CLEVELAND — Welcome to the NFL playoffs, Browns fans!
In the lead-up to Saturday's wild-card game in Houston, I've gotten the feeling that many of us are a little on edge. It's not surprising, considering that this will only be the fourth playoff game Cleveland has taken part in since rejoining the NFL in 1999. We just haven't experienced this kind of feeling very often. (I talked about the "lost generation" of Browns fans in a column after the team clinched a playoff berth last month.)
Just a word of advice as you settle in to watch the game: Don't panic. If the Browns fall behind early, don't panic. If the Browns are trailing in the fourth quarter, don't panic. This team has made a living this year at coming from behind. I wouldn't be shocked if Houston puts an early score or two on the board. What makes me confident is that head coach Kevin Stefanski and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz have both been excellent at making adjustments. So just let things play out before heading to the I-480 bridge.
With that in mind, here are three keys for the Browns to come out of Texas with a victory on Saturday:
1. Pressure, pressure, pressure
It's no secret that the Browns' top-ranked defense has been much better at home than on the road. The numbers don't lie:
- Rushing: 4.7 yds per carry, 10 TDs (road) vs. 3.9 yds per carry, 5 TDs (home)
- Passing: 1809 yds, 15 TDs, 86.8 QB rating (road) vs. 1,345 yds, 8 TDs, 64.2 QB rating (home)
- Sacks: 17 (road) vs. 32 (home)
The Browns need to get in Houston QB C.J. Stroud's face and stay there. Make him uncomfortable. Yes, Stroud played in big games at Ohio State, but this is his first go in the NFL postseason. Meanwhile, I believe two weeks off will energize Myles Garrett. If Schwartz can figure out how to supplement Garrett's pass rush with a variety of blitzes, the Browns can disrupt the rookie's accuracy and timing.
2. Help out Flacco
On Christmas Eve, the Browns used the passing game to torch the Texans, 36-22. Joe Flacco threw for 368 yards, 265 of them to Amari Cooper, and three touchdowns. Now, I don't expect Cooper to put another 200-spot on the board on Saturday, but the Browns should still be able to have some success through the air.
But It would help Flacco and the Browns GREATLY if they could establish some semblance of a running game against Houston. As the season progressed, the Browns rushing attack was wildly inconsistent thanks largely to a banged-up offensive line. For example, they ran 18 times for 29 yards as a team against the Bears, followed by 30 carries for 54 yards in Houston. However, in the playoff-clinching win over the Jets, Jerome Ford and company amassed 127 yards on 28 carries, a very solid 4.5 average.
When the Browns run the ball effectively, Flacco can torch a defense with play action. The Browns offensive line needs to win the battle in the trenches to help out their veteran signal-caller.
3. Don't lose the kicking game
Of all of the injuries the Browns are dealing with heading into Saturday, I might be most concerned about the absence of kicker Dustin Hopkins due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the first meeting in Houston. In Hopkins' absence, the Browns will call on Riley Patterson to handle placekicking duties.
Listen, it's unfair to expect Patterson to be Hopkins. We shouldn't expect him to be hitting 55 or 56-yard field goals, and I doubt Stefanski will put Patterson in that spot unless it's the end of the first half. What the Browns need from Patterson is to make extra points and kicks from 45 yards and in. It's probably going to be a close game, perhaps even a shootout. Every point matters. I don't need Patterson necessarily to win the kicking battle against Houston, I just need him not to lose it.
All right, how do we feel after that little piece of analysis? If you're still a little anxious and on edge, just watch and listen to my man Jim Donovan below and you'll be ready to run through a wall.
More Browns vs. Texans coverage:
- Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans in NFL playoffs on WKYC: When to watch, point spread, preview
- Cleveland bars hosting Browns vs. Houston Texans AFC Wild Card game watch parties
- 'Never give up': 3News' Jim Donovan shares powerful reflection on this season as Cleveland Browns prepare for NFL playoffs against Houston Texans