Quick Hits: Cleveland Browns vs Houston Texans Wildcard Game Preview

The AFC South Champions enter the playoffs

The Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns just faced each other on Christmas Eve, a few short weeks ago. In that matchup, minus soon-to-be Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, the Texans fell to the Browns 36 to 22.

Heading into this Saturday’s matchup, Stroud is back – and on fire. Last weekend, in front of the entire world, Stroud torched the Indianapolis Colts defense on the very first play of the game, then led the team on a last minute game winning drive at the end.

Can Joe Flacco do that with his Baltimore Cleveland Browns?

Let’s set the record straight, Flacco was a good quarterback and has done some great things this season, in the twilight of his career. But, he was never C.J. Stroud.

And, even though Flacco and the Browns are currently favored by 3, both teams have equal odds at winning it all.

Now, the Browns are nothing to sneeze at this season – they’ve done some good things for a city that needs to forget they gave a life-changing fortune to [NAME REDACTED II] after trading him away from the Texans.

But, the Browns are lacking the X-Factor that Houston has in spades.

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CLEVELAND BROWNS WILDCARD WEEK STATS

• BROWNS clinched postseason for 2nd time in past 20 years (2020). Led NFL in total defense (270.2 yards allowed/game) in 2023, fewest yards per game allowed in a season since Seattle in 2014 (267.1).

• KEVIN STEFANSKI can become 1st Cle. HC to win multiple playoff games since Marty Schottenheimer (playoff wins in 1986-87).

• QB JOE FLACCO is 1st player in NFL history with 250+ pass yards & 2+ TD passes in each of 1st 5 games with a team & 2nd player ever with 300+ pass yards in 4 of 1st 5 games with a team. Since becoming Cle. starter in Week 13, ranks 2nd in NFL with 1,616 pass yards & tied-2nd with 13 TD passes. Is 10-5 in 15 career playoff starts, with 2+ TD passes in each of his past 8 playoff starts. Has 7 career road playoff wins, tied with Tom Brady for most in NFL history by starting QB.

• RB JEROME FORD set career highs with 1,132 scrimmage yards & 9 TDs (5 rec., 4 rush) in 2023. Finished season with TD in 2 of past 3, incl. rush TD in Week 16 meeting.

• RB KAREEM HUNT led team with career-best 9 rush TDs in 2023. Had rush TD in Week 16 meeting. Can become 4th player ever with rush TD in each of 1st 4 career playoff games.

• WR AMARI COOPER made 5th-career Pro Bowl in 2023 after leading team with 1,250 rec. yards in 2023 & had 5 rec. TDs, becoming 4th player ever with 5+ rec. TDs in each of 1st 9 seasons. Had 11 catches for career-high 265 yards & 2 TDs in Week 16 meeting. Had TD catch in each of his past 2 playoff games.

• TE DAVID NJOKU made 1st-career Pro Bowl in 2023 after setting career highs in catches (81), rec. yards (882) & rec. TDs (6). Finished season with TD catch in 3 of past 4.

• G JOEL BITONIO made 6th-career Pro Bowl this season.

• DE MYLES GARRETT made 5th-career Pro Bowl in 2023 after 3rd-straight season with 14+ sacks (14). Has TFL in 5 of 6 career games vs. Hou., incl. 2 in Week 16 meeting.

• LB JEREMIAH OWUSU-KORAMOAH led team with career-high 98 tackles & ranked 4th in NFL with career-high 20 TFL this season. Had 2 PD & INT in Week 16 meeting. Owusu-Koramoah & Garrett (17) only pair of teammates each with 15+ TFL in 2023.

• CB DENZEL WARD made 3rd-career Pro Bowl with 11 PD in 2023 & is 1 of 2 in NFL (James Bradberry) with 10+ PD in each of past 6 seasons.

One stat that jumps out and is often a HUGE factor in the postseason? Turnovers.

Houston head coach Demeco Ryans has his squad sitting at the end of the season with a +10 turnover differential. That’s tied for 3rd best in the league.

Cleveland? Well, let’s just say -9 isn’t tied for best at all… in fact, it makes them 5th worst.

In their last matchup, both teams gave away 2 interceptions, but lost no fumbles. Say what you will about Case Keenum, but he doesn’t have the ball security skills that Stroud possesses.

