Amari Cooper sets Browns’ receiving record with 265 yards،
HOUSTON — Receiver Amari Cooper made history Sunday. And behind his monster performance in a 36-22 win over the Houston Texans, the Cleveland Browns are on the brink of their first playoff appearance since 2020.
Cooper caught 11 passes for 265 yards, surpassing the Browns passing record previously held by Josh Gordon (261 in 2013). After a brief absence, he returned to the game in the fourth quarter after a late Texans rally, catching a 13-yard pass on fourth-and-7 to break the lead.
Cooper now has four 200-yard receiving games in his career – one outside the NFL record shared by Calvin Johnson and Lance Alworth – and he became the second NFL player to reach that milestone with three different franchises. Cooper also accomplished the feat for the Raiders and Cowboys, joining Terrell Owens (49ers, Cowboys and Bengals) as the only other players to do so.
Cooper also surpassed 1,000 yards passing during the season, becoming the first Cleveland player to reach that mark in back-to-back years. Cooper finished with 1,160 receiving yards in 2022, his first year with the Browns, and he now has 1,250 this season with two games remaining.
The Browns (10-6) are expected to play for the playoffs in their final two games. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Cleveland now has a better than 99% chance of making the playoffs, although the Browns can't clinch a playoff spot until next week, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills all winning two Saturdays.
Cleveland was alone among the top 5 seeds in the AFC playoffs this weekend. The Browns are also still alive for the AFC North title, trailing the Baltimore Ravens (11-3) by just 1½ games. The Ravens will face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
Cooper set the tone early Sunday with a 53-yard reception from quarterback Joe Flacco on the opening drive to set up Cleveland's first score. In the second quarter, he completed a 75-yard touchdown pass down the sideline despite a defensive pass interference call, marking the Browns' longest field goal grab since 2020.
Cooper then had a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and added a two-score reception early in the fourth quarter for a 36-7 lead.
He sat out most of the fourth quarter, but returned after the Texans scored consecutive touchdowns, including one after an onside kick, to cut Cleveland's lead to 14 points.
