The Houston Texans are confident. The team is fresh off a win over the Cleveland Browns with Ryan Mallett looking like a real starting quarterback. After suffering a string of offensive woes over the past few weeks, but pulled it together in Week 11 which is giving everyone hope for the remainder of the season. Wide receivers Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins are feeling good heading into the last stretch of the season.
After getting a win against the Browns, both Johnson and Hoppkins said that the team was in good spirits and feeling positive heading into a challenging matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"I don't think there's any doubts in anybody's mind what we can do if we put it all together," said Johnson, via the Houston Chronicle. "We left some plays out there. We're trying to get our timing down. Hopefully it will all work out."
Johnson appears to be singing a much different tune since the change of quarterback. Johnson has been pretty outspoken about his displeasure towards the offensive play with Ryan Fitzpatrick in the mix, but is happy with what he is seeing out of Mallett and is confident he can excel with the backup under center. According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Johnson is a big fan of Mallett's and believes he can help the team going forward.
"Of course there were mistakes during the game, but at the same time, we overcame them, and I think that's something we haven't done in the past. Hopefully we keep it going this week," Johnson said.
The offense is hoping to look strong against the Bengals as Mallett aims to capitalize off a good debut. Having a solid run game is certainly part of that and Arian Foster is hoping to contribute this week. The running back is expected to be a game-time decision which means Alfred Blue will likely get the start regardless of the veteran's health. Head coach Bill O'Brien said Foster has not experienced any setbacks and the team was hopeful he would play.
"No setback," O'Brien said. "From one day to the next we'll see how he's doing. I'm sure we'll have to make a decision on game day. It's just something we have to wait out and see if gets better."