The Cleveland Browns have boasted one of the best secondaries in the NFL in recent years, led by cornerback Denzel Ward. While Ward is one of the best corners in the league, he’s not alone in the Browns’ secondary.
The unit is talented across the board, and that’s evident in an impressive streak that Cleveland currently has going.
The Browns have gone 54 straight games without allowing a 300-yard passer, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. It’s also the longest streak that the league has seen in decades, with the Indianapolis Colts having a 52-game streak from 2005-08.
Coincidentally, the last quarterback to throw for 300 yards against the Browns was Gardner Minshew in 2023, when he played for the Colts.
Cleveland will try to improve the streak to 55 games on Sunday, but the defense will have its hands full against C.J. Stroud and a Houston Texans offense that is thriving through the air right now.
Browns’ streak of not allowing a 300-yard passer will be tested by C.J. Stroud
Entering Sunday’s game, the Texans have the league’s third-ranked passing attack, averaging 269.4 passing yards a game. Stroud, Houston's fourth-year quarterback, has been playing the best football of his career, already compiling 2,251 yards and 16 touchdowns to just two interceptions in eight games.
Stroud has surpassed 300 passing yards in exactly half of Houston’s eight games, including in Week 9, where he threw for a season-high 384 yards and five touchdowns.
Obviously, he wants to keep things rolling against the Browns' elite pass defense. Cleveland only allows 201 passing yards per game, which is good for sixth in the NFL.
As evidenced by the streak, the Browns haven’t given up 300 yards to a passer this season — but they came close in Week 4. Aaron Rodgers finished with 299 yards in that game.
Of course, there are a lot of factors besides how good Stroud and the Browns secondary are that could determine whether or not the Texans quarterback throws for 300 yards. The Browns aren’t good against the run, so Houston could just decide to keep things on the ground.
Additionally, depending on how the game unfolds, if one team jumps out to an early lead, that could either result in a lot of passing or running from the Texans.
Whatever the case, Stroud and the Texans know how to move the ball through the air, and the Browns know how to make that difficult for opposing teams. That should result in a fun good-on-good matchup Sunday.
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