Texans, Browns Face Off Under the Radar

Football Betting Lines

12/29/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It won't be the first-, second-, or 13th most intriguing battle on the Week 17 schedule, but the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns will play a football game on Sunday afternoon at Reliant Stadium, and someone, somewhere, is bound to be entertained.

No playoff positions will be determined when the 5-10 Texans and 4-11 Browns square off, though there will be a handful of lower-stakes storylines.

With a victory, Houston will have recorded its sixth win of the season, which would triple last year's total of two victories and would give the young franchise the second-winningest campaign in its history. The Texans, who scored arguably the most important triumph in team annals by defeating the AFC South Champion Colts (27-24) last Sunday, also have a chance to win their first-ever season finale, as well as notching their first back-to-back victories since Weeks 15-16 of the 2004 campaign.

Cleveland, meanwhile, will be trying to avoid carrying a four-game losing streak into the offseason, and will also be looking to make Ken Dorsey's first start in a Browns uniform a victorious one.

Dorsey, who started 10 games as a member of the 49ers in 2004-05, will be subbing for the injured Charlie Frye (wrist) and Derek Anderson (shoulder), both of whom have been knocked out of the quarterback picture during an inglorious December. Anderson was injured late in last week's 22-7 loss to Tampa Bay.

Dorsey is Cleveland's 11th starting quarterback since the franchise was re- born in 1999, and its sixth since 2004.

The Browns have won their regular season finale in each of the past four years, including a 22-14 upset win over the Texans in '04.

SERIES HISTORY

Cleveland is 2-1 all-time against Houston, with last year's 19-16 loss at Reliant Stadium marking its first series defeat. The Browns prevailed by a 34-17 margin at home during the 2002 season, and as mentioned, won 22-14 on the road in Week 17 of the 2004 campaign.

Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel is 1-0 in his career against the Texans, while Houston's Gary Kubiak will be meeting both Crennel and the Browns for the first time as a head coach.

BROWNS OFFENSE VS. TEXANS DEFENSE

Dorsey has taken exactly two live snaps as Cleveland's quarterback, suffering a sack on a 3rd-and-22 play against the Bucs and throwing an incomplete pass on the ensuing 4th-and-29. The fourth-year-pro out of Miami-Florida is 2-8 in his starting career, including 1-5 on the road, and has an NFL lifetime passer rating of 63.5. Dorsey threw for 175 yards without a touchdown and one interception during the preseason for the Browns. The new signal-caller will need to involve his two problem child targets - wideout Braylon Edwards (57 receptions, 6 TD) and tight end Kellen Winslow (78 receptions, 3 TD) - early this week, or risk facing the wrath of both outspoken players. Edwards was benched at the start of last week's game, reportedly for missing a team meeting, while Winslow was seen receiving a dressing-down from Crennel on the sideline after complaining about a lack of opportunities with Anderson in the game. Edwards and Winslow both had two catches last week, while Joe Jurevicius (40 receptions, 3 TD), who along with Winslow (knee) is regarded as questionable for this week, led the team with four catches totaling 58 yards before suffering a concussion. The Cleveland line has surrendered 52 sacks on the year, including three last week.

The Texans did a reasonable job of bend-but-don't-break against the Colts' vaunted passing game, allowing Peyton Manning to complete 21-of-27 passes with three touchdowns but surrendering a reasonable 205 yards through the air. That performance was a notable achievement for a Houston club that now ranks 24th in NFL passing defense (217.7 yards per game), 30th in interceptions (10), and tied for 26th in sacks (27). Rookie end and No. 1 overall draft pick Mario Williams (45 tackles, 4.5 sacks) did not manage his first sack in seven weeks, though he did force a Dominic Rhodes fumble that was recovered by fellow end Anthony Weaver (35 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and converted by the Texans into a touchdown. In the secondary, free safety C.C. Brown (74 tackles, 1 sack) posted a team-high seven tackles, and top corner Dunta Robinson (76 tackles, 1 INT) limited Reggie Wayne to three receptions for 27 yards. On the injury front, Weaver will miss this week's game with a shoulder injury, likely spelling more snaps for Antwan Peek (9 tackles, 1 sack) and/or Jason Babin (25 tackles, 5 sacks).

The Browns received some rare production from their 31st-ranked running game (80.5 yards per game) last week, with Reuben Droughns (675 rushing yards, 4 TD, 24 receptions) contributing 92 yards on 19 carries in what was his best rushing day in nearly two months. Droughns could be seeing his final start as Cleveland's running back this week, as the Browns are expected to address their obvious rushing needs in the offseason. With former backup Jason Wright having been placed on injured reserve with a knee injury Dec. 19th, rookie Jerome Harrison (62 rushing yards, 9 receptions) is set to serve as Droughns' backup again on Sunday. Harrison was active but did not have a touch against Tampa Bay.

