Can The Texans Stop Joe Flacco?
Our Browns vs Texans Expert Picks Have Been Released For Week 16
It’s Joe Flacco’s world; we’re just living in it.
The once-unemployed quarterback has earned back-to-back wins for the Browns to push them to 9-5 on the season.
Now, the Browns will look to add another win to their resume with an NFL matchup against the Houston Texans. While the Browns are trending in the right direction, the Texans are in no-man’s land.
Houston just knocked off the Titans on the road last week. However, the Texans had to use Case Keenum at quarterback, with Noah Brown as the No. 1 wide receiver.
Houston and Cleveland have both dealt with massive injuries this season. So far, both teams have overcome them and are in the AFC Playoff race.
That said, there’s optimism that C.J. Stroud will return from his concussion and play this weekend. The Texans are -2.5 at home, with the total sitting at 42.5. The Over is juiced to -115.
Take a look at our Browns vs Texans expert picks for this NFL matchup on Sunday afternoon.
Browns vs Texans 
Day/Time:
Location: NRG Stadium
Streaming: CBS
Browns vs Texans Expert Picks Trends
Not only are the Browns sitting at 9-5 on the year, but they’re also 9-5 against the spread. Cleveland has used four quarterbacks but continues to find ways to earn wins.
Meanwhile, the Over has hit seven of 14 games this year for Cleveland. One game was a push, and six games finished with the Under. But while the Browns are 9-5, they’re just 2-4 on the road.
They’ll be on the road against the Texans, who are 5-2 at home. However, Houston is 7-7 against the spread and has watched the Under hit in nine of 14 games this NCAAF season.
The Browns have defeated the Texans in the last three head-to-head games. Still, the Texans covered in seven of the previous eight games.
The Flacco-Browns Relationship
Nobody called Joe Flacco in the offseason. He waited in the spring and summer and never got a call to play quarterback for a team.
However, as a veteran, Flacco knew an opportunity could arise anytime. So he stayed ready and waited for his chance.
Eventually, the Browns lost Deshaun Watson for the year and realized they couldn’t win with P.J. Walker or Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Therefore, the Browns signed Flacco to the practice squad and eventually named him the starter.
With Flacco, the Browns are 2-1 and now 9-5 on the season. The outlook for the playoffs looks much clearer now. He’s been perfect for the Browns, who just needed complementary football from a veteran quarterback, knowing how good their defense is.
Flacco didn’t protect the ball against the Bears. But he never panicked and stuck with it to help the Browns overcome an early deficit to win their most recent game against Chicago.
The veteran quarterback has a one-year deal for the remainder of the season and is no longer on the practice squad for the Browns.
C.J. Stroud Is Still In Concussion Protocol
The Houston Texans lost C.J. Stroud to a concussion a couple of weeks ago against the Jets when the game was pretty much out of reach.
He never cleared protocol in time for last weekend, which forced the Texans to start Case Keenum against the Titans.
Keenum wasn’t excellent. But he also didn’t have Tank Dell, who is out for the year, and Nico Collins, who was out for the game with an injury. However, the defense stepped up and helped the Texans escape a Titans team that had started gaining momentum after their win over the Dolphins.
Most reports suggest Stroud will be available for this game against the Browns. However, this news could be confirmed later in the week.
Should We Keep Trusting Joe Flacco?
Joe Flacco is getting a lot of love with the Browns. But in the win against the Bears, he had a QBR of 22.4 and a quarterback rating of 77.3. That’s nothing to rave about.
Flacco also completed only 28 of 44 passes but threw for 374 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
The 38-year-old quarterback has thrown five interceptions in three games. Eventually, other NFL teams will start to capitalize on his mistakes. The Bears weren’t able to last week. However, with a healthy Stroud and Collins, the Texans would likely put together a couple of drives off turnovers that turn into points.
Houston’s weak against the run. The defense has allowed 95.62 yards per game on the ground. However, the tackling has been terrible, and they’ve allowed some big plays down the field throughout the season.
However, the pass defense has improved despite allowing nearly 247 yards per game in the air.
On the other hand, Houston’s offense has only averaged 22.08 points per game. The Texans have also gained 258.15 yards in the air and 96.62 yards on the ground per game. But they will take on a challenging Browns defense that is dynamite up front. The pass rush is super quick, and the secondary has played at a very high level.
However, Cleveland has also struggled against the run and can’t tackle at a consistent rate. Neither team has a great outlook against the run. However, both teams should be good enough to stop the passing game.
After all, Joe Flacco has thrown 133 pass attempts in his first three games with the Browns and has completed only 57.9% of his passes. We don’t trust Flacco. Meanwhile, Stroud is returning from a concussion and likely won’t be in game form in this one.
Today’s NFL results will be surprising. The NFL odds this week include some intriguing lines that the public is bound to take.
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