Kickoff: Browns vs. Houston Texans, Sunday, 1 p.m., Reliant Stadium, Houston.
Most recent game: Beat Jacksonville, 24-14, Oct. 30, in Houston.
Coach: Gary Kubiak, 42-46, sixth year.
Series record: Series tied, 3-3.
Most recent meeting: Texans won, 16-6, Nov. 23, 2008, in Cleveland.
League rankings: Offense is seventh overall (fourth rushing, 11th passing), defense is third (sixth rushing, fifth passing) and turnover differential is plus-6.
Similar to the San Francisco 49ers, they supplement a West Coast pass system with a strong running game. But unlike the Browns' last opponent, the Texans use the one cut, zone-blocking running scheme coach Gary Kubiak learned under Mike Shanahan for a long time with the Denver Broncos. The feature rusher is 2010 NFL rushing champion Arian Foster. Kubiak seeks to give Foster up to 30 touches a game and use backup Ben Tate for another 10 carries, but they haven't been healthy together until now. The premier offensive player, receiver Andre Johnson, has missed four games after surgery on a hamstring. Without him, quarterback Matt Schaub lacks a reliable deep threat, but he maintains decent pass targets in wideouts Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter, tight ends Owen Daniels and Joel Dreesen, and Foster.
New coordinator Wade Phillips installed the same system he had as head coach in Dallas. It's not a traditional 3-4 system, per se. Phillips employs smaller linemen, who sometimes drop into pass coverage when he dials up a zone-blitz. It's a penetrating, one-gap system that applies pass pressure from all areas, not just from the outside linebackers. A much-debated experiment of moving defensive end Mario Williams to outside linebacker was developing well until Williams was lost to a season-ending pectoral injury. Rookie Brooks Reed has stepped in and has contributed two sacks the last two games. The team's secondary, much maligned last year, has improved considerably with the addition of ex-Bengal cornerback Johnathan Joseph and ex-Bears safety Danieal Manning, though Manning is out with a fractured fibula.
Kicker Neil Rackers is 15-of-17 on field goals with a long of 54 yards. Punter Brett Hartmann doubles as the kickoff specialist and has 16 touchbacks. Hartmann is 25th in gross punting average (43.2 yards) and 26th in net (36.7). Punt returner Jacoby Jones has a return average of 11.5 yards and has a 79-yard return for a touchdown. The kickoff return team is hurt by the loss of Manning, who was averaging 27.4 yards.
Running back Arian Foster: The 2010 NFL rushing champion doesn't get credit for his receiving. Despite missing two games with an injury, he leads the team in rushing yards (532) and is third in receiving (317).
Quarterback Matt Schaub: The NFL's seventh-ranked passer with a ranking of 95.9, he is on pace to eclipse 4,000 passing yards for the third straight season.
Cornerback Johnathan Joseph: The ex-Bengal has solidified the secondary, leading with three interceptions and nine passes defensed.
LB Darryl Sharpton (quadriceps tendon) was hurt in the last game and is out for the season. S Manning (fibula) is out. WR Johnson (hamstring) has missed the last four games after surgery. FB James Casey (pectoral) should be limited.
Fullback Lawrence Vickers was a sixth-round draft pick of the Browns in 2006 and played with them through 2010 . . . linebacker Thaddeus Gibson (practice squad) is a native of Euclid and played at Ohio State . . . assistant head coach/ defensive line Bill Kollar is a native of Warren.
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