THUMBS UP

Andre Johnson, Texans receiver

When the cornerbacks were playing off — which was most of the game — Johnson would cut his route short, give quarterback Sage Rosenfels a big target and make the easy catch in front of the coverage.
Then, when Eric Wright decided to press him on fourth-and-3 from the 35-yard line with 17 seconds left in the first half, Johnson ran by him for a 22-yard completion to set up a field goal that made it 13-6 at halftime.
Johnson, who leads the NFL in receiving yards with 1,071, finished the day with 10 catches for 116 yards.

THUMBS DOWN

Braylon Edwards, Browns receiver

If it’s not Monday night, Edwards has been all but useless this year. His only two 100-yard games came in Monday night wins over the Giants and Bills, and he hasn’t caught more than five passes on a Sunday.
But he can drop them any day. He had at least two more drops Sunday, not including a difficult but catchable ball in the end zone that would’ve cut the deficit to three with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter.
Edwards has had plenty of chances to save his teammates this year, and has come up empty almost every time.

PLAY OF THE GAME

For the first time all day, the Browns had a bit of momentum. Brodney Pool intercepted a pass early in the third quarter, giving the Browns possession at their
45-yard line. But on second-and-13, Brady Quinn, left, threw the ball right to defensive end Anthony Weaver.
Quinn didn’t notice that Weaver had dropped in coverage instead of rushing, and the underthrown pass intended for Braylon Edwards on a skinny post handed the ball right back to the Texans, who kicked a field goal for a 16-6 lead.

MATCHUPS

Offense

Journeyman Sage Rosenfels outplayed Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. The game was winnable if the Browns offense had shown up.
EDGE: Texans

Defense

The Browns were too soft in coverage and too passive in the pass rush. Nothing new there. The Texans defense benefited from five turnovers.
EDGE: Texans

Special teams

Phil Dawson missed a 39-yard field goal badly and the Browns misplayed a squib kick before halftime that could’ve cost them a field goal. The Texans held Joshua Cribbs in check, but had a field goal blocked (Shaun Rogers) and had a holding penalty wipe out an Andre Davis kickoff return for a touchdown.
EDGE: Even

Coaching

Romeo Crennel’s quarterback switch was the right move, even if the results didn’t follow. But his team is 1-5 at home and his days are likely numbered. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski has lost his magic touch.
EDGE: Texans

STAT OF THE GAME: 15.8

The quarterback rating of the Browns. Starter Brady Quinn posted a 21.3, and Derek Anderson followed with a 17.3. Combined they went 13-for-32 for 145 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“A lot of times you just don’t know exactly what you’re going to get and how hard they’re going to try and how hard they’re going to execute and if they’re going to do the right things. … If I knew the answer, I’d definitely get it fixed.” – Browns coach Romeo Crennel, on the inconsistent nature of his team.
— Scott Petrak

THE STATBOOK

Scoring summary

FIRST QUARTER
TEXANS 7, BROWNS 0. Kevin Walter 17 pass from Sage Rosenfels (Kris Brown kick), 6:49. Drive: Fourteen plays, 79 yards. Time of possession: 8:11. Key plays: Rosenfels passes for 21 yards on first two plays — 11 yards to David Anderson, and 10 yards to Andre Johnson. Ahman Green runs for 4 yards on third-and-1 to CLE-45. Rosenfels passes 8 yards to Walter on third-and-5 to CLE-32.
SECOND QUARTER
TEXANS 10, BROWNS 0. FG Brown 31, 13:37. Drive: Ten plays, 28 yards. Time of possession: 5:58. Key plays: Houston recovers a Jamal Lewis fumble at the CLE-40.
TEXANS 10, BROWNS 3. FG Phil Dawson 32, 7:59. Drive: Twelve plays, 62 yards. Time of possession: 5:38. Key plays: Brady Quinn passes 17 yards to Braylon Edwards on second play to CLE-42. Jamal Lewis runs for 7 yards on third-and-1 to HOU-42. Jerome Harrison runs for two first downs to HOU-18.
TEXANS 10, BROWNS 6. FG Dawson 32, 2:20. Drive: Five plays, 46 yards. Time of possession: 1:14. Key plays: Shaun Rogers blocks 49-yard field goal attempt, giving Cleveland the ball at its own 39. On first play of the drive, Quinn passes 42 yards to Edwards.
TEXANS 13, BROWNS 6. FG Brown 31, 0:03. Drive: Twelve plays, 73 yards. Time of possession: 2:17. Key plays: Rosenfels passes 32 yards on first two plays of drive, 22 to Walter and 10 to Andre Davis. Green runs 3 yards on fourth-and-1 to CLE-42. On fourth-and-3, Rosenfels passes 22 yards to Johnson to CLE-13.
THIRD QUARTER
TEXANS 16, BROWNS 6. FG Brown 36, 8:48. Drive: Five plays, 25 yards. Time of possession: 1:55. Key plays: Anthony Weaver returns a Quinn interception 8 yards to CLE-43. Rosenfels passes 19 yards to Johnson on first play to CLE-24.

Texans 16, Browns 6

Houston    7    6    3    0    —    16
Cleveland    0    6    0    0    —    6
First Quarter
Hou—Walter 17 pass from Rosenfels (K.Brown kick), 6:49.
Second Quarter
Hou—FG K.Brown 31, 13:37.
Cle—FG Dawson 32, 7:59.
Cle—FG Dawson 32, 2:20.
Hou—FG K.Brown 31, :03.
Third Quarter
Hou—FG K.Brown 36, 8:48.
A—72,077.
    Hou    Cle
First downs    19    15
Total Net Yards    383    240
Rushes-yards    36-112    20-95
Passing    271    145
Punt Returns    2-18    2-10
Kickoff Returns    2-43    4-104
Interceptions Ret.    3-29    2-28
Comp-Att-Int    24-32-2    13-32-3
Sacked-Yards Lost    1-4    0-0
Punts    3-43.0    2-52.0
Fumbles-Lost    2-0    2-2
Penalties-Yards    11-84    5-40
Time of Possession    37:25    22:35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Houston, Slaton 21-73, Green 13-39, Rosenfels 2-0. Cleveland, Lewis 10-58, Harrison 7-31, Cribbs 2-6, Anderson 1-0.
PASSING—Houston, Rosenfels 24-32-2-275. Cleveland, Quinn 8-18-2-94, Anderson 5-14-1-51.
RECEIVING—Houston, A.Johnson 10-116, Walter 7-93, Daniels 3-28, Anderson 1-11, Davis 1-10, Leach 1-9, Green 1-8. Cleveland, Edwards 5-85, Lewis 2-10, Stallworth 1-18, Winslow 1-11, Harrison 1-8, Heiden 1-5, Steptoe 1-4, Vickers 1-4.
Team statistics
MISSED FIELD GOALS—Houston, K.Brown 49 (BK), 56 (WR). Cleveland, Dawson 39 (WL).

 

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