David John is confident Houston will recover from an opening-day defeat when they face Cincinnati in the NFL on Thursday.
Houston at Cincinnati (Friday, 0125 BST, Sky Sports Action & Main Event)
Welcome along to the Clunker Bowl as the Texans and Bengals attempt to bounce back from thoroughly miserable displays in week one.
My downbeat expectations ahead of Thursday’s game would not land me a job in the NFL’s media department anytime soon but I still think there is a cracking bet to be had backing Houston on the early money line.
The emotion was crackling through NRG Stadium on Sunday as the Texans managed to stage their opener against Jacksonville despite the recent devastation in the area caused by Hurricane Harvey.
The plan was to give the local population something to feel good about for a few hours with a morale-boosting home win but wanting a certain outcome so much can backfire and the home team were never at the races in a 26-7 defeat.
A very nervy offensive line without contract holdout Duane Brown allowed a franchise-record 10 sacks, starting quarterback Tom Savage was benched at half-time while last season’s statistically-best all-round defense looked sloppy with numerous missed tackles and blown assignments.
Head coach Bill O’Brien cannily put the responsibility on his own shoulders rather than point fingers directly at individual players, while defensive veterans Whitney Mercilus and Johnathan Joseph both seemed confident normal service will resume despite the short week.
Savage played with heart under centre but was overmatched and the introduction in the second half of rookie Deshaun Watson immediately gave the Texans offense some momentum.
He did lose a fumble and throw an interception but also registered his first NFL touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins and has earned the starting job for this game ahead of Savage.
It will be key for Houston to get the running game going to give him support but the potential is certainly there for the useful Lamar Miller (17-65 last week) to have a bigger impact now the offensive line has had a very rude and early wake-up call.
You would think it would be hard for Houston to find someone to play at an even lower ebb but incredibly, it has happened.
Cincinnati were shut-out 20-0 by Baltimore as quarterback Andy Dalton turned the ball over five times – twice on intended touchdown passes in the end zone – to earn an anaemic passer rating of just 28.4, the second worst of his career.
A couple of his throws were tipped and unfortunately dropped into the hands of some very grateful, lurking Ravens defenders so Dalton was quick to blame himself afterwards.
But this was an all-round performance that lacked conviction so the Bengals were ruthlessly exposed at this level and have been an accident waiting to happen for some time.
There seems little faith left in this part of Ohio either that head coach Marv Lewis is the man for the job and that lack of direction is spreading to a talented group of players that went 6-9-1 last season and are getting into the habit of losing on a regular basis.
A similarly lacklustre effort could see Lewis ousted before the weekend and there is a good chance the visitors can help nudge him towards the exit with victory at Paul Brown Stadium in a relatively low-scoring encounter.
Prediction: Houston 19-13 Cincinnati
Recommended bets: Thursday NFL
2pts Houston to beat Cincinnati at 23/10
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Posted at 1455 BST on 13/09/17.
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