Browns Pass-Catcher Takes Shot at Texans Ahead of Wild Card Clash

Getty Images Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Akins had a message on the Houston Texans ahead of their Wild Card matchup.

The Cleveland Browns are very confident heading into their Wild Card matchup with the Houston Texans.

The Browns (11-6) are the No. 5 seed and will face the No. 4 seeded Texans (10-7) on Saturday, January 13. Houston won the AFC South thanks to their win against the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars falling to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Browns tight end Jordan Akins played the first five seasons of his career with the Texans. Akins is confident his Cleveland squad has the edge for the win-or-go-home matchup.

“They’re a good team,” Akins told Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, “but we’re a better team.”

The initial odds would indicate that many feel the same as Akins. The Browns have opened as a 1.5-point road favorite for the matchup. The sides will kick off the postseason on Saturday at NRG Stadium. The Browns were 4-0 against the AFC South this season.

Browns skipper Kevin Stefanski wasn’t quite as eager to talk about his team’s next opponent after closing out the regular season on Sunday.

“I think we’ll have plenty of time to talk about them this week,” Stefanski said. “Obviously I have a ton of respect for their team, their coaches. They do a great job. I know how good a team that is.”

Texans Lost to Browns Without C.J. Stroud

Getty ImagesThe Cleveland Browns did not face C.J. Stroud during their December clash.

The Browns and Texans have some tape to look at from the regular season. Cleveland cruised by Houston 36-22 on Christmas Eve in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

However, the Texans were playing without star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was dealing with a concussion. Akins is well aware that will give the Texans some extra juice for the matchup with Stroud back.

“No doubt, C.J. is very special,” said Akins. “They have a lot of good pieces and were missing a lot of players, so it’s definitely not going to be the same game.”

Stroud has had an outstanding rookie season. The No. 2 overall pick passed for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and 5 interceptions while completing 63.9% of his passes. The Browns faced Case Keenum the first time around instead of Stroud. He tossed a pair of interceptions in the loss.

“It’s going to be a great matchup,” Browns tight end David Njoku said. “Their starting quarterback is back, so we’re excited about that. It’s going to be a lot of fun. He’s a great talent. Also being his rookie year, the sky’s the limit for him. We’re excited to play them.”

It’s the first playoff appearance for the Texans since 2019. That came with current Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson — who is injured — as their signal caller. The Browns are back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season.

Texans Want to Put Pressure on Browns QB Joe Flacco

Getty ImagesCleveland Browns QB Joe Flacco carved up the Texans in their first matchup.

Stroud wasn’t on the field for the first matchup but Joe Flacco was for the Browns. The 38-year-old did a number on the Texans’ defense. Flacco passed for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns, notching a QB rating of 96.1.

The Texans managed just a single sack of Flacco, which head coach DeMeco Ryans ranted about after the game.

“When you don’t get pressure on the quarterback — no matter who’s out there — it’s gonna be a long day,” Ryans said on December 24. “So for Flacco, he had a really good day vs. us. We didn’t pressure him at all. He stood back in the pocket, he had all day to throw the football, and we weren’t where we’re supposed to be in coverage.”

Flacco got the week off against the Cincinnati Bengals. In five appearances this season, Flacco is 4-1 and has gone for over 300 yards and multiple touchdowns in each of those wins.