The Cleveland Browns were able to keep their playoff hopes alive in Week 13, defeating the Houston Texans in Deshaun Watson’s debut with the team. The Browns were able to come away with a 27-14 victory over Watson’s former team on the back of an excellent defensive performance.
Cleveland scored the most points in a game without an offensive touchdown since 1999 as they had a punt return by Donovan Peoples-Jones, a fumble recovery by Denzel Ward and an interception by Tony Fields for touchdowns against the Texans. The only points that the offense produced was two drives that resulted in Cade York field goals.
Watson was visibly rusty, making his first appearance in a regular season game in nearly two years. He completed 12-of-22 passes for 131 yards and one interception as it will take some time for him to get back into a rhythm and develop chemistry with his teammates.
This week Watson and the Browns’ offense will face a much stiffer test going up against a motivated Cincinnati Bengals team that was embarrassed in Cleveland on Halloween, 32-13. The Bengals are coming into this game as one of the hottest teams in the league, winning four straight games since that defeat in Week 8.
To make matters worse for Watson and the offense, they may not be at full strength for this game. According to Ari Meirov, wide receiver Amari Cooper did not practice on Friday because of a hip injury and is now listed as questionable for Sunday afternoon’s game.
Missing practice late in the week is never an encouraging sign for a player’s chances of getting on the field that weekend. Cooper would be a big loss as well, as he is the team’s leading receiver this season with 61 receptions for 832 yards and seven touchdowns.
If he does miss the game, that will make Peoples-Jones the No. 1 option in the passing game with David Bell and Anthony Schwartz filling in behind him. Tight end David Njoku was removed from the injury report, which will certainly help the passing game. Running back Kareem Hunt could also get involved more if Cooper is sidelined.
