C.J. Stroud makes his NFL playoff debut against the Browns. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Unexpected seasons from both the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans landed them in the playoffs against each other in the wild card round.
The Browns, after dealing with poor play and then a season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson, have found unexpected success following the arrival of Joe Flacco. Under a revitalized Flacco, who is 38 years old, the Browns offense is starting to click. They have won four of their last five games, and seven of their last ten.
On the other side of the coin is 22-year-old rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans. The Texans got off to a mediocre 3-3 start, but Stroud found his footing after the Week 7 bye and they went 7-4 the rest of the way behind his impressive rookie season.
This is the 16th playoff game of Flacco's career. It's a first for Stroud. Will experience triumph or will youth defeat age? Follow along as Yahoo Sports delivers the latest news, scores, and highlights from Saturday's Wild Card game.
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Cleveland benefits from a great passing game. Kareem Hunt jumps over the goal line on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line to put the Browns on the board. 7-3, Brown late in the first.
Cleveland's offense comes alive. Joe Flacco hits David Njoku for 45 yards to get into Texans zone. Njoku has been one of Flacco's favorite targets since Flacco took over as QB.
Cleveland's top-rated defense is in the red zone. The Texans never found the end zone after the first down on the 3-yard line. They settled for a field goal and took a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.
There's a big connection from CJ Stoud to Nico Collins that goes 38 yards and the Texans are inside the Cleveland 10. This duo keeps making plays.
The Browns start their second drive on their own 8-yard line after good work by the Texans
The Texans picked up a pair of first downs, but punted after a third-down pass from CJ Stroud fell incomplete. Scoreless tie after one possession for each team.
Cleveland punts the ball after the opening six yards. Houston has the ball, and C.J. Stroud will make his NFL debut in the postseason.
Welcome to the playoffs. Houston won the coin toss and it started. The Browns will get the ball first.
Browns linebacker Dustin Hopkins will miss Saturday's game. Riley Patterson has been activated from the practice squad and will kick against the Texans.
