The Cleveland Browns reach their bye week late Sunday afternoon — but first they have to get through the Houston Texans. Cleveland (5-4) hosts Houston (3-5) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Huntington Bank Field in a game between two teams trending in opposite directions, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Cleveland has lost two in a row, while Houston has won three of its last four to nearly climb out of the 0-4 hole it dug to start the season, according to the Beacon Journal. How the Browns feel heading into the bye may depend on how Sunday plays out.
The Browns have been a different team on the lakefront: they have won all three of their home games this season, against Carolina, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Their skid came on the road — a 27-6 loss at Pittsburgh on Nov. 1 and a 23-22 overtime loss at New Orleans on Nov. 8, according to the Beacon Journal’s game log.
Houston’s turnaround is just as stark. After opening losses to Buffalo, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Dallas, the Texans beat Tennessee 26-3 and Jacksonville 34-31 in London, lost to the New York Giants, and then won 44-22 at the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 8, the Beacon Journal reported. Sunday starts a stretch of four consecutive home games for Cleveland, and five of its next seven on the lakefront.
Houston will have the NFL’s sack leader: defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who was questionable with an ankle injury, is active, the Beacon Journal reported. The Texans will be without defensive end Danielle Hunter (hamstring), linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (groin), wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (hamstring) and running back David Montgomery (groin), among others, according to the Beacon Journal.
Cleveland’s secondary takes a hit: safety Ronnie Hickman was ruled out Friday with a concussion, and rookie Emmanuel McNeil-Warren starts in his place, the Beacon Journal reported. Rookie wide receiver Denzel Boston, who was questionable with a toe injury, will play; Boston leads all rookie receivers with 507 receiving yards and is tied for fourth among rookies with 32 catches, according to the Beacon Journal. Dillon Gabriel is the Browns’ No. 3 quarterback Sunday, with Taylen Green inactive.
History offers Cleveland some comfort. The regular-season series is tied 7-7, and the Browns have won the last four regular-season meetings, though Houston won the most recent meeting overall, 45-14 in an AFC wild-card game in Houston on Jan. 13, 2024, the Beacon Journal reported.
Sunday’s game carries one unusual footnote from a week that disrupted travel across the country: the NFL changed the officiating crew for the game because of the nationwide air grounding that took place Nov. 13, with referee Shawn Smith’s crew replacing the originally assigned crew, the Beacon Journal reported.
The weather should not be a factor by kickoff. The National Weather Service forecast, as reported by the Beacon Journal, called for a chance of rain showers after morning rain and snow showers, mostly cloudy skies, a high near 47 and a north wind around 11 mph, with a 50% chance of precipitation and little or no snow accumulation.
The experts lean Houston: four of the five USA Today Network experts whose predictions the Beacon Journal published picked the Texans, while the Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling picked Cleveland 18-14. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on Fox, and the Cleveland Browns Radio Network carries the game with Andrew Siciliano, Nathan Zegura and Je’Rod Cherry on the call, the Beacon Journal reported.
Ohio’s other NFL team plays under the lights Sunday night — see our preview of the Bengals hosting the Steelers at Paycor Stadium — and Saturday brought a record day in Columbus, where Ohio State topped Northwestern 28-19 behind a Big Ten record from Jeremiah Smith. For the Browns, what happens next after Sunday is rest: the bye week, then the Las Vegas Raiders at home on Nov. 29.
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY