NFL Scores, AFC South Standings: Houston Extends Division Lead Over Tennessee

Houston extends its lead in the AFC South with a 30-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Tennessee fails to keep pace after losing at home to Cincinnati.

Browns Vs. Texans Final: Franchise Best Rushing Day Pushes Houston To 30-12 Victory

The Houston Texans offense might now be confused for the old rushing attacks from the now defunct Southwest Conference, as the greatest team rushing performance in franchise history propelled Houston over the Cleveland Browns to an easy 30-12 win.

Texans gain 263 rushing yds today vs. Browns, the most in franchise history. #GoTexans — @HoustonTexans via Twitter

Those 263 rushing yards came primarily from the legs of Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Foster led the way with 124 yards and Tate put up 115 yards, as each scored a rushing touchdown in the first half to help put the game out of reach for Cleveland early.

Some could argue that there's no rushing duo in the league better than Foster and Tate, as playing in Gary Kubiak's zone-blocking scheme has allowed Matt Schaub to not put all of the pressure on his shoulders. Schaub had a quiet day today, as he passed for just 119 yards but did contribute with a 2-yard rushing touchdown as well.

For more on the Houston Texans head over to Battle Red Blog and for more Cleveland Browns coverage check out Dawgs By Nature.

Browns Vs. Texans Halftime Update: Houston Runs It Up On Cleveland, Lead 24-3

Breaking news, the Houston Texans can really run the football. Okay, it might not be breaking news but for a team that had been known for their proficient aerial attack their running game is proving to be lethal for their opponents.

Anyone who has run the ball for Houston has scored a touchdown thus far. Ben Tate has 4 carries for 66 yards and a 27-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Arian Foster has 10 carries for 64 yards and a 19-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Even Matt Schaub was able to score on a 2-yard plunge.

The end result? 132 yards rushing and a 24-3 lead over the Cleveland Browns in Reliant Stadium.

The defense has given the Browns tons of trouble thus far, causing a Chris Ogbonnaya fumble on the Browns first possession of the game and Quintin Demps picked off Colt McCoy in the second quarter which successfully shut down drives for the Browns.

Cleveland will receive the ball in the second half as the Texans look to push their record to 6-3.

For more on the Houston Texans head over to Battle Red Blog and for more Cleveland Browns coverage check out Dawgs By Nature.

Texans Vs. Brown Injury Report And Inactive List, Week 9

The Houston Texans are again without wide receiver Andre Johnson and the Cleveland Browns will be without running back Peyton Hillis who was downgraded from questionable to out since Friday, both players are suffering from hamstring injuries. Plus the Browns are without their backup Montario Hardesty and will be down to the pair of Chris Ogbannaya and Thomas Clayton who will be running the ball.

Johnson's replacement has been between Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walters during the weeks that he has been out. However for the Browns they 

Texans inactives:

Quarterback T.J. Yates
Cornerback Brandon Harris
Free Safety Danieal Manning
Guard Thomas Austin
Guard Andrew Gardner
Wide receiver Andre Johnson
Tight end Garrett Graham

Browns inactives:

Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis
Defensive back Dimitri Patterson
Running back Montario Hardesty
Running back Peyton Hillis
Defensive back Ray Ventrone
Offensive lineman Steve Vallos
Defensive lineman Auston English.

For more on the Houston Texans head over to Battle Red Blog and for more Cleveland Browns coverage check out Dawgs By Nature.

Browns Injury Report, Week 9: Montario Hardesty Out, Peyton Hills Questionable Vs. Texans

The Browns' running game has been hampered by injuries all year, and it seems as if things will be little different in Week 9 against the Texans. Cleveland will be missing Montario Hardesty and may be without Peyton Hillis in Week 9.

The Browns will also be banged up in their linebacking corps and secondary, with three players from each unit appearing on the injury report. Of those, maybe the most important player out is cornerback Dimitry Patterson.

Here's the rest of the Browns injury report for Week 9:

OUT: Linebacker Auston English (knee), running back Montario Hardesty (calf), cornerback Dimitry Patterson (knee).

DOUBTFUL: none.

QUESTIONABLE: Running back Peyton Hillis (hamstring), linebacker Kaluka Maiava (knee), tackle Tony Pashos (ankle), safety Raymond Ventrone (hamstring).

