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HOUSTON -- Houstons defense hasnt fallen apart without star defensive end J.J. Watt.In fact, it has been the strength of a team that enters its bye week 5-3 despite inconsistent play by new quarterback Brock Osweiler.Theres always room for improvement, but I think overall guys have stepped up their play across the board whether its the d-line, the linebackers, secondary, veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph said. Its hard to replace the production (Watt) brings to the table, but I think were more than capable with the guys we have on defense and that just has to be our mentality.The Texans ranked fifth in the NFL through Sundays games in allowing 316.2 yards a game . Coach Bill OBrien has been impressed with the way his defense has responded without Watt.Injuries do happen, but look we have lost the three-time Defense Player of the Year and those are hard injuries to overcome for some teams, OBrien said. But not for this team so far because we have a resilient locker room and we have a bunch of guys in there that play hard.Their pass defense is allowing the second-fewest yards in the NFL with 190.5. The Texans have done this despite playing several games without a variety of starters in the secondary. Joseph sat out large portions of two games, cornerback Kareem Jackson missed two games and safety Quintin Demps has sat out the past three.Joseph shared why he thinks Houston has been so good against the pass this season.Players playing the right technique, (defensive coordinator) Romeo (Crennel) making great calls in great situations, guys challenging throws, the pass rush getting there and harassing the quarterback all day, he said.The emergence of cornerback A.J. Bouye has helped Houstons secondary remain solid despite the injuries. Bouye, who was signed to the team as an undrafted free agent in 2013, has 33 tackles along with nine pass break-ups and a sack.Watt was placed on the injured reserve after three games and had season-ending back surgery a few days later. Without Watt, who led the NFL in sacks with 17 1/2 last year, the Texans asked Jadeveon Clowney to expand his role. And for the first time in his injured-plagued career, the top overall pick in the 2014 draft has responded.Clowney moved from outside linebacker to defensive end to fill in for Watt and has thrived. He has 30 tackles, three sacks and leads the team with nine tackles for losses .Hes started all eight games after not starting more than four in a row in his first two years in the NFL. That, OBrien said, is a big reason why hes finally playing to his potential.The fact that hes out there every day at practice, getting all the reps in practice and then having all the reps in the games. Theres no substitute for that, he said. When youre young and youre injured and youre in and out of the lineup or youre not in the lineup for a long time, its hard. Its hard to make up that lost ground and I think hes done a really good job of being out there every day and hes been one of our most productive players. No doubt about it.While the Texans have been great against the pass, theyre hoping to improve against the run when they return to play on Nov. 13 at Jacksonville after their bye. Houston is allowing 125.8 yards rushing per game, which is unacceptable to Crennel.I put all the pressure on myself ... they need to play better (and) I need to coach better, Crennel said.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Sabres Jerseys 2020 . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Wholesale Sabres Jerseys . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Custom Buffalo Sabres Jerseys . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Buffalo Sabres Pro Shop .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Lakers have announced the signing of Russian center Timofey Mozgov.The Lakers confirmed the deal Friday, a week after Mozgov agreed to a $64 million, four-year contract in the opening minutes of free agency.Mozgov won a championship ring last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, although he played little as their backup center. He played much more a year ago when the Cavaliers lost to Golden State in the NBA Finals.The 29-yeaar-old big man also played for New York and Denver during his six-year NBA career.dddddddddddd He is averaging 6.9 points and 5.0 rebounds, but general manager Mitch Kupchak said the Lakers primarily value his defense.The Lakers are rebuilding from the worst season in franchise history. They also signed forward Luol Deng in free agency. ' ' '