On Sunday, Amari Cooper had 11 catches for 265 yards, two touchdowns, and a two-point conversion. Why not add a partridge in a pear tree to his stat line against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in the hopes of delivering the Cleveland Browns some holiday cheer? Cooper shattered Josh Gordon’s franchise receiving record of 261 yards established in 2013 on the way to a 36-22 victory over the Texans. It didn’t matter who was covering him or how far he was from the football for No. 2 to become Joe Flacco’s No. 1 target
. He got the game started with a 53-yard gain, which set up Jerome’s 4-yard touchdown run. He finished with a 13-yard gain on fourth-and-7 as the Browns cruised past Houston to move closer to a postseason berth. Amari Coooper of the Cleveland Browns drives past multiple Houston Texans defenders after gaining 53 yards in the first quarter at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. USA TODAY Sports’ Thomas Shea USA TODAY Sports’ Thomas Shea “We had a good week of preparation,” Texas head coach DeMeco Ryans stated. “We knew what we had to do to win the game: stop the explosive passes.” It’s not good enough for them to come out for the opening play and have that happen.” Cooper had four receptions for more than 20 yards. His greatest catch, a 75-yarder in the second quarter, increased the Browns’ advantage to 14 points as D’Angelo Ross lay on the field watching Cooper glide untouched into the end zone. Rather than following a single player, the Texans frequently chose to play on one side of the field.
Ryans never contemplated putting Derek Stingley Jr. or Steven Nelson directly on the Browns’ No. 1 weapon, believing that if given the chance, both would hold their own. “That’s not what we do,” Ryans remarked. “When we talk about guys, it’s not just about following him. It comes down to players playing with good coverage. We have a guy who is being double-teamed and yet catching the ball. That is an issue.” Cooper surpassed 1,000 yards for the season, becoming the first Cleveland player to do so in consecutive seasons. He also joined Hall of Famer Terrell Owens as the only player in league history to have a 200-yard game with three separate teams (the 49ers, Cowboys, and Bengals). Houston’s offense regained life once Ryan switched from Case Keenum to Davis Mills, but the damage had already been done. Cooper was taken out of the game at the opening of the fourth quarter and played only two snaps in the remaining 15 minutes. Mills connected with Nico Collins for a 5-yard touchdown with 6:08 remaining against a mix of first- and second-team defenders. He then found Andrew Beck for a 1-yard touchdown.
Injuries loom large for the Texans in the final stretch of the regular season. As Cleveland’s lead shrank from 29 to 14, Kevin Stefanski went back to his starters. Cooper came up one more time on Christmas Eve to send the remaining Texans fans inside NRG Stadium home in a bad mood. Cooper’s 265-yard performance will be remembered as a gift as the Browns prepare to return home for the holidays. Houston will seek to reset its offense before Tennessee visits for the home finale. “We didn’t get the job done today,” Ryans admitted. “We’ll get back to it next week.” How are we going to be ready to leave next week? That is all that is important. You can’t stop this game right now.”
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