Cleveland, OH
Browns vs. Texans: AFC wild card playoff game live score updates, highlights, reactions
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns are on the road for their AFC wild card matchup at 4:30 p.m. today in Houston.
Since the franchise’s return in 1999, this marks their third trip to the postseason, the last two coming during the 2002 and 2020 seasons.
They’ve already met the Texans in Week 16, where the Browns dominated, 36-22. But the difference is former Buckeyes standout and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will be playing after sitting out the last matchup with a concussion.
The Browns defense meets a Texans offense that has given up the fewest turnovers on the season (14). During the regular season they ranked tied 22nd in rushing yards per game (96.9), seventh in passing yards per game (245.5), and tied 13th in points per game (22.2).
Cleveland’s offense meets a Texans defense that ranked sixth in rushing yards allowed per game (96.6), 23rd in passing yards allowed per game (234.1), and 11th in points allowed per game (20.8) during the regular season.
Stay with us during the game for updates and highlights. Refresh this page to see the latest updates:
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4Q-0:00
The Texans will advance to the Divisional round as they defeat the Browns, 45-14.
4Q-8:17
The Texans done brought out backup David Mills with over eight minutes left in the game.
It’s over.
4Q-9:22
Njoku drops a pass, that tendency sneaking up at the wrong time.
4Q-13:27
Incoming “Thank you Fans” post from the Browns’ social media admin.
Houston giving Cleveland a taste of their own medicine from the blowout in Week 16, as Singletary takes it in for 19 yards.
Texans lead, 45-14.
3Q-1:27
This is a massacre, as Flacco is sacked again for a loss of 13 yards, by Harris, who took back a pick six.
3Q-4:06
On a fourth down attempt, the Browns went with the ol reliable short out for Harrison Bryant, which is intercepted again. This time by Christian Harris who takes it back for 36 yards.
Cleveland, we have a problem.
Texans lead 38-14.
3Q-6:05
Texans still have a hold on the game as Flacco tries to force a pass as he’s nearly sacked, but is intercepted by Steven Nelson who takes it back for an 82-yard pick six.
This game might be over before we know it.
Turnovers biting the Browns at the wrong time.
Texans lead, 31-14.
3Q-8:50
Pivotal third down completion as Flacco finds Cooper on the corner route for 16 yards and the first down.
3Q-12:21
The Browns come out strong in the second half as Owusu-Koramoah racks up his ninth combined tackle as he keeps Collins to a loss of one yard.
2Q-0:00
Houston’s Will Anderson ends the half with a sack on Flacco.
Momentum is hard to beat, and Houston has all of it going into the half.
Cleveland’s offensive line has been running thin for majority of the season, but is really striking at the wrong time.
Texans lead, 24-14 at halftime and will receive the second half kickoff.
2Q-1:11
Houston’s play action goes successful as Stroud finds Schultz downfield for the untouched 37 yard touchdown.
Texans lead, 24-14.
2Q-2:17
Saved by the flag.
Singletary’s 23 yard run is called back as Houston’s right guard Shaq Mason is called for a holding penalty on Sione Takitaki.
2Q-3:00
Owusu-Koramoah with another read as he stops Singletary for a loss of one yard, his eighth tackle of the first half.
2Q-5:00
Singletary runs outside left for six yards and the first down. Singletary (38) has single handedly out rushed the
2Q-5:00
Singletary runs outside left for six yards and the first down. Singletary (38) has single handedly out rushed the Browns’ run game (22).
This Browns run defense has struggled.
2Q-7:18
The Texans’ defense is upping the blitz, though Flacco completed the six yard pass to Njoku, it’s not enough for a first down.
Browns punt again.
2Q-8:56
If Stroud’s pass to Collins was caught, that would’ve been a touchdown.
The Browns secondary caught a break as Stroud’s pass was a little overthrown for Collins, who had a couple steps ahead of Ronnie Hickman Jr.
This forces a Texans’ fourth-down and eventual punt.
2Q-9:35
Owusu-Koramoah lays a couple consecutive hits, first a tackle with Garrett on Dameon Pierce for a loss of one yard, then a solo tackle on Singletary for a loss of two yards.
2Q-11:00
A struggling series as Houston edge rusher Derek Barnett beat Cleveland’s Geron Christian, sacking Flacco in the backfield, and forcing another Browns’ punt.
The Browns defense has to wake up.
2Q-12:00
This is a boxing match. You get hit, but can you hit harder?
Texans answering back strong with a Stroud connection to Brevin Jordan who takes it downfield for the 76 yard touchdown.
Jordan’s route was opened up as Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Ogbo Okoronkwo went at Stroud, opening an open pass to Jordan who took advantage of it.
Alex Wright giving his teammates some words as they circle around each other.
Texans lead, 17-14.
