Texans LB Mercilus once again called on to fill in for Clowney

A back injury suffered two weeks ago against the Tennessee Titans will keep Houston Texans linebacker Jadeveon Clowney out of the lineup for Monday night's matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Fortunately for the Texans, they've found a more than capable replacement in Whitney Mercilus.

The four-year veteran recorded 3.5 sacks filling in for Clowney in the 20-6 win over the Titans. He also recorded a pair of sacks in the Oct. 18 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars that Clowney missed as well.

Coming off his big game against the Titans, Houston will look for more of the same from Mercilus against Andy Dalton and the Bengals.

“We want to get some pressure on him, take away his reads, the typical things,” Mercilus said, per the Houston Chronicle. “With a quarterback like that, you want to make sure he holds the ball, so the rush can get there."

In addition to his 5.5 sacks, Mercilus has 27 tackles in eight games this season.