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After being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Houston quarterback C.J. STROUD recorded 4,108 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes with a 100.8 rating in his rookie season, the third-most passing yards and third-highest passer rating among qualified rookie quarterbacks in NFL history.

With 229 passing yards on Saturday against Cleveland (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo), Stroud will surpass JUSTIN HERBERT (4,336 passing yards in 2020) for the second-most passing yards ever by a rookie, including postseason. Only ANDREW LUCK (4,662 in 2012) has more.

Stroud tied for the league lead with 300 passing yards in six games this season, tied for the second-most 300-yard games ever by a rookie. With 300 passing yards on Saturday, Stroud can become the fifth rookie quarterback ever to record 300 passing yards in a postseason game, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer SAMMY BAUGH, DAK PRESCOTT, BROCK PURDY and RUSSELL WILSON.

With a win against Cleveland this weekend, Stroud can become the fourth rookie quarterback that was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft to win a postseason game in the common-draft era, joining JOE FLACCO (2008), BEN ROETHLISBERGER (2004) and MARK SANCHEZ (2009).

HOUSTON TEXANS WILDCARD WEEK STATS

• TEXANS won 1st division title since 2019. Became 1st team in SB era to win division with rookie HC & rookie QB.

• DEMECO RYANS is 1st Hou. HC to make playoffs in 1st season. • QB C.J. STROUD totaled 4,108 pass yards & 23 TD passes this season, 3rd-most pass yards by rookie in NFL history. Became 4th qualifying rookie QB ever with 100+ passer rating (100.8). Had 6 games with 300+ pass yards in 2023, tied-most in NFL & tied 2nd-most ever by rookie. Had 18 TDs (17 pass, 1 rush) vs. 4 INTs with 108.3 rating in 8 home starts this season.

• RB DEVIN SINGLETARY totaled 1,091 scrimmage yards (career- high 898 rush, 193 rec.) in 1st season with Hou. & is 1 of 6 RBs with 950+ scrimmage yards in each of past 5 seasons. Has 3 rush TDs in his past 4 playoff games.

• WR NICO COLLINS became 3rd Hou. player ever (DeAndre Hopkins & Andre Johnson) with 1,200+ rec. yec. yards (1,297) in a season. Had 9 catches for career-high 195 yards & TD last week. Had TD catch in Week 16 meeting. Had 906 rec. yards (100.7 per game) & 7 rec. TDs in 9 home games this season.

• WR NOAH BROWN had career-best 567 rec. yards in 2023.

• WR ROBERT WOODS has 38 catches (6.3 per game) in 6 career playoff games, with 5+ catches in 5 of 6 games.

• TE DALTON SCHULTZ is 1 of 3 TEs (Travis Kelce & George Kittle) with 50+ catches, 500+ rec. yards & 5+ rec. TDs in each of past 3 seasons. Had 8 catches for 61 yards in Week 16 meeting. Has TD catch in each of his past 2 playoff games.

• T LAREMY TUNSIL was named to 4th-career Pro Bowl this season.

• DE JONATHAN GREENARD led team with career-high 12.5 sacks in 2023 & finished season with sack in 3 of his last 4.

• DE WILL ANDERSON (rookie) has 6 sacks in his past 5 at home, with 2 sacks in each of his past 2 at home.

• LB BLAKE CASHMAN led team with career-high 104 tackles this season & had career-best 9 TFL. Aims for his 7th in row at home with 6+ tackles.

• LB CHRISTIAN HARRIS had career-high 100 tackles & 7 TFL in 2023. Has 5+ tackles in each of past 10 & TFL in 3 of past 4.

• CB DEREK STINGLEY led team with career-best 13 PD & 5 INTs this season. Has PD in 3 of past 4, incl. 2 in Week 16 meeting.

NFL Communications

NEW YORK ­— Jan. 9, 2024 — No one scripts and spawns hope like the National Football League.

Two of the best examples of that hope will kick off the 2023 NFL Playoffs when the CLEVELAND BROWNS (11-6) meet the HOUSTON TEXANS (10-7) at NRG Stadium on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo).

The Texans completed a worst-to-first turnaround by winning the AFC South the year after finishing in last place. In 19 of the past 21 seasons (2003-23), at least one NFL team has won its division the year after finishing last or tied for last. Houston became the first team with a rookie head coach (DEMECO RYANS) and rookie starting quarterback (C.J. STROUD) to win its division in the Super Bowl era (1966-present).

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