Thursday Night – Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 2 kicks off with a couple high profile teams from the AFC. Houston will be looking to win the AFC South once again while the Bengals are trying to find themselves after a brutal 2016 season. This game features big name players on both sides of the ball and could truly go either way. Perfect for an early season Thursday night clash.

Keys to the Game

Texans

Houston has one job and one job only on Thursday night: control A.J. Green. Now, that’s a lot easier said than done, but it must happen if they want to walk away with a “W” in Week 2. Green is so good that he can take over a game by himself and lead the Bengals to victory. Cincy doesn’t have many offensive weapons outside of Green, so if Houston can limit his production, the Bengals probably won’t crack 20 points on the night.

Bengals

The Bengals need to protect Andy Dalton and keep him on his feet. Houston features what is likely to be the most ferocious pass rush in the entire league and with it they can dominate the game. Between J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus, the Bengals won’t be able to focus on one player to eliminate, so they’ll need great protection from all across the offensive line and from the running backs, as well. Everyone will need to chip in. If that happens, Dalton will find a way to hook up with A.J. Green and company down the field and put points on the board — something that Houston struggles to do.