Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Kareem Hunt's Two First Half Touchdowns Fuels Browns vs. Texans

Originally posted on FanNation Browns Digest
By Anthony Moeglin | Last updated 1/13/24

If you want to win in the playoffs, you need your best players to play like stars.

Once Nick Chubb got hurt early in the year, the Browns turned back to Kareem Hunt to bolster the backfield and he's come up huge in the postseason.

Houston got off to an early lead with a short field goal, but Cleveland wasted no time in responding.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, quarterback Joe Flacco used a perfect play-action fake to Jerome Ford as tight end David Njoku steaked up the seam. Flacco put it right on him for a 45-yard gain.

the patented @Kareemhunt7 goal line leap #CLEvsHOU on NBC pic.twitter.com/e3ANrqXM2S
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 13, 2024

A few plays later, Kareem Hunt ran in Cleveland's first touchdown of the afternoon. It was Hunt's fourth postseason rushing touchdown for the Browns, tying him for the second most in team history. Browns legend Otto Graham is the all-time leader with five rushing scores in the postseason.

The momentum swings of the first half kept going back-and-forth though, as Houston answered with a quick 75-yard drive to get the lead back to 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Cleveland got the ball back with a chance to answer C.J. Stroud's touchdown drive.

This time, Flacco started the drive with a 47-yard completion to Harrison Bryant to set Cleveland up with a scoring possession at the start of the second quarter. After the Browns manufactured two first downs, they had the ball with a second and four from the Houston 11.

Flacco caught the snap and Hunt, curled up right behind the center, caught a shovel pass and finished it off in the endzone with an 11-yard touchdown for his second score of the half.

Kareem back in the end zone again!@Browns take back the lead in this back-and-forth first half

: #CLEvsHOU on NBC
: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/jM781VisSx pic.twitter.com/ODbmaOs2wJ
— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2024