Browns vs Texans Odds: Cleveland Slight Road Favorites
Houston Looks to Build On Division Title
The Cleveland Browns (11-6) visit the Houston Texans (10-7) to begin the NFL playoffs. Even though the Browns have a better record than Houston, the Texans are at home as division winners. Cleveland made the playoffs as a wild card team. That could turn out to be big, however.
The Browns are just 3-5 away from home this season. The Texans are 6-3 at home. The Browns vs Texas odds have Cleveland favored by 3 points (even) and the total on the game is 44.5. Cleveland is -145 on the moneyline. Cleveland opened as 2-point favorites and the line has crept up to the current number. The total opened at 44.
Browns vs Texans 
Day/Time:
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Stream: NBC
Total: Cleveland -3 (Even)
Line: 44.5
Browns Rest Starters Last Game
The Cleveland Browns come into the game off a 31-14 thumping at the hands of Cincinnati. But that game can be tossed out the window. The Browns weren’t going to be moving anywhere on the NFL playoff picture bracket.
So they elected to sit a lot of players. It’s the four previous games that are worth noting. The Browns were 4-0 straight-up and against the point spread. That’s what got the team to the NFL wild card games.
A lot of the credit has to go to quarterback Joe Flacco for stepping in and giving the Browns a passing threat. PJ Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson didn’t do that. The two combined for two touchdowns and nine interceptions. They also took 17 sacks in 223 pass attempts.
Flacco threw for 13 TDs and eight interceptions. He was sacked eight times in 204 attempts. So Flacco knew when to get rid of the ball. He also knew how to find receivers. All four of Cleveland’s 300-yard passing games occurred in Flacco’s five starts.
Cleveland is a bit below average running the ball. The Browns gained 3.9 yards per attempt against teams who allowed an average of 4.3 yards per carry. Cleveland ran 30.5 times per game. But a number of those runs were trying to run time off the clock when playing with the lead.
The Houston Texans will be paying more attention to Amari Cooper than they did last time. That was when Cooper had 11 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns. The rest of the team had 109 receiving yards in the game.
Cleveland Defense is Solid
The Browns are probably better on defense than their numbers look. Cleveland allowed 4.3 yards per rush to teams averaging 4.3 yards per carry. So, the Browns are pretty average in that department. But Cleveland’s pass defense is one of the best in the league.
The Browns held teams to 57.4% passing and just 5.2 yards per pass attempt. But Cleveland did allow 21.3 points per game to NFL teams averaging 21.9 points per game. But much of that has to do with the Browns being -9 in turnovers for the NFL season. That put the defense in poor field position a number of times.
Houston Comes Up Big on Road
The Texans earned a spot in the playoffs by beating Indianapolis. Then they were crowned division winners after Jacksonville imploded down the stretch, going 1-5. But Houston won three of its last four and survived Case Keenum and Davis Mills at quarterback when CJ Stroud was injured. That won’t be the case in this one.
Stroud missed the regular season game between the two teams. Keenum was horrible and Mills led the Texans to a couple of fourth-quarter garbage touchdowns to make the final score respectable.
While this is Stroud’s first playoff game, last week was essentially a playoff game. It was win and continue to play, lose and go home. Stroud was sharp in that game, so it’s unlikely the playoffs will bother him.
Stroud threw for 4,018 yards and 23 TDs and five interceptions despite missing two games. He was everything the Texans wanted in a quarterback. He didn’t run as much as some people expected. But Houston is just fine with that. Nico Collins and Tank Dell led a decent group of receivers.
The two combined for 127 receptions for 2,006 yards and 15 touchdowns. Tight end Dalton Schultz was a solid receiver with 58 receptions and five TDs.
The Texans don’t run the ball very well, gaining just 3.7 yards per carry against teams allowing 4.2 yards per rush. Houston was 5-1 when rushing for more than 100 yards in a game.
Texans Decent on Defense
Houston wasn’t bad defensively. The Texans weren’t all that great, either. Houston allowed 20.8 points to teams averaging 20.6. Houston’s strength is stopping the run, although you couldn’t tell that against the Colts.
For the season, the Texans allow 3.5 yards to teams gaining 4.1 yards. Houston has allowed some big passing games. The Texans gave up 300 yards on five occasions, including 364 to Flacco and the Browns.
Will Line Move More?
The Browns vs Texas odds are unlikely to come off of the key number of 3. The price may shift to Cleveland -3 (-105 or -110) if the Browns continue to receive the majority of the wagers.
But the sportsbook will be hesitant to move the point spread to 3.5, as that would attract too many NFL bets on the Texans.
The Browns vs Texas odds on the total could possibly creep up slightly as we get closer to gametime. The teams combined for 58 points when they met on Christmas Eve and that was without Stroud at quarterback. The public likes to bet on overs and there will be no weather concerns due to the roof on the stadium.
For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
