Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Betting Pick: Can C.J. Stroud, Texans Pull Home Upset in NFC Wild Card?
The Houston Texans are hosting the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon in the first game of the AFC Wild Card Round. Can C.J. Stroud find success against the Browns defense and pull the home upset? Joey Ruiz provides his prediction and pick in Browns vs. Texans.
Joey Ruiz - January 13, 2024, 1:30 PM EST
5 minCleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Betting Pick: Can C.J. Stroud, Texans Pull Home Upset in NFC Wild Card?
Wildcard Weekend and NFL Playoffs are finally here and we get to kick it off with a great matchup between the Browns and the Texans. Who has the edge in today’s game? Let’s break it down.
Browns vs. Texans Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: January 13, 2024
- Game Time: 4:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBC
Browns vs. Texans Odds
- Spread: Browns -2.5 (-110), Texans +2.5 (-110)
- Total Odds: O/U 43.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Browns (-150), Texans (+125)
Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Prediction
The Texans find themselves in this spot after winning a classic against the Colts as their backup RB, Tyler Goodson, dropped an easy pass on 4th and 1 inside the red zone, sealing the win for Houston. C.J. Stroud put together another solid performance as he has done many times this season as he threw for 264 yards on 20-26 passing and no turnovers. Stroud made some incredible throws in the second half of the game as he led them down the field for the game winning score.
The Texans did have some interesting play calling though as I believe OC Bobby Slowik relied too much on Singletary, as he was given 24 carries for 63 yards for an average of just 2.6 ypc. If Slowik kills multiple drives with halfback dives to Singletary again like he did against Indianapolis, this could be a long day for the Texans offense so I have to think they will lean on Stroud a bit more.
On the other side for the Browns is the fairytale story of Joe Flacco and his resurgence. He has been excellent ever since stepping into this Browns offense and already torched this Texans defense earlier in the season, as he threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw for two interceptions in that game as well. That game was also played without C.J. Stroud, so its hard to judge how differently it could have played out if Stroud was healthy for that matchup.
While Flacco has been solid, he has been a bit of a gunslinger and been very loose with the football. He has at least one interception in his last five games and has eight total interceptions on the season. I fully expect him to turn the ball over multiple times today on the road against this Texans defense that showed a lot if improvement last week against the Colts.
The Browns defense has also not been as elite on the road this season. Overall, the Browns are just 3-5 straight up on the road, and they have allowed an average of 29.63 points in those games… not exactly elite. I think C.J. Stroud has a big game today while Flacco turns the ball over multiple times, and the Houston defense plays just well enough to fight off the Browns in the end. With that being said, I am rolling with Texans +3 at -120 odds for 1.5 units as my most confident NFL play of the day for today’s action.
Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Pick
Pick: Texans +3 -115 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
NFL Odds
