By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON Houston lost for the second time in three games this past weekend and now the Texans must wait to see if star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud can return Sunday to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive.
The Texans (8-7) suffered a 36-22 loss to Cleveland behind a subpar performance from Case Keenum in his second game filling in for Stroud, who sustained a concussion Dec. 10.
Coach DeMeco Ryans said Stroud is improving and returned to team meetings late last week, but the second overall pick hasn’t practiced since he was injured against the Jets and it’s unclear if he will return Sunday against Tennessee.
The Texans have the same record as AFC South foes Jacksonville and Indianapolis but are in third place because of a 2-2 division record. They remain in contention not only for a playoff spot but also the AFC South title with a visit to the Colts coming after Sunday’s visit from the Titans.
But Ryans said they can’t worry about playoff scenarios unless they take care of things on the field.
“Before we have an opportunity to talk about a playoff or get in, we’ve got to play better,” he said. “You have to earn those spots to get into the playoffs. So, if we go and play better and earn a spot, then we can talk about possibly the playoff race and what does that look like. But, until then, we’ve got to do a much better job collectively.”
Keenum managed just 62 yards passing and threw two interceptions against Cleveland as Houston fell into a 36-7 hole before scoring a couple of meaningless touchdowns late to make it seem closer than it was.
Davis Mills played a few snaps at QB early in the game, but took over for good after Keenum threw his second interception late in the third quarter. Ryans was asked if Mills, the team’s starter for most of the past two seasons, would start over Keenum against Tennessee if Stroud remains out.
“We’ll worry about the quarterback next week,” Ryans said after the game. “We’ll see where C.J. is. Not making a decision right now on quarterbacks.”
WHAT’S WORKING
Houston held Cleveland to just 54 yards rushing and ranks sixth in the NFL by limiting opponents to 90.9 yards rushing a game.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
The Texans allowed 364 yards passing Sunday, which tied for the most they’ve allowed all season. Houston gave up multiple big plays to the Browns, with most of them coming from Amari Cooper, who had a franchise-record 265 yards receiving.
Things went wrong immediately Sunday when he caught a 53-yard pass on the game’s first play, and he added a 75-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
“The (Browns) got going is because we gave up the explosive plays knowing going into the game that’s where they thrive — throwing the deep passes,” Ryans said. “We didn’t do a great job of covering it at all.”
STOCK UP
RB/KR Dameon Pierce. He returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 14-7 in the second quarter. It was the first time Pierce, who lost his job as starting running back a few weeks ago, had returned kicks in his two-year career.
“Putting him back there at the kickoff return is something we explored throughout the week, and he did a really good job of practicing it,” Ryans said. “And he showed up. He showed up and made a big-time play for us to spark our entire team.”
STOCK DOWN
S Jalen Pitre. He was benched in the second half after his performance contributed to some of Cleveland’s big plays before halftime. The second-year player has failed to build on a solid rookie season where he had 147 tackles and five interceptions, and he doesn’t have an interception this season and has just 70 tackles.
INJURIES
DE Will Anderson, the third overall pick in the draft, missed a second straight game with an ankle injury. … S Jimmie Ward (quadriceps) and DE Jonathan Greenard (ankle) were both injured in the first half Sunday and didn’t return.
KEY NUMBER
1 — The Texans had just one sack against Cleveland after they had seven for the second-best performance in franchise history against Tennessee the previous week.
NEXT STEPS
Houston will try to beat the Titans for the second time in three weeks and boost its playoff chances when the team wraps up its home schedule Sunday.
