Texans Daily

Texans Dominate Browns, Advance to AFC Divisional Playoff Round

The Houston Texans are off to the AFC Divisional Playoff round after dominating the Cleveland Browns on Saturday

Matt Galatzan

In this story:

HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Texans are bound for the second round of the NFL Playoffs.

Thanks to their 45-14 dismantling of the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round on Saturday at AT&T Stadium, the Texans have earned their first playoff win since 2019 and will move on to round No. 2 next weekend. 

Things got off to a good start for the Texans, who took a 3-0 lead after both teams traded punts on the first three drives of the game.  

The Browns answered that field goal with a Kareem Hunt touchdown, marching down the field behind a balanced attack. 

Dalton Schultz
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Houston then got a quick answer of its own behind a decisive C.J. Stroud touchdown drive, putting Houston up 10-7. 

After trading touchdowns on the next three drives - including two for the Texans on passing scores by Stroud - Houston took a two-score lead into the locker room at halftime. 

It was a record-setting half for Stroud, who set the NFL rookie record for passing yards in a half and tied the mark for passing touchdowns in a game by a rookie in just two quarters. 

The Texans then took that momentum into the second half, taking a commanding 38-14 lead after back-to-back pick-sixes by Steven Nelson and Christian Harris broke the game wide open for Houston.

WATCH: Record-Setting Score Extends Texans' Lead Over Browns in Wild Card Round

The Texans then put the icing on the cake early in the fourth quarter, with running back Devin Singletary rushing from 19 yards out, to give Houston a commanding 45-14 lead. 

As a team, the Texans racked up 356 yards of total offense, including 274 yards through the air from Stoud, who completed 16 of 21 passes with three touchdowns. 

The Houston defense also held Cleveland to just 57 yards on the ground, forcing the game to be one dimensional, and giving the Texans a major advantage.  

With the win, the Texans now move on to the divisional round of the playoffs where their next opponent will decided based on the outcomes of the other AFC matchups. 

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com