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Browns vs Texans Prediction, Picks, Odds | NFL Wild Card Game

Michael Crosson
Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read

Here's everything you need to know about the Browns vs. Texans Picks, Predictions, and Odds for this NFL Wild Card Game.

The NFL playoffs kick things off Saturday mid-afternoon with an AFC matchup between historically troubled franchises as the Cleveland Browns take on the Houston Texans. Coverage begins from NRG Stadium in Houston at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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Browns vs Texans Betting Prediction & Odds for NFL Wild Card Weekend

Matchup Spread Total Moneyline

For a variety of reasons, it’s pretty fascinating to see these two franchises intersect at this particular point in time. Two years ago, the Browns pushed all their chips to the center of the table by acquiring QB Deshaun Watson in exchange for a boatload of draft capital – while on the other side of that same coin, the Texans decided to begin the process of a full rebuild by stockpiling those same draft picks and replacing their head coach soon after.

However, the Watson trade has produced surprising results for both teams. The Browns believed the missing piece to their roster was solid QB play – and at this point, I think it’s safe to say they were targeting the correct position. But as we’ve come to learn, the Browns don’t need top shelf talent like Watson in order to find success. All they need is a steady hand at QB to help guide their elite defense – and that’s exactly what Joe Flacco has been for them down the stretch.

Since trading for Watson back in March of 2022, Watson has started just six games for the Browns. Flacco signed with Cleveland less than a month ago and is already making his sixth start for the team this week – and quite frankly, the Browns offense is operating at a much higher level with Flacco than we’ve seen from any other QB within this system in quite some time, highlighted by Cleveland averaging 28.6 PPG in his five starts.

While on the flip side, it seemed like the Texans had a long road ahead of them after the fallout of the last few seasons – but in the blink of an eye, Houston is already right back in the mix after hitting the lottery with their rookie QB-head coach combo of CJ Stroud and Demeco Ryans. That said, the Texans strike me as an average team that’s being propped up by superb QB-coach duo, while Cleveland strikes me as a really good team that has been held back by lackluster QB play over the years.

Make no mistake about it. The Texans are a young, dangerous football team and Stroud is going to be a force in the AFC for years to come. However, the Texans suffered a bunch of key injuries down the stretch – and in the grand scheme of things, I think they wound up in this position a step too early. 

The Browns’ veteran experience should prevail in this spot. I’m laying the points with Cleveland.

Score Prediction: Browns 27, Texans 20
Best Bet: Browns -2.5 (-120)

