Posted by Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson
1. Matt Schaub put on a show today. He used multiple weapons and was very sharp in spreading the ball around to seven different targets. He showed excellent timing and anticipation while also demonstrating better pocket awareness than he has in the past. Andre Johnson did what Andre Johnson does, but what stood out to me was the consistent usage of the tight end. The Bengals have really had a tough time slowing down opposing tight ends this season and Schaub capitalized on that weakness, as Owen Daniels had a huge game and was a real force in the red zone. That is knowing your opponent.
2. While he looked somewhat sluggish early in the season, Steve Slaton demonstrated exceptional long speed and acceleration on the second quarter screen pass that he took for a 38 yard touchdown. The Bengals had trouble with the screen game in general today and Slaton deserves a lot of credit for his acumen in this area of the game. Running room was very tough to come by against a very good Cincinnati run defense, but Slaton still had a huge impact on this game. That is what good running backs do.
3. While I did just praise Slaton's efforts, the lack of a running game has to be worrisome going forward for the Texans. Cincinnati's defense is very strong in this department, but they were without run stuffer Domata Peko for much of this contest and Antwaan Odom also left the game with injury. Houston played much of this game with the lead and while it didn't come back to haunt them in Cincinnati, they need much more from their ground attack.
4. Houston has a real find in first round pick Brian Cushing. He plays hard every snap and just keeps coming. He plays the ball well in the air and has good range in coverage, but what I like most is his physicality at the point of attack and ability to stack and shed vs. bigger blockers. Cushing made a lot of plays today, including a late interception to ensure victory and jarring two fumbles loose. In fact, the Texans front seven get ample penetration today as well. Cincinnati goes as far as Cedric Benson can take them and the Texans should be commended for eliminating him from the equation.
1. Matt Schaub put on a show today. He used multiple weapons and was very sharp in spreading the ball around to seven different targets. He showed excellent timing and anticipation while also demonstrating better pocket awareness than he has in the past. Andre Johnson did what Andre Johnson does, but what stood out to me was the consistent usage of the tight end. The Bengals have really had a tough time slowing down opposing tight ends this season and Schaub capitalized on that weakness, as Owen Daniels had a huge game and was a real force in the red zone. That is knowing your opponent.
2. While he looked somewhat sluggish early in the season, Steve Slaton demonstrated exceptional long speed and acceleration on the second quarter screen pass that he took for a 38 yard touchdown. The Bengals had trouble with the screen game in general today and Slaton deserves a lot of credit for his acumen in this area of the game. Running room was very tough to come by against a very good Cincinnati run defense, but Slaton still had a huge impact on this game. That is what good running backs do.
3. While I did just praise Slaton's efforts, the lack of a running game has to be worrisome going forward for the Texans. Cincinnati's defense is very strong in this department, but they were without run stuffer Domata Peko for much of this contest and Antwaan Odom also left the game with injury. Houston played much of this game with the lead and while it didn't come back to haunt them in Cincinnati, they need much more from their ground attack.
4. Houston has a real find in first round pick Brian Cushing. He plays hard every snap and just keeps coming. He plays the ball well in the air and has good range in coverage, but what I like most is his physicality at the point of attack and ability to stack and shed vs. bigger blockers. Cushing made a lot of plays today, including a late interception to ensure victory and jarring two fumbles loose. In fact, the Texans front seven get ample penetration today as well. Cincinnati goes as far as Cedric Benson can take them and the Texans should be commended for eliminating him from the equation.
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Paul Kuharsky
Kuharsky joined ESPN.com in 2008 after 12 years covering the Oilers/Titans and the NFL for The (Nashville) Tennessean. The New Jersey native and Columbia graduate lives in Nashville with his wife and son.
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