If you were playing Old Maid, you would not match the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans as a pair. Two teams couldn’t be more different, particularly if you are looking at their quarterback situations this season.

The Houston Texans are led by one of the brightest rookie stars to ever burst on the NFL scene. C.J. Stroud, who the Texans selected in last year’s National Football League draft with the second overall pick, has led Houston to the playoffs in his rookie season. There is no quarterback rotation or controversy in Houston, Stroud is the man.

It is quite a different story in Cleveland.

The Browns have had more starting quarterbacks than you could fit in a Volkswagen, five. Four of them won games for head coach Kevin Stefanski and the fifth was signed just a week before he took it on the chin in the season finale in Cincinnati last Sunday. That was Jeff Driskel, who the Browns signed and started in their meaningless last game to make sure they didn’t suffer another injury to a starting quarterback.

Their new starter, at least since December, is Joe Flacco. He was signed to the Browns practice squad in November and to a contract in December. He got a start after Deshaun Watson was lost for the season early in the year, and his backup, P.J. Walker made a couple starts along with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 and completed the 2012 season with a victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Flacco parlayed that Super Bowl win to become the highest paid quarterback in the league when he signed his lucrative contract on March 4, 2013.

After getting paid, Flacco never matched his 2012 exploits and was traded to the Denver Broncos in 2019. His one year stint in the Mile High City was a failure, as was succeeding stops with the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and back to the Jets before being signed to the Browns practice squad this November.

Then, number four quarterback spun gold for Stefanski in leading the Browns to four straight wins after suffering a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in his first work with Cleveland. His success wrapped up a postseason berth for Cleveland without needing a win in their season’s last game, which they handed off to Driskel and lost.

The Browns have not only had to deal with an injury at quarterback, their backfield was also apparently weakened when star runningback Nick Chubb was lost for the year to an injury early in the season.

So, how have the Browns advanced to the postseason with so many injuries?

It makes one wonder how good this Cleveland team could have been had they not lost their two most potent offensive weapons to season ending injuries.

Which brings us to their opening postseason game this week when they meet the upstart Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The Browns defense must be really good to overcome the losses on the offensive side of the ball.

One would think.

But, in fact, over the second half of the season the Texans defense has allowed fewer points than the Browns while Cleveland’s offense has outscored Houson’s.

Does anything make sense here?

Who thinks a team four quarterbacks down on their depth chart can win on the road; and who wants to put faith in a rookie making his first postseason start?

Somebody’s got to get the victory, and I’m betting it is the home team that will slam the door on Flacco’s comeback year.

Qoxhi Picks: Houston Texans (+2) over Cleveland Browns