Rookie Stroud to lead the Texans against playoff-tested Flacco, Browns

HOUSTON — C.J. Stroud and the rest of Houston’s rookies started a group chat soon after the draft to discuss their goals.

“And we were like, ‘Man, we’re going to be the foundation that changes this thing around,’ and lo and behold, that’s … what came to be true,” Stroud said.

And it happened much quicker than most anyone predicted for the Texans (10-7), who will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019 when they host Cleveland (11-6) in the wild-card round Saturday.

Stroud, the second overall pick, is the only rookie starting quarterback to make the playoffs this season, and the 22-year-old will face off against the oldest QB in the postseason in Cleveland’s Joe Flacco, who turns 39 three days after the game.

Stroud will face the Browns for the first time. He missed Houston’s 36-22 loss to them on Dec. 24 while recovering from a concussion. The Texans were also missing rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr., the No. 3 pick in the draft, and linebacker Blake Cashman in that game.

Cleveland knows it will be a challenge to contain Stroud, who has thrown for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdowns.

“He’s awesome,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I remember watching him early because we had some crossover tape and getting ready to play Baltimore. I know … that was his first game, and I think even in that game, you saw some plays and some throws where you knew right away that kid was really, really talented.”

Stroud’s emergence has transformed a team that had combined for just seven wins in the previous two seasons. The Texans’ run of futility included some drama with Deshaun Watson, who refused to play after requesting a trade. He was later traded to Cleveland.

Watson was under center for the Texans during their last playoff run in 2019 but played just six games for the Browns this season before having season-ending shoulder surgery. After the backups on the Browns’ roster didn’t work out, Cleveland signed Flacco off the street.

Flacco went 4-1 as a starter to help the Browns to just their third playoff appearance since their 1999 expansion rebirth, but second in four seasons under Stefanski.

This will be Flacco’s 17th postseason game — he didn’t play in his final one with the Ravens in 2019 — and 16th playoff start. His first playoff game was on Jan. 4, 2009, when the Ravens beat the Dolphins 27-9, and Stroud was just 8 years old.

Flacco was asked about the importance of playoff experience.

“I’m sure there’s a level of importance to it in terms of letting the football game come to you,” he said. “Not necessarily riding too high and riding too low when things happen, realizing that it is another football game, but ultimately the most important thing in playoff games is executing your fundamentals to the highest degree. And I don’t think that that necessarily takes experience to do. It just takes you staying levelheaded and playing within yourself.”

Houston’s first-year coach DeMeco Ryans, who turned 39 in July, balked when a reporter called Flacco old before joking about it.

“It’s impressive that Joe is still operating at a high level,” Ryans said. “There is no let-up in the arm strength, the decision making — it’s all still elite, at a high level. … So, it is impressive to see a guy as young as he is making plays, but he’s the reason why that team is in the position they’re in right now, because he has that experience, he’s been there before, and I know that those guys believe in him.”

Road warrior

Flacco will never match Tom Brady’s record of seven Super Bowl wins. And it’s unlikely Cleveland’s quarterback will still be playing at 45 like Brady did.

But Flacco can surpass Brady this week in one department.

Flacco has seven playoff road wins, tying him with Brady for the most in league history. Those victories include two against Brady and New England, one in the 2009 season and another three years later in the AFC championship game. Flacco and the Ravens went on to win the Super Bowl that year.

Flacco, who is 7-5 on the road (the Super Bowl is considered a neutral site), said the key to travel success is keeping things simple.

“It just goes back to doing the basics the right way, not overthinking what it means to go on the road, just going and playing a good football game,” Flacco said. “And when the dust settles, you just pick your head up and see where you are.”

Even if they get past the Texans, the Browns could spend the entire postseason on the road. Flacco’s experience there could come in handy — to a point.

“I think it’s going to help a lot,” wide receiver Amari Cooper said. “But nothing really matters. You have to live in the moment, be where your feet are. The past, the future, it’s all about the present.”

Still here

Though it’s been four years since the Texans were in the playoffs, there’s hardly anyone remaining on the roster from the 2019 team, which beat Buffalo before falling to Kansas City. The only holdovers are left tackle Laremy Tunsil, long snapper Jon Weeks and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn.

“It’s a blessing to be in this position after four years of tough football,” Tunsil said. “Just got to be thankful for where I’m at and just be thankful for this opportunity.”

Can you kick it?

The Browns finished their recent win over the Texans without a kicker or punter. Things are slightly better for Cleveland now.

Kicker Dustin Hopkins is out with a hamstring injury he sustained on an ill-advised and fruitless chase of Houston’s Dameon Pierce on a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Cleveland’s special teams issues multiplied when punter Corey Boroquez, who also holds, hurt his quadriceps.

That forced Stefanski to go for 2-point conversions and try to convert every fourth down in the second half. Things got so desperate that safety D’Anthony Bell kicked off.

At one point, tight end David Njoku begged Stefanski to let him kick.

On Saturday, Riley Patterson, who kicked for Jacksonville in last year’s playoffs, will handle kicking duties. Boroquez returned last week and is good to go.