Seeking to make his final argument for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors this week will be Texans middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans (145 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 INT), who has been among the league's surest tacklers in 2006. The second-round pick out of Alabama has eight double-digit tackles performances this year, though he had a streak of games with 10 or more stops ended with an eight-tackle day against the Colts last Sunday. Fellow linebacker Morlon Greenwood (99 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) had five tackles in the Indianapolis win, and defensive tackle Anthony Maddox (28 tackles, 1 sack) led the interior line with four stops. After the Colts' Joseph Addai rushed 15 times for 100 yards as part of a 114-yard rushing effort last Sunday, the Texans now rank 20th in NFL rushing defense (121.9 yards per game).

TEXANS OFFENSE VS. BROWNS DEFENSE

Among the NFL's most-overlooked feel-good stories this year has been the renaissance of running back Ron Dayne (612 rushing yards, 5 TD, 14 receptions), who has come on of late to prove his worth as an NFL rusher. The 1999 Heisman Trophy Winner rushed for a career-best 153 yards on 32 carries with a pair of touchdown runs against the Colts last week, and is within striking distance of his first 700-yard season since his rookie campaign of 2000 with the Giants. Dayne, who is averaging 107.3 yards and has scored five touchdowns in his last four games, has gone for a healthy 4.1 yards per carry in 2006. The Texans gave undrafted rookie Chris Taylor a chance to spell Dayne last week, and Taylor accumulated 52 yards on 10 total touches. Fullback Vonta Leach (4 receptions, 1 TD) was the recipient of David Carr's second touchdown pass in nine games, which was also the first TD of Leach's NFL career. Wali Lundy (473 rushing yards, 4 TD, 32 receptions) was active but did not have a touch last week, and fellow ex-starter Samkon Gado (217 rushing yards, 1 TD, 16 receptions) was inactive for a fourth straight game.

Dayne is in line for another big day against a Cleveland front seven that allowed the Buccaneers' formerly-pathetic ground game to run wild last Sunday. Playing without starting rusher Cadillac Williams, the Buccaneers moved the chains with three different running backs who totaled 154 yards on 43 carries. Part of the problem was the absence of inside linebacker Andra Davis (104 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack), who was suffering with a concussion and is unlikely to play against the Texans. Also questionable for this week is Chaun Thompson (29 tackles, 2 sacks), who started in Davis' place alongside rookie Leon Williams (35 tackles, 1 sack) last week. Williams, who posted a game-high 14 tackles and a sack versus Tampa Bay, will have to be active against the run again on Sunday. Up front, interior linemen Ted Washington (49 tackles) and Simon Fraser (31 tackles, 4.5 sacks) combined for 11 tackles in a losing cause against the Bucs. The Browns enter Week 17 ranked 30th in the league against the rush (145.3 yards per game).

Carr (2681 passing yards, 11 TD, 11 INT) has one more chance to prove himself to Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith this week, though frankly, it might be too late. The former No. 1 overall pick has simply not been consistently productive in his fifth season in the league, with his two-touchdown, seven- interception performance of the last nine weeks telling the tale. A lack of receiving help has not been the problem, as Pro Bowler Andre Johnson (101 receptions, 5 TD) just went over the 100-catch mark for the season in last week's win, No. 2 wideout Eric Moulds (55 receptions, 1 TD) has played generally well in his first year with Houston, and Owen Daniels (34 receptions, 5 TD) has been the league's most productive rookie tight end. Protection has remained something of a problem, though the 40 sacks that Carr has absorbed this year are the second-fewest of his career. Daniels, who missed the Indianapolis game with a shoulder problem, is questionable for Sunday. Mark Bruener (8 receptions, 2 TD) had a couple of catches in his place last week.

The Browns do have some building blocks in the area of pass defense, where young players like rookie outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley (59 tackles), strong safety Sean Jones (104 tackles, 5 INT, 0.5 sacks), and cornerback Daven Holly (57 tackles, 4 INT) all look like they might be capable NFL starters. Wimbley paced the formerly-deficient pass rush with his ninth and 10th sacks of the season last week, also recording eight tackles and forcing a Tim Rattay fumble which was returned 40 yards by Holly for Cleveland's only touchdown of the day. Jones went over 100 tackles for the season on an afternoon in which he posted 13 stops, while Holly notched his fourth interception of the year to go along with his second defensive touchdown of '06. The Browns will get a boost if cornerback Leigh Bodden (30 tackles, 2 INT), who missed the Tampa game with an ankle injury, is able to return on Sunday. Bodden is listed as questionable.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Both of these teams smell an opportunity for an encouraging victory to carry into the offseason, which means this tilt figures to be played with slightly more passion than you might expect from participants with a combined 9-21 record. The Texans are subject to a bit of a letdown following last Sunday's watershed victory, but they should still prevail due in large part to a healthier offensive attack. Cleveland's Ken Dorsey era figures to begin, and end, with a loss.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Texans 16, Browns 13