by This Browns update is brought to you by Alternative Horizon Counseling Center. You can learn more about them here.
https://keeonsports.podbean.com/e/alternative-horizon-counseling-center-offers-a-brighter-future/
It is also brought to you by Enhance Ability LLC. You can hear more about them here. https://keeonsports.podbean.com/e/start-your-career-with-enhance-ability-llc/
The Browns will need a healthy Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to win games this year. That was never more evident than today as both men accounted for their 10-7 win over the Houston Texans at the stadium.
When they needed plays to count, they went to their tailback tandem and away from their quarterback who continues to struggle in windy weather.
In his return, Nick Chubb went for 126 yards on 19 carries while scoring once. Kareem Hunt continued to do a little bit of everything as he caught 3 balls for 28 yards, while rushing for 104 yards on 19 carries. They were the main source of offense as Baker Mayfield went 12 of 20 for 132 yards.
The Browns defense had to step up today and they sure did. They held one of the NFL’s best players in DeShaun Watson to 163 yards passing and a touchdown. He completed 20 of 30 passing, but most of them under 10 yards.
The Browns managed to score the half’s only points on an early 41-yard Field Goal by Cody Parkey in a gusty wind. The Texans had a shot to score, but decided to go for it and fourth and short inside the Browns 10-yard line and were stopped. Myles Garrett had a huge first half with a sack and 4 tackles, including wrapping up Watson on the big fourth down stop.
Speaking of fourth down, the teams combined to go 0 for 3 on fourth down. They weren’t much better on third as they combined to go 4 of 12. Neither team had a play over 20 yards on offense in a rough half to watch. For the Browns, it was their 5th and 6th straight quarters without a touchdown.
Midway through the third quarter the Texans put together a nice drive where Watson had one run after another on third down to keep it alive. They came to a fourth and short at the Browns 29-yard line and decided to go for it.
Before they could run the play however, Romeo Crennel called a timeout and then they decided to kick the field goal instead. The 46 yarder from Fairbairn was ride right and the score remained at 3-0. The third quarter would end by that same score.
It was the break the Browns needed to get some momentum going as they used this to put together a nice drive that extended into the fourth quarter. Nick Chubb had a couple of big runs that put them in prime position to score. They did exactly that as Chubb finished it off with a beautiful 9-yard cutback touchdown run on second and six from the nine-yard line of Houston to extend the lead to 10-0.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Texans would finally reach the endzone with a heavily Watson featured drive. He ran at will, and threw at will as the Browns defense had no chance at stopping him.
He picked apart the Browns defense with very little issue. It was capped off with a laser touchdown toss to the former Cleveland Brown Pharaoh Brown from 16 yards out to cut the Cleveland lead to 10-7 with 4:59 left to play.
The Texans would not touch the ball again as the Browns used a tremendous rushing attack from Kareem Hunt and then Chubb to salt away the clock. They kept the ball out of the hands of Baker Mayfield, and they used it to win the game late.
