit, but other than that my body felt fine. Just busted the bone through the skin. Nothing bad.’
- There’s a non-negligible chance Dalton gets Marvin Lewis fired this year.
Marvin Lewis, winner of zero playoff games in his 14-plus seasons with the Bengals, has been on the NFL’s coaching hot seat so long his ass must be made of asbestos. But 2017 may be his swan song after Sunday’s 20-0 beating at the hands of the Ravens.
- Dalton’s Week 1 performance looked much more like one of his terrible playoff starts.
Forget the turnovers. The low point for Dalton came on fourth-and-five with four and a half minutes to play in the game. He threw the ball away. On fourth down.
Can Deshaun Watson be the Texans savior in 2017?
Watson had exactly one half of NFL football to learn from the bench before being thrown to the wolves. His first drive ended in a touchdown pass, but the former Clemson star struggled from there. His first outing finished with 102 passing yards on 23 attempts and an interception, and Thursday night’s quick turnaround will limit the adjustments he can make. All Watson did at Clemson was win, but he’ll have a tough task ahead of him in Week 2.
Texans at Bengals prediction:
Our experts’ NFL picks are in, and half of them took the Bengals. Which means half of them took the Texans. OddsShark’s computer broke the tie by taking the home team, Cincinnati, to win.
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