2Q-12:18
The hometown kid in Hunt came to this game ready, as he’s there for Flacco’s shovel pas and runs past Texans’ defenders for the touchdown.
In his fourth career playoff game, this is his first postseason receiving touchdown, and his second game with multiple touchdowns in one game. The first came in the wild card win over Pittsburgh in the 2020 NFL playoffs, where he recorded two rushing touchdowns.
Browns answer back, 14-10.
2Q-13:40
Flacco’s six-foot-six figure is able to quarterback sneak in for the first down.
1Q-0:00
Flacco ends the half on a strong note as he finds an open Harrison Bryant down the center who takes it downfield for 47 yards.
Both offenses off to a heck of a start.
Texans lead after one, 10-7.
1Q-0:11
Houston responds quickly in a matter of four plays, the fourth being a completed short pass to Collins who takes it in outside left, in which Juan Thornhill is unable to take him down himself.
Texans lead, 10-3.
1Q-1:34
Houston’s Singletary comes back with a hard running 29-yarder.
1Q-2:09
Hunt runs it in for the one yard touchdown, and the extra point is complete.
Lineman Nick Harris is at fullback for the extra blocking, per usual in the goal line run package. Everyone expects this for Hunt will run behind Harris. But this time, Harris runs left and distracts the Texans’ defense as Hunt runs right and untouched.
Browns lead 7-3.
1Q-2:50
DeAndre Houston-Carson
1Q-4:04
Flacco finds Amari Cooper as Cooper goes towards out of bounds for 14 yards, first and goal now for the Browns.
1Q-5:22
The Flacco-David Njoku connection returns as Flacco finds his tight end for 48 yards downfield.
Njoku’s had a trend of racking up big yards in the first quarter. In the Week 17 win over the Jets, Njoku caught 64 of his 134 receiving yards in the first drive alone.
1Q-6:18
Newsome makeup for earlier mess up and keeps Collins from completing a touchdown pass, forcing a Texans’ field goal.
1Q-6:12
Stroud’s run outside left is stopped for only one yard, as Martin Emerson Jr. fought through Beck’s block to stop Stroud going out of bounds.
1Q-6:18
Cleveland’s blitz works and they cut off Texans’ attempt at a shovel pass from Stroud to Andrew Beck.
Nearly wound up in the hands of Myles Garrett
1Q-7:09
Stroud with another deep ball completion to Collins, this time for 38 yards, positioning them in the red zone.
Seems there was a late switch as Greg Newsome II suddenly ran in front of Collins, due to Texans’ audible switch.
1Q-9:16
Houston broke through Cleveland’s offensive line came out with the blitz and left Flacco to feast for himself, having to get rid of the ball.
1Q-10:09
Stroud’s pass to Brown again towards the center field is incomplete as Denzel Ward and Juan Thornhill tag team to force a fourth down, leaving Brown a second slow to get up off the field.
1Q-10:14
Stroud’s pass to Noah Brown goes through his hands and would’ve forced a fourth down, but Myles Garrett is called for a defensive offsides penalty.
This Browns defense has now been flagged for a league leading 22 offside penalties.
1Q-11:03
That should’ve been a catch that would’ve taken the Texans further downfield.
Stroud’s pass to Dalton Schultz is dropped, as he took his eyes off the ball for a second.
1Q-12:18
C.J. Stroud shows Cleveland what they missed out on on his first pass attempt, a 21 yard completion to Nico Collins.
1Q-12:18
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with a good first play for the defense, a tackle on Devin Singletary and keeping him to three yards.
1Q-13:07
Flacco’s short pass to Kareem Hunt is caught but pushed back for a loss of six yards, forcing a Browns’ punt.
1Q-13:59
Ford’s first run attempt is for a loss of five yards.
This Texans’ run defense is one of the better run defenses in the league, ranking top 10 in fewest allowed.
1Q-14:48
Joe Flacco with a good first play, a completed pass to Jerome Ford who takes it down for 11 yards.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – For the second day, Northeast Ohio school districts are receiving bomb threats.
On Friday morning, two schools in the Elyria City School District, the high school and Ely Elementary, received bomb threats.
Both schools are evacuating students, and emergency responders are on the way, according to a social media post.
All other district schools are in a lockout status as a precaution.
The district asks that family members not come to the schools or call school offices at this time so emergency communication lines remain available.
Elyria Police said that the department is working with the district to ensure the safety and security of students and school personnel following the threats.
“We are aware that neighboring school districts experienced similar swatting-related incidents yesterday, and our investigative personnel are working diligently with our law enforcement partners to identify the source of these threats,” police said.
Five Northeast Ohio school districts received bomb threats on Thursday, including:
- Alliance City School District
- Amherst Exempted Village Schools
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District
- Lorain City School District
- Shaker Heights School District
Below are the details from each district and the protocols in place to protect students and staff.
