NFL Week 16: What channel is the Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans game on?
To begin the season, the Cleveland Browns’ trip to Houston on Christmas Eve looked to be all about a return for Deshaun Watson.
Instead, Watson is hurt, and Joe Flacco is leading Cleveland’s playoff hopes. That’s the matchup for the Browns and Texans, when they meet at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday from NRG Stadium in Houston on CBS.
It is part of a loaded Week 16 of the NFL season, which will have a bunch of games this weekend to stream and watch.
Several streaming services will broadcast the game live and you can watch for free on Fubo (in addition to free trial, get $20 off your first two months) and DirecTV Stream, or on Sling, which features promotional offers.
Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans matchup preview
Flacco threw for 374 yards, including 212 in the fourth quarter Sunday last week, setting up Dustin Hopkins’ 34-yard field goal to beat the Chicago Bears in a season filled with injuries that hasn’t kept the Browns (9-5) out of the playoff picture in the AFC.
They are fifth in the AFC, ahead of the Texans (8-6) and a host of other teams. Houston is tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the AFC South lead. A division championship can give the Texans an automatic bid for the playoffs.
Houston rallied last week to beat the Tennessee Titans without C.J. Stroud, but few if any teams have endured the injuries the Browns are trying to overcome.
“We’ve been through four quarterbacks,” Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said in an Associated Press report. “It’s not going to shake us because we’ve literally been through it all with injuries and everything else. So this is just another step in our journey, another opportunity for us to write a very peculiar but great legacy.”
Injuries of note
Offensive tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) and Dawand Jones (knee), safety Grant Delpit (groin), defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (pectoral) and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst (pectoral) did not play last week for the Browns, who also saw All-Pro left guard Joel Bitonio suffer a back injury in the first quarter against Chicago.
Wills, Jones and Delpit are on injured reserve, joining Watson and running back Nick Chubb with offensive tackle Jack Conklin.
Houston beat the Titans without Stroud and several other key players, including top receiver Nico Collins, right tackle George Fant and No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson on the defensive end. Stroud was doubtful last week while in concussion protocol, as the Texans turned to Case Keenum.
