Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Prediction: Can CJ Stroud Air It Out In AFC Wild Card Round?
The Houston Texans and CJ Stroud have done the unthinkable and have won the AFC South to host a playoff game against the Cleveland Browns. Can CJ Stroud air it out in the AFC Wild Card Round? Ben Rajavuori answers.
Ben Rajavuori - January 12, 2024, 4:58 PM EST
5 minCleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Prediction: Can CJ Stroud Air It Out In AFC Wild Card Round?
The Houston Texans have done the unthinkable with rookie CJ Stroud and have won the AFC South to host a playoff game against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns enter this game as the top wildcard seed after going 11-6 this season, which is even more impressive considering they closed out the season behind Joe Flacco, who was called off his couch Thanksgiving week to come start for the Browns. with CJ Stroud taking on one of the top defenses in the NFL, what should we expect in the first game of the 2024 NFL playoffs?
Browns vs. Texans Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: January 13, 2024
- Game Time: 4:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBC
Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Prediction
With Deshaun Watson on the IR, Joe Flacco has taken over this Browns team and led them to a 4-1 record over his five games this season to put them in the position they are in now. However, it hasn’t all been on the offense, as the Browns have one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Browns rank first overall in the NFL allowing just 270 yards per game to opposing teams. They also boast arguably the best secondary in the NFL, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete just 18 passes per game and just 164 passing yards per game, both of which are first in the NFL. CJ Stroud may be in for a long game here. Stroud is the undeniable favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. Stroud was the second quarterback taken in the NFL draft last year and was the second overall pick. He lived up to those expectations, as he threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and threw just 5 picks the entire season. He also led the Texans to their first playoff appearance since 2019. After the Texans went 3–13-1 last season, he turned them into a 10–7 team this year, also giving credit to head coach DeMeco Ryans. However, I don’t see this playoff game going very well for him. As previously mentioned, the Browns have one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL, allowing the least passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks. Stroud has been good all year, but he will also have to go through this game with some major injuries to his receiving corps. On top of his top receiver, Tank Dell, landing on the IR, receivers Noah Brown and Robert Woods are also banged up going into the game, if they can even play. That leaves Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz as his top two options, which isn’t bad, but he is down his top receivers against the scariest defensive unit in the NFL.
Looking at Stroud's résumé up and down this season, he has struggled a bit more against the top secondaries in the league, which is not surprising. Stroud has faced five teams that place in the top 10 in opponent passing yards allowed: the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, and New Orleans Saints. In those five games, Stroud has not passed 250 passing yards. He failed to pass 200 yards in three of them.
Stroud's passing yards line for tomorrow is 242.5. Stroud has passed this in ten of 15 games this season, but as I previously mentioned, most of those struggles came against top 10 secondaries in the league. Given that Cleveland has one of the top secondaries in the league, and Stroud is dealing with some banged-up receivers, I think he stays under his passing yards prop in this game.
Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Pick
Pick: CJ Stroud Under 242.5 Passing Yards -110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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