The Browns' season ended with a wild card loss to the Texans.
The Browns : The 2023 season is officially over for the Browns. In their first playoff game since the 2020 season, Cleveland struggled from the jump on both sides of the ball. The Browns gave up big plays defensively and committed two key offensive turnovers that Houston took advantage of to lead the Texans to a 45–14 win. The Browns also could not find any response offensively in the second half, as they were held scoreless.
Now, the Browns will enter the offseason reflecting on the positives and negatives of the 2023 season, along with how they handled all the adversity with all of their injuries from the first week of the regular season.
key moment
QB Joe Flacco had two key interceptions on back-to-back offensive drives in the third quarter that almost put the game out of Cleveland's reach. As the Browns advanced down the field in the third quarter, Flacco's pass was intercepted by CB Steven Nelson, who ran 82 yards on the return for a touchdown. Then, as soon as the Browns got the ball back, they went for it on fourth-and-2. Flacco threw a pass intended for TE Harrison Bryant, but LB Christian Harris intercepted it and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Texans a 38–14 lead.
Texas sealed the win early in the fourth quarter on their first offensive drive of the quarter. On the third play of the fourth quarter, QB C.J. McCarthy suffered an interception. Stroud handed the ball off to RB Devin Singletary, who ran 19 yards into the end zone to give the Texans a 45–14 lead.
However, the Browns defense struggled, as the unit gave up three touchdowns in the first half. He completed a deep pass from Stroud to Collins for 37 yards and his third touchdown of the game, giving the Texans a 24–14 lead. Both times the Browns' offense scored, the defense gave the Texans big plays and scoring drives. Houston scored on a 76-yard touchdown run in the second quarter after RB Kareem Hunt's second touchdown of the first half.
Hunt kept the Browns on the board in the first half. Hunt caught an 11-yard pass from Flacco in the end zone for his second touchdown of the first half.
On the second offensive drive of the game, Flacco connected with TE David Njoku on a deep 45-yard pass leading them down the field. This ultimately set the Browns up in the red zone after a pass to Cooper. Hunt then ran into the end zone for a touchdown amid a solid block by Wyatt Taylor.
Players of the game:
RB Kareem Hunt
Hunt put the Browns on the board with two touchdowns in the first half. He finished the game with 26 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, as well as nine receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Even when the Browns' defense struggled collectively on defense, Owusu-Koramoah gave the Browns a boost. He made seven tackles in the first half. Owusu-Koramoah finished the game with eight tackles and four tackles for loss.
Game Statistics:
The Browns gave up 236 passing yards to the Texans in the first half. Rookie QB C.J. Stroud completed 11 of 16 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Stroud finished the game completing 16 of 21 passes for 274 yards.
What does it mean?
The loss ended the Browns' 2023 season. That's a tough pill to swallow considering all the injuries the Browns have suffered this season and the adversity they've faced as a team. They finished the regular season 11-6 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and they had a high level of confidence in what they could do. This loss will sting for some time, as the Browns did not play like they have most of the season on Saturday, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, they will use this game as a learning opportunity as they enter the offseason and prepare for the 2024 season.
