The Browns’ season concludes with a Wild Card loss to the Texans.

Cleveland’s postseason campaign came to an end as they were defeated 45–14 by Houston.

The Browns’ 2023 season has officially ended. In their first playoff game since the 2020 season, Cleveland battled on both sides of the ball from the outset. The Browns conceded big plays on defense and committed two crucial offensive errors, which Houston took advantage of to win 45-14 and set up the Texans for victory. The second half saw the Browns remain scoreless as they were unable to come up with an offensive response.
With their injuries starting in the first week of the regular season, the Browns will now look back on the season’s highs and lows as they enter the offseason. They will also consider how they overcame this hardship.

Moments crucial

In the third quarter, Cleveland was almost out of the game when quarterback Joe Flacco produced two crucial interceptions on consecutive offensive possessions. In the third quarter, while the Browns were moving down the field, Flacco’s ball was intercepted by CB Steven Nelson, who returned it 82 yards for a touchdown. The Browns then went for it on a fourth-and-2 play after regaining possession of the ball. The Texans led 38–14 when Flacco attempted a ball to tight end Harrison Bryant, but LB Christian Harris intercepted it and returned it for a touchdown.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Texans won on their first offensive drive of the game. The Texans led 45–14 after quarterback C.J. Stroud found running back Devin Singletary, who took the ball and went 19 yards into the end zone on the third play of the fourth quarter.
But the Browns defense was not strong right away, giving up three touchdowns in the first half. To give the Texans a 24–14 lead, he completed a deep ball from Stroud to Collins for 37 yards and his third touchdown of the contest. The defense allowed the Texans to make big plays and touchdown drives each time the Browns offense scored. Houston scored on a 76-yard touchdown run in the second quarter after RB Kareem Hunt’s second touchdown of the first half.
Hunt scored the first goal of the game for the Browns. For his second score of the half, Hunt received an 11-yard ball from Flacco in the end zone.

Flacco found TE David Njoku for a deep pass that went 45 yards and carried him downfield during the team’s second offensive drive of the game. After a pass to Cooper, it eventually found Brown in the red zone. Following a strong block by Wyatt Taylor, Hunt dashed into the end zone for the score.

participants in the game:

In the first half, Browns running back Kareem Hunt scored two touchdowns. In addition to his nine receiving yards and one receiving touchdown, he finished the game with 26 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB
Owusu-Koramoah gave the Browns a lift even when the team as a whole struggled defensively. During the first half, he made seven tackles. Eight tackles and four stops for loss were recorded by Owusu-Koramoah at the end of the game.

The current state of the game:

The Texans gained 236 passing yards against the Browns in the first half. Rookie QB C.J. Stroud completed 11-of-16 throws for 236 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. At the end of the game, Stroud completed 16 of 21 passes for 274 yards.

What does that really mean?
The Browns’ 2023 season came to an end with the loss. Considering all of the injuries the Browns have endured this season and the hardships they have suffered as a team, it is a difficult pill to swallow. They had a great deal of faith in what they accomplished, finishing the regular season with an 11-6 record and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Browns didn’t play on Saturday like they do for the majority of the season, particularly on the defensive end of the ball, so the loss will hurt for a while. But as they enter the offseason and get ready for the 2024 campaign, they will take this game as a teaching moment.