Embarrassing payback

For a couple of weeks when it became apparent the Browns and Houston Texans would have a rematch in the Wild Card round of the National Football League playoffs, we heard all about how different it would be this time.

In the first game about a month ago, the Browns behind Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper, humiliated the Texans on their home turf, 36-22, in an unfair fight. Unfair because rookie Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud missed his only game of the season with a concussion.

That wouldn't have happened with Stroud healthy, we were told. This team is different when he's got the huddle. You'll see this time. He has almost singlehandedly turned fortunes around in East Texas. But he's just one guy.

Most Browns fans know all about Stroud, who led Ohio State to the college championship neighborhood for two seasons and is well on his way to becoming the offensive rookie of the year in the NFL with a brilliant rookie season.

The Browns did, indeed, find out up close and quite personally Saturday that Stroud is the real thing. The laser accuracy. The command of the huddle. The poise in the face of a strong pass rush. A baby-faced kid playing like a seasoned veteran. A special talent. He definitely would have made a difference in the first meeting. 

He didn't have to be special Saturday, though. That's because he brought along his defense. And that unit was extraordinarily special as the Browns were ingloriously booted out of the postseason tournament, 45-14. Stroud just needed to avoid mistakes.

He started early and surgically shredded a pretty good Cleveland secondary for 236 yards and touchdown throws to Nico Collins, Brevin Jordan and Dalton Schultz before halftime. 

It was obvious the Texans were not going to allow Flacco and Cooper to embarrass them this time. Cooper drew extra special attention early and was targeted only twice in the first half.

In the first meeting, Cooper caught 11 balls for a team-record 265 yards and two touchdowns. while Flacco bombed away for 368 yards and a trio of scores. Saturday, the veteran wide receiver was held to four catches for 49 yards and no touchdowns on five targets.

For the first time in a long time, the Browns, who thrived all season on fixing problems mid-game, had no answers this time. It all collapsed due to an offense that became combustible as Flacco finally fell back to earth.

The game blew totally out of control at the beginning of the second half with the Browns trailing, 24-14, when the Cleveland defense watched helplessly as the offense imploded and helped the Texans put 14 gift-wrapped points on the board in a 10-minute game-clock span courtesy of consecutive pick sixes by Steven Nelson (82 yards) and Christian Harris (36 yards). 

Flacco was due for something like his. His calling card also included interceptons. We  accepted that because he piled up the victories anyway. But in the past couple of months, many of his picks were the fault of the receivers running incorrect routes. These were just careless throws Saturday. 

In a way it's sort of sad go see him bow out like this after all he did to boost the Browns to the playoffs. He put charge into a team that was struggling when he arrived. Not many quarterbacks, especially at the age of nearly 39, could have done what he did.

If nothing else, this will make General Manager Andrew Berry's job easier in the offseason with regard to who the Cleveland quarterback will be next season. Barring totally unforeseen circumstances, it will be Deshaun Watson, and No, I don't think Flacco would accept a backup role. 

This loss cannot be blamed on injuries, past or present. No, this is the kind of game where you tip your hat because the Texans flat out outplayed the Browns in every phase. At other times this season, they won games they didn't deserve to win.

Flacco couldn't have picked a worse time to be flat. It didn't help that he didn't have the luxury of a strong running game to make his play-fake game that much more effective and dangerous. It's at times like these that the Browns miss Nick Chubb . . . and Jack Conklin . . . and Dawand Jones.

That's a subject to be taken up in the offseason, which came a little too quickly this year.