A pair of teams that rallied from double-digit deficits to win last week will meet in the early time slot Sunday afternoon when the Cleveland Browns (9-5) travel to Houston to face the Texans (8-6) in Week 16 NFL action.
The Texans enter this week's play tied for first in the AFC South and a four-way logjam for the conference's final two Wild Card berths. The early Browns vs. Texans odds had Houston as a 2.5-point favorite on Sunday evening.
Currently, Cleveland is favored by , the total is , and Houston can be had for on the moneyline.
That flip surely has a lot to do with the word out of Houston that starting QB C.J. Stroud almost surely will miss his second straight game while recovering from a concussion suffered against the NY Jets two weeks ago.
On the ATS board, Cleveland has an 8-5-1 mark against the spread, twice covering a 2.5-point spread by half a point over the past five weeks. Houston is 7-7 ATS.
As for OVER/UNDER results, the Browns have gone OVER eight times in their 14 outings; the Texans' games have gone OVER only five times.
Browns vs. Texans odds: Point spread, moneyline, total for NFL Week 16 matchup
Here's the latest NFL betting odds for Browns vs. Texans:
Both teams will likely rely on veteran backup QBs for this game, which has heavy playoff implications.
Cleveland's Joe Flacco, the team's fourth quarterback to start this season, is expected to lead the way for the fourth straight week, provided he can deal with a calf issue that popped up last week. In the league since 2008, Flacco led Baltimore to the Super Bowl title in the 2012 season.
Houston will no doubt be going with Case Keenum again instead of Stroud. Keenum is perhaps best known for leading Minnesota to the 2017 NFC title game.
The Browns have defeated the Texans in the past three seasons, including last year's 27-14 triumph as a 7.5-point favorite on the road. In that Week 13 game, ex-Houston star QB Deshaun Watson (currently on IR) debuted for Cleveland.
Last Sunday, the Browns were 20-17 winners at home against Chicago after overcoming a 17-7 deficit in the fourth quarter.
Houston, meanwhile, was trailing 13-0 in the second quarter at Tennessee before rallying to win 19-16 in overtime.
Browns vs. Texans injury news
Here is the current injury report for the Browns vs. Texans:
In addition to Cleveland being concerned about Flacco's calf injury, the ailments of RBs Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt are also on the team's radar, which caused them to have limited participation in Wednesday's drills.
For the Texans, besides Stroud, the team is closely watching the conditions of edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and star left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Tank Dell has the most significant injury with a broken fibula that put him on IR. Nico Collins and Noah Brown have been slowed by injury issues that resulted in them being limited in drills Wednesday.
Browns betting news
If Flacco can't go, coach Kevin Stefanski probably will give rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson his fourth start.
He was the first QB to step in after Watson (shoulder) was injured, but threw three INTs in his debut, a 28-3 home loss to Baltimore. DTR's 25.3 passer rating is the second-worst for any starting QB this season.
Last week, the Browns were particularly effective in the passing game, with WR Amari Cooper having 109 receiving yards and TE David Njoku having 104. That achievement was particularly impressive because Chicago hadn't allowed a 100-yard receiver since Week 2.
On the other hand, the running game offered little, totaling 29 yards. That's the worst output for a winning team this season.
Texans betting news
Houston's defense gets much of the credit for last week's victory, holding Titans star RB Derrick Henry to a preposterously low 9 yards on 16 carries and sacking Will Levis seven times on only 33 drop-backs.
Seven of those 16 Titans points resulted from a pick-6 off Keenum.
Browns vs. Texans props
Let's look at some prop bets for the Browns vs. Texans at top-rated sportsbook apps nationwide.
Browns vs. Texans anytime TD scorer props (BetMGM):
- Devin Singletary (-110)
- Kareem Hunt (-150)
- Jerome Ford (-180)
- Amari Cooper (-200)
- David Njoku (-240)
- CJ Stroud (-280)
- Nico Collins (-300)
Alternate Point Spreads (DraftKings)
- Browns -14.5 points: +552
- Texans +14.5 points: -1020
- Browns -10.5 points: +337
- Texans +10.5 points: -507
- Browns -7.5 points: +220
- Texans +7.5 points: -302
- Browns +7.5 points: -537
- Texans -7.5 points: +357
- Browns +11.5 points: -1020
- Texans -11.5. points: +353
First Drive (FanDuel)
- Punt: -115
- Offensive TD: +340
- FG Attempt: +410
- Other: +500
Browns vs. Texans Predictions
This shapes up as a defensive battle. Cleveland's No. 1 overall unit is against Houston's No. 6 rush defense. The pressure will be on Flacco to overcome a struggling ground game.
Last week, Flacco threw for 374 yards, but he also had three INTs. He could be even more immobile than usual due to his calf injury.
Houston should have at least a small edge in the running game, if only because their top guys, Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce, don't have a "Q" next to their names on the depth chart.
Prediction: Texans and UNDER
How to Watch Browns vs. Texans
- Date: Sunday, Dec. 24
- Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: NRG Stadium -- Houston, TX
- Where to Watch: CBS
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