PROBABLE: Guard Shawn Lauvao (knee), linebacker Chris Gocong (shoulder), wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (probable), safety T.J. Ward (knee).

For more on the Texans, head to Battle Red Blog; for more on the Browns, visit Dawgs By Nature.

Texans Injury Report, Week 9: Andre Johnson Out Vs. Browns

The Houston Texans will still be missing Pro Bowl wideout Andre Johnson in Week 9 against the Browns. The good news from the Texans injury report is that Johnson may be the only big name on the active roster not playing for Houston.

Johnson's hamstring injury will keep him out of Week 9 action, but only safety Danieal Manning joins him in Houston's "out" section. A slew of other Texans, from Brian Cushing to DeMeco Ryans to Ben Tate, fall into the probable category.

Here's the rest of the Texans injury report for Week 9:

OUT: Wide receiver Andre Johnson (hamstring), safey Danieal Manning (ankle).

DOUBTFUL: none.

QUESTIONABLE: none.

PROBABLE: CB Jason Allen (knee), guard Thomas Austin (knee), linebacker Bryan Braman (neck), guard Mike Brisiel (shin), tackle Duane Brown (shoulder), guard Antoine Caldwell (ankle), cornerback Sherrick McManis (groin), center Chris Myers (knee), running back Ben Tate (ankle), tackle Eric Winston (ankle), linebacker Connor Barwin (Achilles), running back James Casey (chest), linebacker Brian Cushing (knee), linebacker DeMeco Ryans (elbow), wide receiver Kevin Walter (knee).

For more on the Texans, head to Battle Red Blog; for more on the Browns, visit Dawgs By Nature.

Andre Johnson Injury Update: All-Pro WR Will Not Play On Sunday

While the Houston Texans were optimistic that their All-Pro WR Andre Johnson would be available this weekend against the Cleveland Browns, head coach Gary Kubiak revealed Friday that Johnson would miss at least one more week with a hamstring injury that has kept him out for over a month:

HoustonTexans Houston Texans 

Kubiak: "Andre (Johnson) will be out. He will not play again this week...Obviously he's not ready to go yet."

16 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Johnson injured his hamstring in the Texans' Oct. 2 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Without his ability to stretch the field, their passing offense has struggled over the last month. But thanks to the return to health of star RB Arian Foster, Houston has been able to steady the ship the last two weeks, pushing their record without Johnson to 2-2.

After missing five games, the Texans may be tempted to let Johnson miss their Nov. 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so he can heal up through their bye the following week, although that's a decision that will probably not be made until late next week.

Week 9 NFL Lines And Odds: Texans Vs. Browns

A Houston Texans team that has battled injuries all season faces an even more battered Cleveland Browns team, which is one reason why Houston is a -10.5 favorite in their home game against Cleveland on Sunday.

Cleveland's top two rushers -- Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty -- are unlikely to play, which puts Chris Ogbonnaya, a UT product and Houston native, in line to start at RB. Ogbonnaya, who has 58 yards on 17 carries this season, was signed off the Texans' practice squad on Oct. 18.

Nor can the Browns, starting second-year Texas product Colt McCoy at QB, afford to be a one-dimensional team. McCoy has been a capable game manager in his time in Cleveland, completing 57% of his passes and throwing for 1,618 yards with 9 TD's and 5 INT's this season, but he's not been able to replicate his college dominance on the next level.

As a result, Cleveland has scored only one touchdown in the last two games, a 6-3 win over Seattle and a 20-10 loss to San Francisco.

Their defense, meanwhile, has been gashed repeatedly on the ground, giving up 127.3 yards a game, 26th worst in the NFL. That could mean a big day for the Texans' RB tandem of Arian Foster and Ben Tate, who have rushed for 373 yards in their last two games.

With both offenses still hamstrung by injuries, the over/under for the game is only 40.5 points.

For more coverage of the Texans, check out Battle Red Blog, and for the latest news and notes on the Browns, head on over to Dawgs By Nature. Our partners at Odds Shark have you covered on the latest NFL line moves and spreads.

