HOUSTON — The first two starts of rookie Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett’s career will be against teams leading the AFC North.

Last Sunday, Mallett completed 20 of 30 passes for 211 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the 23-7 victory at Cleveland. The Browns were 6-3 and leading their division. Now they are in last place.

Next up, Cincinnati is 6-3-1 and replaced Cleveland on top of the AFC North after winning 27-10 at New Orleans. The question is: What does Mallett do for an encore?

“Last week’s over,” he said. “It’s a whole new week. It’s back to the grind and getting ready to go. What we have to do is build on what we established (at Cleveland) as a team and our cohesiveness.

“I feel like my preparation process is on the right track. You can always be better every day, in the film room, on the field, whatever it takes.”

The Browns had very little tape to watch of Mallett. In his three seasons with New England, he threw four times and completed one. The Bengals have a game’s worth of tape to use in their game plan.

The most impressive part of Mallett’s performance was how quick he released the ball. That led to no sacks after the Texans surrendered 15 in Ryan Fitzpatrick’s last four starts.

Pro Football Focus said Mallett got rid of the ball quicker than any quarterback in the league against the Browns.

“When you’ve got guys getting open quick, you just have to get them the ball,” Mallett said. “I don’t want to run with the ball. Obviously, I’m not the fastest guy in the world, so I’m trying to get it to the guys that can make plays.

“You try to have it figured out pre-snap, but a lot of teams change post-snap, so it’s all about your reads and getting the ball to the open guys.”

The Browns played a 3-4 scheme. The Bengals play a 4-3, so there will be an adjustment.

At Cleveland, Mallett benefited from a running game that produced 213 yards on 54 carries without injured Arian Foster, who returned to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday.

Barring a setback, Foster is expected to play against the Bengals. Coach Bill O’Brien calls the plays, and he’ll want to utilize Foster and Alfred Blue, who gouged Cleveland for 156 yards on 36 carries, as many times as possible to help take pressure off Mallett.

NOTES: WR Andre Johnson needs one catch to toal 983 in his career, which would move him past Randy Moss and into 10th place on the league’s career list. He needs 91 yards for 13,383 to move past Torry Holt and into 12th place.