Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud’s absence proved glaring for the Houston Texans last week.
They relied on a dose of luck and played the definition of complementary football to survive a defensive slugfest against the Tennessee Titans in overtime.
Stroud remains sidelined by a concussion that will keep him out for a second consecutive week. But the Texans’ victory kept them in the thick of the AFC playoff picture in advance of their Sunday showdown with the visiting Cleveland Browns.
Houston’s top two receivers, Tank Dell and Nico Collins, also missed last week’s game when the Texans (8-6) found their way through a 19-16 win. Dell is out for the year with a broken fibula, while Collins (calf) is questionable for this week.
Before Ka’imi Fairbairn booted his fourth field goal, a 54-yarder as the game clock expired, the Texans hung tough behind Case Keenum. The veteran overcame an early pick-6 and benefited from timely contributions from Noah Brown (eight receptions, 82 yards, touchdown) and Devin Singletary, whose 170 yards from scrimmage (121 rushing, 49 receiving) kept the Texans afloat offensively.
But where the Texans made the most significant inroads was defensively, particularly on the line. Despite the absence of impactful rookie edge Will Anderson Jr. (ankle), the Texans sacked Titans quarterback Will Levis seven times. Defensive lineman Jonathan Greenard recorded 2.5 sacks and three hits on Levis to pace a ferocious attack in the trenches, spearheading a unit that continues to develop as the regular season winds down.
“Those guys have bought into the system and what we’ve asked them to do,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “And you see it start to come to life when we’re really humming up front and our D-line is getting after the quarterback (and) they’re stopping the run. That’s when our defense has played its best is when our defensive line has played their best.
“Our defense, it goes as far as our D-line will take us, and I think our guys have improved tremendously throughout the year.”
The Browns (9-5) certainly will be on high alert against the Texans’ defensive front after Joe Flacco tossed three interceptions while being sacked four times in a 20-17 home win over the Chicago Bears.
Like the Texans, the Browns have gotten mileage from their veteran backup signal-caller, the fourth QB to start for Cleveland in 2023.
Flacco provided a steady hand after Cleveland lost starter Deshaun Watson and rookie backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson to injury while also parting with P.J. Walker. Under duress against the Bears behind a patchwork offensive line, Flacco passed for 374 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with Amari Cooper and tight end David Njoku each surpassing 100 receiving yards in the victory.
The Browns appeared to be in dire straits when they lost Watson (shoulder) and Thompson-Robinson (concussion) in consecutive weeks last month. Instead, following back-to-back home wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Bears, the Browns are fifth in the AFC and ascending behind a stifling defense that ranks first in yielding just 158.9 passing yards per game.
One pressing challenge for the Browns: reversing a trend where their last three losses have been on the road.
“The little things add up to the big things,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “So whether you’re at home or on the road you have to be clean in your assignments. You have to be great as a staff at putting your guys in position to succeed. But the big thing is always doing your job, and that doesn’t change home or road.”
The Browns ruled out defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (pectoral), linebackers Jordan Kunaszyk (calf) and Anthony Walker Jr. (knee) and safety Juan Thornhill (calf) for Sunday. Guard Joel Bitonio (back, knee) is questionable.
Flacco (calf), who was limited in practice on Wednesday, practiced in full Thursday and Friday.
For the Texans, Anderson (ankle) and linebacker Blake Cashman (hamstring) are out along with Stroud. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins (hip) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (Achilles) are questionable.
