Cleveland Browns to Face Houston Texans following Reserves’ 31-14 Loss to…
The Cleveland Browns arrive in Houston on a low note following their 31-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular season finale. Joe Mixon scored twice in the first quarter to give the Bengals a 14-0 lead that they later expanded to 31-0. The Browns responded with two late touchdowns to make the final score 31-14. The Bengals started the game with their starting lineup.
After an 11-6 regular season, the Browns move on to the wild card round of the playoffs the following weekend. Bengals are 9-8 at the end of the season and do not make the playoffs.
Views of the Texas Jaguars
The Browns will move on from the Bengals fast and focus on the Texans in order to play in their first postseason since 2020. Later on Sunday, the time and day will be decided.
On Christmas Eve, the Browns defeated the Texans 36–22, but rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was sidelined by a concussion. Will Anderson, the defensive end selected third overall, was among the other two important players the Texans were missing. With the Jaguars’ 28-20 loss to the Titans, the Texans’ victory over the Colts on Saturday night brought them to 10-7 and the AFC South title.
Bonus Points
Rust vs. Rest: It appeared as though the Browns benched nearly every starting player on both sides of the ball, as their top defense allowed three touchdowns in their first four possessions.
After winning their first four games, Kevin Stefanski stated earlier in the week that he was not worried about losing momentum.
Not at all. Once more, this was something we deserved to have,” Stefanski stated. “We’ve merited the capacity and adaptability to carry out such an action. We are going to make use of it and capitalize on it. However, the guys are aware of how critical it is that we deal with this week specifically. We’ll be concerned about the following week.
With the exception of punter Corey Bojorquez, the Browns rested all five of their Pro Bowl players as well as the six alternates.
The Browns were without Wyatt Teller, Joel Bitonio, Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Marquise Goodwin, and Joe Flacco on offense. Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Sione Takitaki, Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, Martin Emerson, and Juan Thornhill were all absent for the Browns during their defense play.
Security The Browns are hoping that Pro Bowl alternate Grant Delpit, who is currently on injured reserve, will be back for the postseason.
24 points and 241 yards, including 133 yards rushing, were allowed by the Browns defense. The Browns had just 71 total yards and zero points on the offensive end of the ball.
Driskel takes the field: quarterback This season, Jeff Driskel was the Browns’ fifth starting quarterback. With four different starters, the Browns won, but not with their fifth.
With 13:24 remaining in the first quarter, Driskel’s first pass was intercepted, so things did not start well. By the end of the first quarter, the Browns had gained zero yards.
Driskel was only 4-of-10 for 37 yards and two interceptions at the half. He received only an 11.2 rating. He gained sixteen yards on two rushes.
Driskel finished 13-of-26 for 166 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. In the fourth quarter, he completed two touchdown passes to wide receiver David Bell. He received a score of 63.9. Driskel gained 33 yards on seven rushes.
Big Day for DBell: With two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and four receptions for 68 yards, wide receiver David Bell led the Browns. With 8:45 remaining in the game, Bell scored the first touchdown for the Browns on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Driskel. A little over two minutes later, Bell scored again on a 24-yard touchdown pass that was caught between two defenders.
