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Browns vs Texans: Who is staying in the playoff picture?
Two teams with playoff hopes will face off on Christmas Day as the Cleveland Browns visit the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Both teams are coming from tight wins last week and may need their backup quarterbacks on the field.
Is this the game for the Browns
The Cleveland Browns are going into this game as the second team in the AFC North with a 9-5 record. They have a chance to reach double-digit wins for the third time since 1999 and are hoping to reach the postseason for only the second time in the last two decades. The Browns have won the last two games and are coming off a 20-17 win over the Chicago Bears last week. Veteran Joe Flacco had another impressive performance passing for 374 yards.
How reliable is Case Keenum?
The Houston Texans are third in the AFC South with an 8-6 record, including 3-4 on the road. They are coming off a 19-16 overtime win against the Tennessee Titans last week. Veteran Case Keenum had to step in after the second pick of the last NFL Draft, CJ Stroud, was put in concussion protocol. Keenum passed for 229 yards and had one touchdown. This was only his third start since 2019, but seeing how he played against the Titans, the Texans can lean on him. At the end of the day, they have no other choice.
Betting Trends
Six of the last seven games between these two teams played in Houston have gone under total points. The Texans played under in 5 of their 9 games this season and in 5 of 7 at home.
Player to watch
The Texans running back, Devin Singletary, had a career game last week against the Titans. He had four receptions for 49 yards and rushed for another 121, the most by a running back in Texans history since Lamar Miller had 178 in 2016.
Injury Reports
Deshaun Watson is out for the Browns, CJ Stroud is out for the Texans while Nico Collins is questionable.
Prediction and Conclusion
It is safe to say that the entire season comes down to this game for both the Browns and the Texans. Both teams have their starting quarterbacks on the injury list. Flacco is the fourth quarterback to start for the Browns this season, and they need him on top of his game to win this one on the road. The Browns are on top of the league in defensive rate with 72.9 and passing completion percentage. They will definitely slow down the Texans in this game who are averaging 21.9 points per game for the season. Knowing that the total point line is set at 40.5, this game should easily go under it at -110.
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