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The first game of the NFL playoffs Wild Card Round is right around the corner. That game will see the Cleveland Browns face off against the Houston Texans. These are two teams that, before the season, few expected to see in the playoffs this year, but now it will be one of the most intriguing matchups of Super Wild Card Weekend. In this article, we will look at how you can watch the game.
When and where is the Browns vs. Texans game?
The Houston Texans won their division after their Week 18 victory, and that means that they will get to play their Wild Card game at home. The game will be at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 13.
How to watch Browns vs. Texans
NBC will be broadcasting the game, and you can also stream it with their streaming service, Peacock. The game will also be available to stream with fuboTV. Noah Eagle will be the play-by-play broadcaster, while Todd Blackledge will provide color. The sideline reporter will be Kathryn Tappen.
Date: Saturday, Jan. 13 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: NRG Stadium — Houston, Texas
TV channel: NBC | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
Odds: Browns -2.5 O/U 44.5
Browns storylines
The Browns have had one of the most heartwarming storylines this season. The team has been notorious for their struggles during the 21st century, and they have only made the playoffs twice since 1994. The team invested heavily in Deshaun Watson to turn the team around, but he is not the man who will be under center for the team in the postseason.
Watson only started six games for the team this year, and he is out for the rest of the season with an injury. Joe Flacco is the man who has saved Cleveland's season.
Flacco is a former Super Bowl MVP, but he hasn't done much in the league over the last half-decade. In fact, he wasn't even on a roster for a good chunk of this season. The Browns signed Flacco to their practice squad after Watson's injury, and he was eventually given a chance to start. Flacco started five games for the Browns, and he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league over that time. Flacco is one of five quarterbacks who have started for Cleveland this year, but the Browns are in the playoffs nonetheless.
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The veteran quarterback won the last four games that he played in, but his team will look a little different in the playoffs. Flacco found immediate chemistry with Amari Cooper, and the pairing was lighting the NFL world on fire. Cooper had 265 yards in his last game, with Flacco throwing him the ball. Unfortunately, Cooper has not played in the team's last two games and has not practiced yet this week. Cooper does expect to play in the Wild Card game, though.
Cooper is only one of a number of Browns players who are fighting through injuries right now. Joel Bitonio, Myles Garrett, Greg Newsome, Kareem Hunt, and David Njoku all missed practice on Tuesday, but most of Cleveland's starters sat out Week 18 to rest, so the hope is they will all be ready to go for the playoff game.
It is hard to say if Flacco's success has been a fluke or if it is sustainable, but the Browns have good momentum going into the playoffs regardless. While Flacco is an old man who has saved his team's season, he will be playing his antithesis. CJ Stroud is only a rookie, but he has completely turned the Texans around.
Texans storylines
As mentioned above, CJ Stroud has been a Godsend for the Houston Texans. Houston only won three games last year, but their rookie played at an MVP level while leading his young team to the NFL playoffs. It was a dramatic turnaround for the Texans, and Houston is now a team to fear.
The Texans are also beat-up going into this game, as is the case for most teams late in the season. Laremy Tunsil, Noah Brown, Robert Woods, Will Anderson, and Shaq Mason all missed Tuesday's practice with injuries. Brown missed action in Week 18, and if he is not able to go on Saturday, then the team will be thin at the wide receiver position. Tank Dell is already out for the season with an injury.
Stroud's favorite target is Nico Collins. The receiver had 1,297 yards on 80 catches this season. Collins can't do it all on his own, though, and although Houston has an explosive offense, they need their playmakers to be able to play in this game.
The Browns have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Martin Emerson form arguably the best secondary in the NFL, and they won't make it easy on whichever Houston receivers do play.
The Texans and Browns have both had their struggles in recent seasons, but both teams have the potential to have success over the coming years. A win for either in the Wild Card Round would help kick that off.