Texans Vs. Browns: Center Chris Myers Named As Best In The Game By Pro Football Focus

Pro Football Focus is one of those encyclopedic, hair-splitting blogs that revels in the statistical minutia of the sport to the point of insanity, so we'll trust their judgement when they rate Houston Texans center Chris Myers as currently the best in the game at his position. The ratings system used by PFF has previously touted the Jets' Nick Mangold and the Vikings' Matt Birk, but with both injured, they endorse Myers as the league's best:

One of the measures of Myers’ improvement this season comes in regard to his play against nose tackles. Last season his three worst games – games that cost him being considered on the level of the top two – came against Dallas, San Diego and the New York Jets. Three teams that operate nose tackles, three nose tackles (Jay Ratliff, Antonio Garay and Sione Pouha) that Myers struggled to handle one-on-one. Wind the clock on twelve months and you see a frame shift in Myers’ performances against NTs. 

This year two of his best performances as a run blocker came against Miami and Pittsburgh where going one-on-one with Paul Soliai and Casey Hampton he showed that he was no longer the soft touch he had once been in this regard. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say this jump in form against nose tackles has seen Chris Myers elevate himself to that highest plateau alongside Nick Mangold and Matt Birk as the three best centers in the league today.

Hands down the most you'll read about the center position in the NFL today. For more info and the complete ranking of NFL centers (you know you're curious), check out Pro Football Focus.

For everything about the Texans' centers and every other position, visit Battle Red Blog.

Texans Injury Report, Week 9: Andre Johnson Out Of Thursday Practice, Still A Guess For Browns

Another day, another doubtful forecast for Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson to start on Sunday. Johnson missed practice again because of his surgically repaired hamstring was sore from a Monday workout. Johnson hasn't been on the field since Week Four, and has missed half of the ongoing season. Head coach Gary Kubiak said more of the same to HoustonTexans.com's Nick Scurfield:

Kubiak said he’s "not scared" to play Johnson on Sunday if he doesn’t practice very much. The Texans want to make sure Johnson is fully healed from his Oct. 2 injury before putting him back on the field for a game.

"This is strictly about his health and how he’s feeling," Kubiak said. "Like I said, we got to a point Monday where we pushed really, really hard. Some soreness came about, so we took him off yesterday. (The) thought was to have him back out here today, (but) we made a decision before practice no, it’s kind of cold and that type of stuff, so we’ll resume the process tomorrow and see where we’re at."

In addition to yesterday's injury chart, the Texans added the following names to their limited participation listing: LB Brian Cushing (knee), LB DeMeco Ryans (elbow/hamstring/wrist), WR Kevin Walter (knee).

For more on the Houston Texans, visit Battle Red Blog. For more on the Browns, check out Dawgs By Nature. For everything NFL, check out SB Nation's NFL news hub.

Texans Injury Report, Week 9: Andre Johnson Misses Wednesday Practice

Houston Texans' wide receiver Andre Johnson sat out Wednesday's practice while trying to recover from a hamstring injury. Johnson has not played since injuring the hamstring in Week 4 against Pittsburgh. 

Safety Danieal Manning also did not participate in Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury. Running back James Casey was limited with a chest injury but everyone else listed on the report fully participated in practice. 

Houston has a one game lead over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South and has survived while missing Johnson who is arguably the team's biggest offensive threat. 

For more on the Texans, visit Battle Red Blog. For more on the Browns, visit Dawgs By Nature.

Houston Vs. Cleveland Injury Report: Who Will The Browns Start At Running Back?

Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur noted on Wednesday that running back Peyton Hillis was expected to practice but instead he spent the day with training staff because of a strained hamstring he's still suffering from. Hillis did not play versus San Francisco after not practicing the week before.

The plot thickens for the Browns and their tailback woes, as they are now without their primary backup, Montario Hardesty for at least a month. Hardesty partially tore a calf muscle in their game versus San Francisco, and now the Browns will have to lean on former Houston Texan tailback Chris Ogbonnaya to step in and carry the load. 

Here is the full report on the Cleveland Browns as they prepare for the Houston Texans on Sunday:

For more on the Texans, visit Battle Red Blog. For more on the Browns, visit Dawgs By Nature.

Houston Vs. Cleveland: Andre Johnson Still Doubtful For Sunday, Not Practicing With Texans

The All-Pro receiver has missed half of the season and is still questionable to return Sunday against the Browns.