Joe Flacco’s magical run, along with the Cleveland Browns, is over. Following a great regular season stretch battling adversity, injury, and finding Flacco to revive their offense and make the playoffs, the Browns season ended Saturday night to the Houston Texans. Two costly Flacco pick-sixes blew the doors open, the Browns losing 45-14.
It’s a game that featured scores of interesting storylines. Flacco’s career resurgence, signed by Cleveland on November 20, and becoming their fourth starting quarterback of the season. In the regular season, he lit up the scoreboard and led the Browns to a 4-1 record and fifth-seed in the AFC playoff race.
Against Houston, all he did was let the Texans put points on the board. With Cleveland trailing Houston 24-14 midway through the third quarter, Flacco was picked ex-Steelers CB Steven Nelson, who raced down the right sideline, Houston convoy in front, for an 82-yard pick-six.
Four plays later, Flacco repeated his mistake, his second interception housed by LB Christian Harris 36 yards the other way. In the span of two games minutes, Houston’s lead extended from 24-14 to 38-14, deciding the game before the fourth quarter even began.
Flacco became just the fifth quarterback in playoff history to throw multiple pick-sixes, the first since Washington’s Todd Collins in a 2007-2008 Wild Card loss to Seattle.
Houston avenged their regular season loss, falling to Cleveland 36-22 in Week 16. That was a game played without Texans’ QB C.J. Stroud, who started his first playoff game Saturday. Joining him in that feat was head coach Demeco Ryans, hired in 2023, and leading the Texans to a 10-7 mark and AFC South crown. Stroud became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game.
After three punts to open the game up, Houston kicked a 21-yard field goal to begin the scoring late in the first quarter. Cleveland was the first team to find the end zone, a 45-yard completion from Flacco to TE David Njoku setting up a RB Kareem Hunt 1-yard touchdown to take a 7-3 lead. It was the start of four consecutive touchdown drives, Houston WR Nico Collins and TE Brevin Jordan finding the end zone for the Texans while Flacco hit Hunt in the air from 11-yards out. When the scoring barrage settled early in the second quarter, Houston led 17-14.
The Texans added a 37-yard touchdown to TE Dalton Schultz late before the half, a perfect throw from Stroud into the end zone on 2nd and 20.
When he wasn’t being picked, Flacco was being sacked. Houston took him down four times in the game but consistently generated pressure. Cleveland’s running game offered little balance, rushing for under three yards per carry.
Houston finished the day with 356 yards of total offense. Stroud was excellent, going 16-of-21 for 274 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. With the game comfortably won, he was relieved for backup Davis Mills to finish things out. RB Devin Singletary added a rushing score. Former Steelers CB Desmond King like Houston with 12 tackles, seven of them solo.
For Cleveland, TE David Njoku led the way with seven receptions for 93 yards. WR Amari Cooper, off his great regular season, played hurt throughout the game and caught only four passes for 59 yards. DE Myles Garrett had three tackles with zero QB hits or sacks. The Texans weren’t sacked once on the day and only hit once.
The Browns season will come to a halt while the Texans will advance to the Divisional Round next weekend.
