Browns vs Texans: Updates on 6 of Houston’s 7 questionable players

Home team gets some positive news according to a report

The top 10 players on the current Cleveland Browns roster - Sports Illustrated Cleveland Browns News, Analysis and More

When the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans square off in the first NFL playoff game of the season, two teams that have overcome obstacles and outperformed expectations will fight it out to make it to the Divisional Round.

For the Browns, injuries have been the big story but the team hopes that CB Denzel Ward will be able to go after his social media post on Friday. Cleveland did rule out three players going into Saturday’s game.

The Texans injury report was long with star DEs Will Anderson and Jonathan Greenard among seven questionable players. Only DE Jerry Hughes was ruled out for Houston.

Late Friday night, Aaron Wilson reported that the following players were likely to play on Saturday:

DE Will Anderson
DE Jonathan Greenard
DT Maliek Collins
DT Sheldon Rankins
FB Andrew Beck
Wilson also noted that WR Robert Woods should play barring a setback with his hip:

#Texans wide receiver Robert Woods expected to be active, play against #Browns in playoff game in return from hip injury barring any setbacks during warmups, per a league source. Woods has caught 40 passes for 426 yards and one touchdown @KPRC2

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 13, 2024

Jerry West message to Browns players: 'He still hates losing'

The only questionable player not among Wilson’s reports is WR Noah Brown. Brown has played 10 games for the Texans with 33 receptions for 567 yards and two touchdowns.

We will likely get overnight reports from Ian Rapoport and/or Adam Schefter regarding some of the biggest names on this list.

Why not This Team? The Case for the Improbable Journey of the 2023 Cleveland Browns to Continue

The Cleveland Browns will start just their third playoff journey since the team returned to the NFL in 1999.

HOUSTON — As improbable as this might sound, this might be the Cleveland Browns best chance to get to and win the Super Bowl. As far-fetched as it might sound, why not?

There does not appear to be a dominant team, overall, even in the AFC. Despite the Ravens having the No. 1 seed and arguably, the best team in the NFL, the Browns have played their division rival very well and have even defeated them this season. They also defeated the top seed in the NFC, the 49ers, the only team to beat both teams.

As we’ve seen over the years, any team can get hot at the right time and make a run.

Sunday Feels Like a Must-Win for Kevin Stefanski and the Browns - Sports Illustrated Cleveland Browns News, Analysis and More

So why not the Cleveland Browns?

The Greetham Angle picked the Browns to be 11-6 before the season, but could not foresee the plethora of injuries to Nick Chubb, Deshaun Watson, their top three tackles and other key defensive players, including Dustin Hopkins, Anthony Walker, Grant Delpit, Rodney McLeod, to name a few–but still the Browns made it to the playoffs.

The Browns have been one of the most resilient teams in the NFL this season.

Now, it truly is a one-game season each and every week and the players have bought into Kevin Stefanski and his one week at a time mantra, and it has worked.

The Browns have overcome much on the journey to the playoffs. Starting five different quarterbacks this season is a big hurdle to overcome.

Joe Flacco has had a remarkable run and, sure, it could come to an abrupt end as soon as Saturday in the first playoff game or the story might continue and the Browns could continue their run and see the Browns in Baltimore with Flacco facing his former team, as soon as next week.

What a story that would be.

The Greetham Angle has followed the Browns from the first day of training camp at The Greenbrier resort in Sulphur Springs, WVa. This team has bonded and formed a chemistry that I have not witnessed in over 30 years of covering the Browns.,

The players truly believe in the ‘next man up’ and have, for the most part, bought into the mentality that 53 players pulling together makes up for the deficit they might have in talent at positions, due to injury or whatever the case might be.

There is no other explanation how a team has won with four different quarterbacks and without their Pro Bowl running back, franchise quarterback and their three top offensive tackles.

Enjoy the ride, Browns fans, because these trips to the playoffs have been far too rare and one never knows when the next season will result in the playoffs.

I thought the Browns would be a playoff team in 2023 with their roster, which I have said is the best roster that I have covered in over 30 years—on paper. However, when the injuries started piling up and their top quarterback was lost for the season, it seemed plausible the Browns could still make the playoffs. The path would be to rely on their top-tier defense and good special teams plays, led by their Pro Bowl-caliber kicker and punter.

After the season-ending injury to Watson, the offensive plan was to be led by a rookie quarterback (Dorian Thompson-Robinson), who would be tasked with the job of just managing games and not losing games, as he learned the NFL game.

Than came Flacco.

In the last four games that Flacco played, the Flacco-led offense has averaged 31 points a game, while Flacco has thrown for over 300 yards in those games. If you couple that with the defense, anything can happen in the playoffs.

Even if the Browns are 100 percent healthy at this point next season–with Watson, Chubb and the rest–there is no guarantee the Browns will be back in the playoffs, especially playing in the AFC North, where three of the four teams made the playoffs and all four had winning records. With Joe Burrow returning next season, the Bengals will move right into the discussion for being a playoff contender, as well.

Cleveland Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski Flourishing In His Biggest Challenge Yet

Due to the Browns success in 2023, they will not be ‘under the radar’ and their schedule will feature playing close to have of the schedule against teams that made the playoffs this year.

When the Browns went to the playoffs after the 2020 season and then defeated the Steelers, the Browns seemed poised to be in a position to make the playoffs for the next several seasons, but as every Browns fan knows what happened. An 8-9 season and a 7-10 season.

Nothing is a given in the NFL.

The Browns are where they are now and have the team they have now despite all of the injuries. This team believes that they can not only win a playoff game or two, they believe they can win it all.

They have a chance—and that’s all you can ask for.