Thursday Night NFL on Sky Sports: Houston Texans @ Cincinnati Bengals

Image: Rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson is set to start his first NFL game for the Houston Texans

Week Two in the NFL kicks off with a Thursday Night Football affair between the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans.

Both teams are looking to register their first win of the season after demoralising opening-day defeats - watch the action unfold live on Sky Sports Action (407) from 1.20am early on Friday morning.

So, what can we expect in store in Cincinnati?

In 140 characters…

A battle of the winless-in-Week-One Texans and Bengals, both looking to bounce back from heavy defeats in their home season openers.

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What's the latest?

Following his Hurricane Harvey fundraising, which now totals over $30m, J.J. Watt was awarded a hero's welcome in Houston in week one, but then injured his finger in the first half and finished with just one tackle. He has been a limited participant in practice this week but should take back to the field against the Bengals.

Also See:

A look back to how the world reacted to the more interesting moments from Week One of the NFL

Staying with Houston linebackers, Brian Cushing has been suspended 10 games without pay for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Meanwhile, rookie Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is widely expected to start his first career NFL game, having come on for the benched Tom Savage at half-time of their defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Stat attack

A first NFL start for Watson would see him become the ninth different starting QB for the Texans since 2014, when Bill O'Brien first took over as head coach - that is the most in the NFL in that span.

Opposing QB Andy Dalton threw four interceptions in Week One for only the second time, the first also coming against the Baltimore Ravens. In fact, of Dalton's nine three-interception games during his career, four of them have also come at the hands of the Ravens, so he will be happy to have new opponents in town on Thursday.

Image: Can Andy Dalton bounce back from throwing four interceptions in Week One?

Key battle

Key to Thursday is how well the Texans offensive line manages to protect Watson, or whoever plays at quarterback. They gave up 10 to the Jaguars last week and now come up against the Bengals defence, one of the stronger, more experienced units in the league.

Game-changer

DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans wide receiver was responsible for their only points in Week One, linking up with Watson on a four-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Houston will be hoping that is a sign of the chemistry to come between the pair. If they can click on Thursday night, the Texans will likely come away with the win.

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Watch the Houston Texans @ Cincinnati Bengals in Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Action (407) from 1.20am on Friday.

Follow the 2017-18 NFL season with us on Sky Sports and through our website skysports.com/NFL also our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL

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