Ryan Mallet gets his first start.  Arian Foster is not expected to play.  The Browns are at home playing in front of a reenergized Browns fan base.  Unless Mallet displays some tricks he picked up as Brady’s backup, the Texans might be doomed in this one.  There is always the one-man-show JJ Watt factor, who is capable of disrupting any offensive groove, but this matchup is definitely in the Browns favor.  The weather is going to suck.  Cold and windy.  If Mallet’s arm strength is solid enough to defeat the wind factor, he might have a chance in this one, but he has to stay upright and deal with the Hayden-nuke shutting down any player he covers.  Now the Browns are infamous for being a team that lets you down, but they were able to stick it to the Bengals last Thursday and displayed enough toughness to officially begin to take them seriously.  And they will soon have Josh Gordon on the field.  

The Texans on the other hand are attempting to hover around .500 while playing quarterback roulette.  Not having Foster this week is devastating.  With Foster in the lineup, I give the Texans a chance.  No Foster, not a chance.  Unless the Browns really self-destruct in this one, they should pull this one out.  Hoyer plays it safe and keeps turnovers to a minimum, playing in the favor of a game that should be riddled with turnovers considering the weather factor.  But overall, I expect Mallet to struggle and the Browns to slowly get it done in this one.  This would’ve been a perfect matchup for Gordon to take over.