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.