CLE @ HOU Odds

  • Full Game
  • 1H
  • 1Q
  • 2Q
  • 3Q
  • 4Q
  • Spread
  • Total
  • Moneyline
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-1.5 -104 -0.5 even -1.5 +105 -0.5 -105 -0.5 -105 -0.5 -102 -1.5 +102 -1.5 -120  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
+1.5 -118 +0.5 -120 +1.5 -125 +0.5 -115 +0.5 -115 +0.5 -118 +1.5 -127 +1.5 -102  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
o43 -110 o21.5 -105 o22.5 -100 N/A o21.5 -105 o22.5 -105 o22.5 -108 o44.5 -115  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
u43 -110 u21.5 -115 u22.5 -120 N/A u21.5 -115 u22.5 -115 u22.5 -115 u44.5 -105  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-118 -120 -128 -130 -125 -122 -130 -142  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
-100 even +104 +110 +105 +102 +105 +120  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-1.5 -104 -0.5 -105 -1.5 +110 N/A -1.5 -105 N/A -1.5 +106 -1.5 -120  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
+1.5 -118 +0.5 -115 +1.5 -130 N/A +1.5 -115 N/A +1.5 -130 +1.5 -102  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
o43 -110 o21.5 -110 o22.5 -105 N/A o22.5 -120 N/A o22.5 -115 o44.5 -115  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
u43 -110 u21.5 -110 u22.5 -115 N/A u22.5 even N/A u22.5 -108 u44.5 -105  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-118 -125 -116 N/A N/A N/A -122 -142  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
-100 +105 -100 N/A N/A N/A -103 +120  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-1.5 -104 -0.5 +135 -1.5 +128 -0.5 +125 -0.5 +135 -0.5 +136 -1.5 +133 -1.5 -120  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
+1.5 -118 +0.5 -160 +1.5 -156 +0.5 -160 +0.5 -160 +0.5 -162 +1.5 -167 +1.5 -102  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
o43 -110 o7.5 even o7.5 -102 N/A o7.5 even o7.5 -105 o7.5 -112 o44.5 -115  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
u43 -110 u7.5 -120 u7.5 -120 N/A u7.5 -120 u7.5 -115 u7.5 -112 u44.5 -105  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-118 -115 -115 -125 -120 -120 -120 -142  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
-100 -105 -105 -105 even even -105 +120  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-1.5 -104 -0.5 -105 -1.5 +116 N/A N/A +2.5 +120 -1.5 +114 -1.5 -120  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
+1.5 -118 +0.5 -115 +1.5 -140 N/A N/A -2.5 -150 +1.5 -141 +1.5 -102  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
o43 -110 o13.5 +110 o21.5 +132 N/A N/A o20.5 -125 o13.5 -103 o44.5 -115  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
u43 -110 u13.5 -130 u21.5 -180 N/A N/A u20.5 -105 u13.5 -121 u44.5 -105  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-118 -135 -124 N/A N/A -110 -127 -142  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
-100 +115 +102 N/A N/A -110 +104 +120  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-1.5 -104 -0.5 +125 -1.5 +124 N/A N/A -0.5 +120 -1.5 +130 -1.5 -120  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
+1.5 -118 +0.5 -150 +1.5 -152 N/A N/A +0.5 -142 +1.5 -162 +1.5 -102  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
o43 -110 o8.5 -110 o6.5 -110 N/A N/A o9.5 -110 o9.5 -124 o44.5 -115  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
u43 -110 u8.5 -110 u6.5 -120 N/A N/A u9.5 -110 u9.5 even u44.5 -105  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-118 -120 -120 N/A N/A -122 -118 -142  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
-100 even -102 N/A N/A +102 -106 +120  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-1.5 -104 -0.5 +105 -1.5 +120 N/A N/A -1.5 -102 -1.5 +125 -1.5 -120  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
+1.5 -118 +0.5 -125 +1.5 -146 N/A N/A +1.5 -118 +1.5 -157 +1.5 -102  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
o43 -110 o12.5 -125 o12.5 -126 N/A N/A o13.5 -102 o12.5 -125 o44.5 -115  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
u43 -110 u12.5 +105 u12.5 +102 N/A N/A u13.5 -118 u12.5 even u44.5 -105  
Final
Cleveland Browns 141 Browns
-118 -125 -115 N/A N/A -148 -120 -142  
Houston Texans 142 Texans
-100 +105 -105 N/A N/A +124 -104 +120  

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Browns vs Texans Betting Resources

Date: Saturday, January 13
Matchup: AFC North vs. AFC South
Venue: NRG Stadium
Location: Houston, Texas
Time-TV: NBC, 4:30 p.m. ET

Click here for Vegas Insider senior reporter Patrick Everson's full NFL Odds Wild Card Weekend Report containing spreads, lines, and trends for every NFL matchup.

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Cleveland Browns Betting Analysis

The Browns have endured a revolving door of four different starting QBs this season, and somehow still managed to rest their starters in Week 18 having already locked up the top wild card spot in the AFC. In today’s day and age, teams tend to fall apart when they lose their starting QB – let alone their second or third. 

The fact that Cleveland has continued to plow ahead despite the QB situation speaks volumes about the strength of this roster as a whole. The Browns have scored 31-plus points in three of Flacco’s five starts, something they did just twice this season prior to his arrival. If Cleveland is able to replicate that level of offensive production in the playoffs, the sky is the limit for this team.

Check out our Super Bowl odds for a preview of the teams likely to be in the big game.

Houston Texans Betting Analysis

Very few people expected Houston to make this much noise in the AFC this season, as the Texans originally opened with the worst odds to win the conference by a distant margin at +8500 behind the Patriots +3000, Raiders +4500, Titans +5500 and Colts +6500.

However, Houston’s success this season is a prime example of why QBs make the big bucks in the NFL. A team that came so close to posting the worst record in the entire league last season simply drafted a QB and swapped out its head coach, and in just one year’s time, that same team already finds itself hosting a playoff game that they have a legitimate chance of winning. I love football.

Browns vs Texans Betting Trends

  • The Browns are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
  • The total has gone OVER in six of Cleveland's last seven games.
  • The Texans are 4-2 ATS in their last six games.
  • The total has gone UNDER in six of Houston's last eight games.
  • The Texans are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games.
  • The Browns are 4-1 SU in their last five games.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson
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