The Houston Texans (3-5) and Cleveland Browns (5-4) are preparing to face off for the fifth time since 2020 this Sunday, with Houston holding a 8-7 lead in the all-time series. The last time these two franchises met, the Texans blew out a Joe Flacco-led Browns squad in the 2023-2024 AFC WIldcard round to the tune of a 45-14 drubbing. Funny enough, this will also be the first time that current Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will share an NFL field together as opponents.
Historical narratives aside, both Houston and Cleveland are currently in a bit of a race to determine which team could rise to the occasion and potentially swipe a lower seed in the AFC playoff race throughout the back half of the season.
Both organizations have been surprising for completely different reasons this campaign. For the Texans, they surprised in the worst way by beginning their season 0-4 and with one of the worst defenses in the entire NFL through the early portions of the year. Conversely, the Browns have surprised in ultra posive ways to begin their year, as they jumped out to an unlikely 5-2 start and actually held possession of the AFC North division for a bit.
Now, both teams are looking to rebound in their own respective fashion, with this Sunday acting as the next step in that journey. Cleveland Browns Analyst—and Site Expert of Fansided's Dawg Pound Daily— Ryan O'Leary joined Toro Times this week to help preview this Sunday's AFC clash from Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland Browns Expert gives 5 Insights ahead of Houston Texans vs. Cleveland Browns
Clayton Anderson: Heading into week 10, the Cleveland Browns sit at 5-4 after a 23-22 nail biter of a loss against the New Orleans Saints last week. What is the mood like having to immediately turn the page on an ending like that?
The mood remains positive in Cleveland. The Browns have already achieved their best-case scenario — five wins before their Week 11 bye — and they continue to put out a competitive product. They’re guaranteed to enter their bye at .500, and after this Houston game, they get three in a row at home from Weeks 12 through 14. The Browns should be underdogs against the Texans, but for a team that entered the year with the NFL’s second-youngest roster and an over-under projection of 5.5 wins, Cleveland’s kind of playing with house money right now.
CA: Do you think Todd Monken making the switch back to Deshaun Watson was the right call given Shedeur’s performance in relief last week?
RO'L: Definitely. Once he shook the rust off in the first half, Sanders was excellent against the Saints, especially in the fourth quarter and overtime. He gave the Browns a chance to win multiple times, which is all you can ask for when your backup quarterback starts a game on the road. But the Browns did lose that game to New Orleans. They’re 5-3 under Watson. Sanders definitely gave Monken and team leadership something to think about, and the plot could thicken if Watson has a poor game against the Texans leading into the bye. But it makes sense to continue with Watson until his play warrants a change.
CA: Currently, the Patriots, Raiders, Ravens and Texans are in a race alongside the Browns for the seventh seed in the AFC (if not more). Besides the Browns, which team do you think has the strongest argument for that spot?
RO'L: It’s the Patriots. They’ve had a hard time with some unfamiliar NFC opponents, but they’re 5-1 against the AFC, and that could loom large in tie-breaker scenarios. New England beat the Raiders head-to-head and now they’re rolling with rookie Fernando Mendoza. The Ravens are rolling with Jacoby Brissett. The Texans dug themselves a serious hole in the beginning of the season. The Patriots have managed to keep their heads above water despite arguably the worst injury luck in the NFL.
Drake Maye, like C.J. Stroud, is one of the best young quarterbacks in football and gives them a chance against anybody. They’ll be hard to catch down the stretch as they start to get healthy, especially with their conference record.
CA: How threatened do you think the Browns are (and maybe should be) heading into a matchup against C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ defense, given both are coming off of strong performances against the Chargers?
RO'L: Threat level midnight. My take on the Texans is that they are an extremely streaky football team. In a perfect world for the Browns, they would catch them on a downswing. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Houston’s win over the Chargers was eye-opening. Cleveland struggles to run the football on offense and can’t stop the run on defense. They have two rookies starting on the offensive line, including at left tackle.
They’ve been outscored by 55 points in the first quarter of games this season and lead the NFL in penalties. They have a first-year NFL head coach in Todd Monken who is probably entering a mismatch against DeMeco Ryans and Matt Burke. If you can’t tell already, I like the Texans in this matchup.
CA: 3 keys for a Browns victory on Sunday?
RO'L:
1. The Browns have to find a way to stop the run. They’ve been getting gashed on the ground on a weekly basis. Last week, it was former practice-squader Audric Estime gaining chunk yards on them. Cleveland has an elite secondary led by cornerback Denzel Ward and safety Grant Delpit that can compete with any quarterback in football, and even without Myles Garrett, the defense is still creating havoc at the line of scrimmage. The run game has been a weekly safety net for opposing offenses. If the Texans can run it better than their 87.1-yards-per-game clip, they should be in control of the game.
2. The Browns have to keep Deshaun Watson upright. He’s the most sacked quarterback in football with 33 on the season — and he just sat out a game in Week 9 with a concussion. Houston is suddenly tied for the NFL lead in total sacks. Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter could easily blow this game up. Cleveland has to have a plan to neutralize the Texans’ pass rush or this could be a long game.
3. The Browns have to play from ahead. Houston ranks 11th in first-quarter scoring. The Browns rank 31st. Cleveland tends to fall behind in the first half before finding their footing and battling back late. That’s not going to fly against the Texans. If the Browns fall behind by multiple scores in this one, Houston will be able to pin its ears back and make life extremely difficult for Watson and company. If the Browns win this game, they’re playing from ahead, possessing the football, and making Stroud beat their elite secondary. (edited)
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