ALLIANCE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Alliance Police Department confirmed there was an ’anonymous’ robo-voice style call that came into the high school saying there were ’20 pipe bombs’ outside of the school” before 12:30 p.m.
Officers rushed to the high school and Rockhill Elementary School campuses “due to an alarm in which we were not getting a response from the school,” according to APD.
APD shared that the schools evacuated the students temporarily as officers conducted a sweep of the area.
“Nothing was found, thankfully,” APD Lt. Christopher McCord stated. “The school staff, and especially the students, did a great job of staying calm and making everyone’s jobs easier, smoother, and safer.”
“We will be looking into the source of the threats to hold those responsible accountable, if possible,” McCord added.
AMHERST EXEMPTED VILLAGE SCHOOLS
The Amherst Exempted Village School confirmed at 10:25 a.m. that Marion L. Steele High School and Walter G. Nord Middle School received a bomb threat.
AEVS said all district facilities were placed on a level 1 lockdown before the two schools were evacuated to a safe location under the supervision of administration and staff, according to district protocol.
The Amherst police and fire departments teamed up with the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office to perform perimeter and building sweeps to determine if the threat was substantiated, said AEVS.
The perimeter sweeps of the two schools were complete by 11:34 a.m., and law enforcement then conducted the interior sweeps of the buildings, AEVS explained.
Amherst Junior High School and Powers Elementary School lifted their lockdowns at that time and resumed normal procedures, according to AEVS.
AEVS also confirmed at that time that all students and staff were accounted for and safe.
The Amherst Police Department completed its sweep of Steele High School and cleared the building of any threat by 11:51 a.m., AEVS updated.
Students were dismissed for the day at that time, according to AEVS.
AEVS instructed student drivers to leave the campus, and students unable to immediately leave were to stay at the school until they could be picked up by a parent, guardian, or approved emergency contact.
The bus routes were running at the scheduled normal dismissal time for students who need a ride home, AEVS added.
APD completed its sweep of Nord School and cleared the building of any threat by 12:32 p.m., AEVS updated.
Nord School students were safely escorted back into the building, according to AEVS, after evacuating to the New Beginning Church as a safe location.
AEVS instructed parents, guardians, and approved emergency contacts who wanted to pick up their student to report to the school’s front entrance, where staff and APD officers would help.
Classes, activities, and normal dismissal procedures resumed as scheduled for students who stayed at the school, AEVS shared, and bus dismissal also proceeded per usual.
“We appreciate the cooperation, patience, and support of our families and community throughout today’s situation,” AEVS stated.
According to AEVS Superintendent Mike Molnar, all evening activities at the school will continue as scheduled, and school will resume on Friday.
Molnar added that AEVS will have an increased police presence at schools on Thursday night and Friday.
CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District confirmed two threats were received on Thursday morning. The threats were against East Tech High School and Buhrer Dual Language Academy.
According to CMSD, Cleveland police and CMSD’s Department of Safety & Security conducted an investigation and found the buildings to be safe.
From the information gathered during the searches, Cleveland police believe both calls were swatting incidents.
Classes at both schools were uninterrupted, and the school day progressed normally.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Communications Officer Jon Benedict added that parents were informed about the incident.
LORAIN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Lorain City School District confirmed the high school has been evacuated due to a bomb threat on Thursday afternoon.
This is the third Northeast Ohio school district to receive a bomb threat on May 7.
The district announced the evacuation of Lorain High School at 12:23 p.m., and dismissed students at 12:40 p.m.
Bus riders were escorted to the buses waiting to take them home, according to LCSD.
LCSD said many elementary and middle school students were at the high school for the dance showcase.
Those elementary and middle school students were brought back to their home schools, said LCSD.
All students and staff are safe and following established protocols, LCSD stated, and these measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution.
The district safety team and law enforcement partners continue to investigate this threat.
“Your students’ and our staff’s safety is our top priority,” LCSD stated.
A 19 News crew is on their way to the scene to learn more.
SHAKER HEIGHTS SCHOOL DISTRICT
Shaker Heights High School received its second threatening phone call this week on Thursday, the district confirmed.
Shaker Heights School District said it immediately teamed up with the Shaker Heights Police Department to investigate the threat and determined its credibility.
SHSD said it was aware of the other Northeast Ohio school districts that received similar threats on Thursday.
“Based on the SHPD’s assessment and established safety protocols, the decision was made to continue normal school operations rather than initiate a shelter-in-place,” SHSD stated.
Additional SHPD officers and a K-9 unit were sent to the school out of an abundance of caution to support the safety and security of the building as the investigation continues, SHSD added.
Orrville City Schools were also placed on a soft lockdown on Thursday.
However, this was not a bomb threat, nor any direct threat to the school.
The soft lockdown was a precautionary measure for an incident that happened not just off school property, but out of the town.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
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