Amari Cooper sets new single-game receiving yards record for Browns vs Texans

Wide receiver Amari Cooper lit up the scoreboard and etched his name in the record books for the Cleveland Browns on Christmas Eve against the Houston Texans on Sunday. Cooper caught 11 passes for a franchise-high 265 yards, breaking the Browns’ single-game receiving yards record of 261 yards last set by Josh Gordon in 2013.

Getting out to a 22-7 lead at halftime, Cleveland took down the Texans 36-22. Quarterback Joe Flacco, filling in for injured starter Deshaun Watson, went 27-for-42 for 368 passing yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Flacco tossed two touchdown passes to Cooper, including a 75-yard completion for a score.

This is truly absurd from Amari Cooper pic.twitter.com/PYePIhQM6T

— Nick Perkins (@NickyPerkss) December 24, 2023

According to ESPN stats, Cooper joined Terrell Owens on Sunday as the only wide receiver with 200-yard receiving games for three different franchises. The former Alabama star also posted 200-yard games for the Dallas Cowboys and the Raiders.

Through 15 games, Cooper has 1,250 yards on 72 receptions with five touchdowns. His 17.4 yards-per-catch average ranks third in the league. With his performance on Sunday, he surpassed his 2022 season receiving yards total of 1,160 yards.

Texans fall without Stroud for second week

The Houston Texans played two quarterbacks in place of CJ Stroud for the second straight week due to the rookie’s concussion protocol. Davis Mills and Case Keenum took snaps under center with the former going 15-for-32 and the latter, 11-for-17. Mills had two touchdowns while Keenum threw two interceptions.

Stroud suffered the concussion two Sundays ago versus the Jets when his head hit the turf at MetLife Stadium. It already was a miserable day for the Texans, as they lost to the Jets, 30-6. Then Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams hit Stroud with about six minutes to go in the game.

The quarterback and No. 2 pick of the draft, didn’t practice at all this week. Houston coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters that Stroud still was in concussion protocol. There are five steps a player needs to pass before he can see the field after a head injury.

On the year, Stroud is completing passes at a 62.4% rate. He has 3,631 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, and an additional three rushing touchdowns. Prior to the injury, he was making a case for the league’s rookie of the year award.