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Ben Arthur
AFC South Reporter
The Texans’ shocking season will enter its next chapter this weekend.
The AFC South champion, Houston hosts Cleveland in the 4-5 matchup of the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend on Saturday at NRG Stadium.
Regardless of the result, this Texans season will be considered a massive success. After three straight seasons of four wins or fewer, Houston won 10 games in 2023 with first-year coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud leading the way.
But the Texans now have an opportunity to go on a run.
Saturday will mark the second time that the Texans and Browns have faced off this season, with Cleveland winning the first matchup on Christmas Eve 36-22. But Houston was without Stroud, who was sidelined with a concussion.
The Texans haven’t won a playoff game since 2019, the last time the franchise was in the postseason.
Here are three keys to success for the Texans:
Protect Stroud
If Houston’s pass protection holds up, it of course gives Stroud a greater chance of success.
That’s easier said than done, though.
Superstar defensive end Myles Garrett leads a Browns pass rush that registered a 41.2% pressure rate during the regular season, second-highest in the league, according to Next Gen Stats. A heavily pressured Stroud helps a Cleveland defense that is elite in the secondary, too, increasing the chances for takeaways. The Browns rank first in completion rate allowed (57.4%) and EPA per dropback allowed (-0.32), per NGS, and fifth in takeaways (28).
Why Joe Flacco’s Browns are a viable AFC championship team
Houston has multiple offensive linemen on injured reserve, most notably standout right tackle Tytus Howard (who played left guard this season). But of the healthy O-linemen, all have practiced this week. The one lineman on the injury report, center Michael Deiter, does not have an injury designation for Saturday.
The Texans allowed a 37.1% pressure rate in the…
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Publish date : 2024-01-12 00:31:36
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