CLEVELAND (11-6) at HOUSTON (10-7)

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST, NBC

OPENING LINE: Browns by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Cleveland 10-6-1; Houston 9-8.

SERIES RECORD: Tied 7-7.

LAST MEETING: Cleveland beat Houston 36-22 on Dec. 24 in Houston.

LAST WEEK: Browns lost to Bengals 31-14; Texans beat Colts 23-19.

BROWNS OFFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (12), PASS (19), SCORING (10).

BROWNS DEFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (11), PASS (1), SCORING (13).

TEXANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (12), RUSH (23), PASS (7), SCORING (14).

TEXANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (6), PASS (23), SCORING (11).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Browns minus-9; Texans plus-10.

BROWNS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Amari Cooper. He dominated the Texans for a career-high 265 yards and two TDs on 11 catches in last month’s matchup despite playing with a heel injury. Cooper could have surpassed 300 yards, but the Browns pulled him early in the fourth quarter while leading by 29 before re-inserting him. Cooper sat out the past two games to rest his heel. He finished the regular season with 72 catches for 1,250 yards.

TEXANS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Nico Collins had nine catches for a career-high 195 yards in the win over the Colts, highlighted by a 75-yard TD grab in the first quarter. He has a career-high 1,297 yards receiving this season to join Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins as the only players in franchise history to reach 1,200 yards receiving. Collins, who is in his third year in the NFL, has been great at home this season and has 906 yards receiving with seven TD catches in nine games in Houston.

KEY MATCHUP: Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz vs. Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud. Schwartz turned Cleveland’s defense from an also-ran into the league’s best this season, and his main objectives will not only be getting pressure on Stroud by trying to confuse him by mixing up coverages. Stroud missed the Dec. 24 game with a concussion. He has 4,108 yards passing this season for the third most by a rookie in NFL history. He has 23 touchdown passes with just five interceptions.

KEY INJURIES: Browns Pro Bowl CB Denzel Ward hurt his knee in practice on Thursday and is questionable. … K Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) will miss his third straight game with an injury sustained when trying catch a Texans returner on a kickoff last month. Riley Patterson will handle kicking duties. … Browns S Grant Delpit returned to practice after missing four games but isn’t ready to play. … Browns WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) is also out. … Houston rookie DE Will Anderson Jr. missed practice this week with an ankle injury but should play. … DE Jerry Hughes is dealing with an ankle injury that could keep him out this week. … DE Jonathan Greenard has missed the past two games with an ankle injury but could return.

SERIES NOTES: This is the third meeting between these teams in the past 13 months that are forever linked by Houston’s blockbuster trade of star quarterback Deshaun Watson to Cleveland before last season. … Cleveland has won the past four games in the series. … Houston’s most recent win came in a 29-13 victory in 2018 that was the team’s fifth straight win in the series. … These teams first met in Houston’s inaugural season in 2002 when Cleveland got a 34-17 win.

STATS AND STUFF: The Browns are making just their third playoff appearance since their 1999 expansion rebirth, but second in four seasons under coach Kevin Stefanski. … On their most recent playoff visit, the Browns won their first road game since 1968. … Stefanski is 10-0 vs. the AFC South. … Browns QB Joe Flacco’s seven postseason road wins are tied for the most in league history. Tom Brady also has seven. … This will be Flacco’s 16th playoff start. He’s 10-5. … Flacco is 4-1 with Cleveland and has passed for 1,616 yards and 13 TDs in five games since debuting for the Browns on Dec. 3. Both are league highs since Week 13. … Flacco passed for 368 yards and 3 TDs in Cleveland’s win over Houston last month. … Remarkably, the Browns led the NFL with 37 giveaways and were minus-9 in turnover differential. Houston has committed a league-low 14. … Browns DE Myles Garrett didn’t get a sack in last month’s matchup with Houston, and has just one in his past five games. … The Browns rested all their starters last week for the playoffs and missed a chance to tie the club record of 12 regular-season wins. … The Texans are AFC South champions and in the playoffs for the first time since 2019 after making a seven-win improvement from last season. … Coach DeMeco Ryans is the first coach in franchise history to make the playoffs in his first season. … Houston is the first team in the Super Bowl era to win a division title with a rookie quarterback and first-year head coach. … RB Devin Singletary has a career-high 898 yards rushing this season. He has three touchdown runs in his past four playoff games. … Noah Brown has a career-high 567 yards receiving this season. … WR Robert Woods has 38 catches in six playoff games. … TE Dalton Schultz has 59 receptions for 635 yards and five touchdowns this season, and is one of three TEs with at least 50 catches, 500 yards receiving and five TD receptions in each of the past three seasons. … LT Laremy Tunsil was selected to his fourth career Pro Bowl this season. … Greenard leads the team with a career-high 12½ sacks. … Anderson, the third overall pick in the draft, has six sacks in his past five home games. … LB Blake Cashman leads the Texans with a career-high 104 tackles and nine for losses. … LB Christian Harris has 100 tackles and seven tackles for losses this season. He has had at least five tackles in his past 10 games. … CB Derek Stingley leads the team with 13 passes defended and five interceptions.