The Houston Texans will enter their online NFL betting matchup with the Bengals on Thursday – as well as the following nine games – without linebacker Brian Cushing. Cushing has, for the second time in his career, the first occurring in 2010, been suspended for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. The linebacker announced that, unlike his first suspension, he will not appeal the ban. Cushing had, as it turns out, already been ruled out, having sustained a concussion in week 1 against the Jaguars, for the Bengals game, so, glass half full?
The NFL has released the following statement on @HoustonTexans ILB Brian Cushing: pic.twitter.com/2MV61Oqp7I
— Texans PR (@TexansPR) September 13, 2017
As a result, undrafted rookie free agent Dylan Cole may a bigger than the nine snaps in relief he took on Sunday role. “I set high expectations for myself. Things happen in the NFL, people get hurt, people get dinged up but it’s the next man up,” Cole told The Houston Chronicle. “It’s a professional sport. It’s presented like that and it is what it is.” The Texans’ defensive line is deep enough to fill the gap left by Cushing – who had 65 tackles in 13 games in 2016 – though they also have to keep tabs on JJ Watt’s finger, which he dislocated the previous week. Houston faces Cincy with both teams jonesing for a win.
- Time: 8:25 PM
- Venue: Paul Brown Stadium
Sportsbook Odds for People who Bet on NFL Games Online:
Texans +6½ (-115) 37½ (-110) +225
Bengals -6½ (-105) 37½ (-110) -274
Savage’s agent savages Texans
Texans (starting? backup?) quarterback Tom Savage’s agent Neil Schwartz told NBC Sports that “It makes no sense” that his client was, after 31 plays and two quarters, benched in favour of rookie Deshaun Watson. “I watched all 31 plays, because that was the extent of what Tom saw in the first half,” Schwartz said. “And I can’t figure out why [Bill O’Brien]’s benching Tom. I went through every single play, and I even went one step further. I asked two different NFL personnel people [or] coaches on two separate teams to evaluate and break down the film to see if I was missing something.”
It’s safe to say that no one has, since David Hemmings in Blowup, though in his case it was about a young Vanessa Redgrave, been this obsessed with a piece of footage. Maybe we should show Schwartz the Zapruder film and see what he makes of it. Sorry Neil, but it appears as if Watson is, after taking first-team reps, going to start against the Bengals, although O’Brien has yet to make an official announcement.
The rookie was, following the opening game, spotted limping, but was, on Tuesday, listed as a full participant at practice. Neither signal-caller had a stellar performance but, compared to Cincy’s own Andy Dalton, they, Savage and Watson, looked like the second coming of Joe Montana and Joe Namath. The Texans enter the game as 6½-point road online NFL betting underdogs. They have opened 0-2 only one time since the 2008 NFL regular season.