(SportsRadio 610) - The Texans did not start against the Cleveland Browns the way they wanted to, falling to a 14-0 deficit by early in the second quarter after a couple of deep passes by Joe Flacco to Amari Cooper.
There was the 53-yard pass from Flacco to Cooper on the first offensive play of the game to set up a short touchdown run by Jerome Ford a few plays later, then there was the 75-yard score to give the Browns their two-touchdown lead.
But Texans second-year running back Dameon Pierce, who has seen his role decrease this season due to some performance struggles, ran back a 98-yard touchdown to get the Texans on the scoreboard.
The Browns later answered with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to tight end David Njoku. Flacco threw a perfect ball in a tight window between Texans linebacker Denzel Perry and safety Adrian Amos. The Browns, whose kicker left the game with an injury, were also successful on the two-point conversion to take a 22-7 lead over the Texans.
Cleveland dominated this game, ultimately winning 36-22. The Texans, playing in their second straight game without rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion), had just 250 yards of total offense. They had just 75 yards of offense in the first half.
Meanwhile, Flacco and Cooper had their way with the Texans' defense. Flacco threw 27-for-42 with 368 passing yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and a 96.1 passer rating. Cooper had 11 catches for 265 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
