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Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns NFL Betting & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Local boy Brady Quinn grew up rooting on the Browns and now he finds himself as their starting QB. One of his wildest dreams came true last week when he led the Browns to a much-needed win and the first win of his career as a NFL starter. Cleveland will look to take another step in the right direction when it hosts the Texans this week. Houston was dealt a blow with starting QB Matt Schaub going down again this season. Last year, backup Sage Rosenfels excelled in Schaub’s absence, but this season has not gone nearly as well for him. The 3-7 Texans are 0-5 on the road and that has odds makers listing the Browns as the 3-point favorite with the total set at 50.5.

Derek Anderson started the 2008 season as the Browns QB following an outstanding 2007 season in which he led Cleveland to 10 wins. His early season struggles were not soon forgiven and head coach Romeo Crennel decided to bench Anderson in favor of former Notre Dame standout Brady Quinn.

The Texans are also trying to get things turned around with a guy they figured would be holding the clipboard this year. After missing 11 games with a dislocated shoulder in 2007, Schaub has now missed two straight games with a knee injury and could miss another month of action. Neither the Browns or the Texans have looked as formidable as they did a season ago when they finished 10-6 and 8-8 respectively, but they’ll strap on their helmets and try to get things headed in the right direction this week.

As I mentioned before, Quinn is coming off of his first win as a NFL starter. He was far from perfect at 14 of 36 for 185 yards and a passer rating of only 55.9, but he avoided making the major mistakes his counterpart made (Trent Edwards) in Monday night’s 29-27 win at Buffalo. So far in two NFL starts, Quinn has avoided throwing an interception and showed great poise down the stretch against the Bills, leading a drive that resulted in the winning score. Down 1 with the clock winding down in the fourth, Quinn found Braylon Edwards for 12-yard gain and Kellen Winslow for a 16-yard gain to get kicker Phil Dawson into field goal position. The rest is history as Dawson nailed a game-winning 56-yarder. Quinn and the Browns may not have the luxury of having Winslow on the field this week as he hurt his shoulder against the Bills and his status is listed as questionable. Winslow leads the Browns with 39 catches. Cleveland is going to have to start doing a better job or using its home field advantage. Last year, the Browns were 7-1 on their home turf while they are only 1-4 this season. Cleveland should have a good chance to win for the second time at home as it faces a Houston team which has lost three in a row and is 0-5 on the road this season. Bet the Browns at -3 at BetUS and receive up to a 50% sign up bonus if you like them to get the job done.

So far Rosenfels has not brought the same magic to the starting lineup that he did a season ago. He has just four touchdown passes against seven interceptions this season. He threw an interception to end the game at Indianapolis last Sunday which also ended Houston’s chances of a great comeback. Rosenfels was much better against Indy than he was the previous week when he threw four picks in a 41-13 blowout loss to Baltimore. We can’t blame last week’s loss on Rosenfels as it was the defense that gave up a 20-16 third quarter lead. Houston allowed 154 rushing yards to Indy, which is beginning to be a trend. The Texans have allowed 162.6 in their last three contests. With defensive tackles Travis Johnson and Amobi Okoye both nursing ankle injuries, the Texans’ run defense may not improve any time soon. Okoye has missed the last two games and Johnson was injured last Sunday. Both are currently listed as day-to-day. The Texans could catch a break this week though as the Browns have not been much of a rushing threat this season. Veteran tailback Jamal Lewis is yet to reach the 100 yard mark in a game and he is averaging only 3.6 yards per carry. Houston, on the other hand, has become a much better running team this year. Rookie Steve Slaton has been a pleasant surprise. He rushed 14 times for 156 yards to break the franchise’s single-game rookie record. He set another mark last week with a 71-yard touchdown run which was the longest in team history. With the way the Bills were able to run on Cleveland at times, this could be where Houston finds an advantage. Bet the Texans at +3 at BetUS if you like them to pick up their first road win of the season.

Beat the NFL odds this week with Jimmy Boyd’s NFL picks. All of his picks come with detailed game reports featuring NFL betting tips and trends to show you exactly why he likes who he likes.

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Written by Jimmy Boyd on November 19, 2008 · Filed Under NFL Betting Articles, News & Previews

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