The Houston Texans endured a frustrating 10-7 loss to the Cleveland Browns Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium.
In a game that was akin to a playoff game in the fact elements were instrumental in stifling both offenses, kind of like an all-time 12th defender, points were hard to come by.
It didn’t get any easier for the Texans on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 12:59 to go in the second quarter down 3-0.
A field goal from kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, even at that short distance, wasn’t exactly a sure proposition given the nearly 30 mile-per-hour winds. However, three points would have been better than none, especially given that was the ultimate difference in the game.
Interim coach Romeo Crennel believed it was better to go for a touchdown in a game where points would be at a premium that simply tying the Browns.
“On the fourth-and-2, I was trying to get a touchdown,” Crennel said. “I feel that if we get a touchdown in that situation with the weather being what it was, it would help our team quite a bit. We didn’t make it. So, we didn’t get the points on the board.”
The Texans ran a quarterback draw with Deshaun Watson rushing up a congested middle of the line. Defensive end Myles Garrett made the tackle, a loss of two yards and a turnover on downs.
Houston managed to stop the Browns third-and-6 from the Cleveland 17-yard line and get the ball back at the Browns’ 49-yard line. However, they would get no closer than the Browns’ 24-yard line for the rest of the first half.
“So, we go into halftime and it’s 0-3,” said Crennel. “So, now, we got to come out in the second half and do our job in the second half. On the second half, we didn’t take advantage of our position with the weather and didn’t make the plays that we were making in the first half.”
The Texans fell down as far as 10-0 to Cleveland before getting their first points on the board with 5:04 to play in the game. A field goal in that circumstance may have helped them stay tied with Cleveland and find another path to victory in the fourth quarter.
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