CLEVELAND -- A few thoughts from the Texans' 23-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns at First Energy Stadium.
What it means: The Texans evened their record at 5-5 and have hope for the end of the season and the future. It's too soon to draw any sweeping conclusions about Ryan Mallett's future, but he certainly improved the Texans' offense. Defensively, there are still some kinks to work out, but the Texans allowed only one scoring drive, providing more than enough support for Mallett's debut.
Stock watch: Alfred Blue's stock is up. In Arian Foster's absence, Blue became the first Texans running back since Foster to have a 100-yard rushing game in his rookie season. The sixth-round pick saw the field well and toughed out yards after contact. He broke the previous franchise record for carries, which was 33. His 36-carry performance was in stark contrast to that of Ben Tate, whom the Texans let go in free agency last year. Tate had hoped to be a starter in Cleveland, but through three quarters against the Texans on Sunday, he had two carries for minus-9 yards.
Watt does Watt-like things: Mallett's first touchdown pass went to J.J. Watt. It was a more laborious catch than his first touchdown catch in Week 2 against Oakland, but it got the job done nonetheless. Watt also had a sack, a fumble recovery and three tackles for loss. There were a few less-than-ideal moments for Watt -- he had two roughing-the-kicker penalties, the second of which resulted in the Browns' only touchdown drive of the game. But that didn't cost Houston the game, in part because of how Watt played the rest of the game.
Game ball: We'll give it to Mallett, who changed the Texans' offense in his first career start. He threw two touchdowns and one interception, which resulted from a nice play by Browns defensive back Joe Haden. The deep ball became more threatening. The tight ends became more involved. The protection improved, aided by his quick release. Mallett's NFL debut as a starter, three and a half years in the making, was a success.
What's next: The other Ohio team visits Houston next Sunday, when the Texans host the Cincinnati Bengals.