The Cleveland Browns have three games remaining in the 2023-24 NFL regular season.
On Christmas Eve, they travel to Houston to face the well-drilled Texans.
The game features two teams competing for the AFC playoffs.
According to several sources, C.J. Stroud, the Houston Texans’ impressive rookie quarterback, will miss Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns pending a concussion evaluation.
Stroud suffered the concussion in the fourth quarter of a Week 14 loss to the New York Jets when defensive tackle Quinnen Williams tackled him on the ground.
Stroud did not participate in any practice and did not accompany the Texans to Sunday’s 19-16 overtime victory over the Tennessee Titans. Stroud was replaced by veteran quarterback Case Keenum.
Case Keenum completed 23 of 36 passes for 229 yards, a touchdown and an interception last week..
Stroud became the favorite to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.
He leads all rookies in receiving yards (3,631) and touchdowns (20) with just five interceptions.
Houston is tied for first in the AFC South with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts at 8-6.
The team is still in the playoffs..Stroud’s absence will force the Texans to once again rely on Keenum, an 11-year veteran who played a key role in Houston’s overtime win against Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Stroud’s lack of ability to adjust could once again require a significant amount of work to bring back Devin Singletary.
A week ago, Singletary rushed for 121 yards on 26 carries against Tennessee.
Texas achieved a decisive victory based on a comprehensive offensive strategy and excellent defense.
Last week’s win was a big one for the Texans, one of five teams competing for the AFC’s final wild card spot.
They were without three key offensive linemen in Stroud and wide receivers Tank Dell and Nico Collins.
Keenum recovered from a first-half fumble and a 13-0 hole to lead the Texans to a comeback victory.
Texas murderThe Texans had a great offense with Stroud under center, but things had to turn around last week with Keenum.
Collins has 1,004 yards and is expected back in the lineup Sunday against the Browns.
Without Collins in the lineup, Noah Brown was on target 11 times to account for 32.4 percent of the team’s goal share.
He caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Dalton Schultz caught four passes for 58 yards for a 14.6 percent target percentage.
They will rely on Devin Singletary, who has 30 catches for 170 yards. Houston’s offense ranks 15th in EPA per game and 13th in offensive DVOA.
Losing Tank Dell took a big loss last game and without Stroud this week, they can build on the run Singletary had after last week’s success. .defense of texasThe Texas defense is an impressive unit that is playing its best football at the right time of the season
. They were exceptional in defense of the run. Last season, Texas ranked poorly on defense, giving up an average of 170.24 yards per game.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke have successfully turned things around as they currently rank sixth in pass defense allowing just 93.5 yards per game.
The addition of Will Anderson has certainly strengthened the squad, but Jonathan Greenard’s important contribution should also be recognised.
He is adept at guarding opposing rush plays and burst onto the scene as a pass rusher with 12.5 sacks this season.
Matt Burke, a disciple of Jim Schwartz, used the offensive-defensive style that Schwartz brought to Cleveland.
Burke has worked with Schwartz for many years, and his collaboration with Ryans has been successful.
Their defensive roster features a strong mix of young draft prospects and veterans.
Texas’ defense ranks 18th in EPA per game, but the defense ranks 4th in rushing EPA.
They are 19th in defensive DVOA.Rookie defensive end Will Anderson and linebacker Blake Cashman will likely miss this game, but Texas still has the upper hand.
At EDGE, along with Greenard, Sheldon Rankins and Malik Collins are standouts on defense, while veterans Jerry Hughes and Derek Barnett fill in for Anderson..
Brown’s road to victory in HoustonThe Browns offense hasn’t had much success in the running game in recent weeks.
Their offensive line was depleted, and no matter how hard the Browns tried, they couldn’t maintain consistent momentum in their rushing attack.
