The Cleveland Browns' defense looked really rough early in their Week 10 game against the Houston Texans. Houston’s offense scored on its first three drives, jumping out to a 17-0 lead, and it looked like the Texans were about to run Cleveland out of its own building.
Fortunately for the Browns, they flipped a switch and ascended to an all-time great level in the second half of Sunday's rewarding 27-24 win.
After a clutch interception at the end of the first half that prevented Houston from going up two scores, Cleveland came out of the locker room like a possessed unit. The Browns immediately forced a three-and-out on the Texans’ first possession, and then they did it again on the next possession, and again on the possession after that — and then again.
Yes, Cleveland forced four straight three-and-outs to start the second half, holding Houston to negative-9 yards on nine plays in the third quarter. The Browns would have had a fifth straight three-and-out — and interception — if not for a tough pass interference call. The 37-yard penalty led to a Texans’ touchdown, and that was all Houston was able to do in the second half.
On eight second-half drives, the Browns forced six three-and-outs and turned the Texans over on downs to secure the victory.
Browns’ elite second-half defense vs. Texans shows how dangerous Cleveland could be
Cleveland’s defense coming alive like it did flipped the game on its head, allowing the Browns to come back from being down 17-0. The defense didn’t just do its job by not allowing Houston to put more points on the board; the unit helped out the Browns' offense by giving them good field position.
Since the Texans weren’t gaining many yards in the second half, Cleveland had just one drive that started inside its own 20 yard line. Comparatively, the Browns had two drives that started in Houston’s territory, and another that started 1 yard shy of the 50.
That’s the difference a good defense makes, and that’s the level that the Browns are expected to play to. Cleveland has looked like a good defense for the majority of this season, but it hasn’t consistently flexed its muscles like it did on Sunday.
Overcoming the concerning start, the Browns limited Houston to 290 total yards, forced the Texans to go 3-of-12 on third down, and finally showed up against the run, holding Houston to 88 rushing yards on 24 carries (3.7 per attempt).
If Cleveland’s defense can consistently play how it did in the second half of Sunday’s game, the Browns will win many more games this season.
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