‘I love it,’ Case Keenum leads Texans against Browns nearly a decade after win over Ravens, Joe Flacco

HOUSTON – Case Keenum left his tree perch nearly a decade ago and his hunt for white-tailed deer, putting away his bow and arrow and picking up a football.

Signed off of the Rams’ practice squad by the Texans when Ryan Fitzpatrick broke his leg, the former University of Houston standout quarterback outdueled Joe Flacco on Dec. 21, 2014 in a victory over the Baltimore Ravens as Flacco was intercepted three times and Keenum delivered a steady performance and outdueled the Super Bowl winning passer for the first win of his NFL caree with help from J.J. Watt and Arian Foster.

Flash forward nine years, and Keenum and Flacco will square off again Sunday at NRG Stadium in a pivotal football game. Instead of the marquee matchup the league envisioned of C.J. Stroud versus Deshaun Watson, it’s a matchup between two older quarterbacks with plenty of experience.

Keenum, 35, leads the 8-6 Texans one week after earning an overtime win over the Tennessee Titans with Stroud out with a concussion. Flacco, 38, is experiencing a career renaissance for the 9-6 Browns as he passed for 374 yards last week in a win over the Chicago Bears and has 939 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions since being signed off his New Jersey couch and taking over for an injured Watson.

“We’ve all changed just a little bit since the last time I was here, yeah,” Keenum said. “I’ve got this little gray here that tends to creep in. “It’s crazy to think about at times, but it’s exciting. I love it. I love representing Houston and any time I get a chance to, it’s fun.”

Keenum led the Texans to a 19-16 overtime win over the Tennessee Titans. He threw a touchdown and passed for 229 yards with one interception returned for a touchdown. He also scrambled to deliver a pass to running back Devin “Motor” Singletary in overtime for a 41-yard catch-and-run that set up kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn’s game-winning 54-yard field goal.

Now, Keenum will lead the Texans in a game with major playoff implications. The Texans are currently eighth in the AFC playoff race, one spot behind the Indianapolis Colts, whom they lost to earlier this season and face on the road in a regular-season finale in January.

Keenum played for Browns coach Kevin Stefanski in 2020 and 2021 and was with him with the Minnesota Vikings previously.

Keenum has played for seven NFL teams previously.

“The chances of me playing against an old team are a little higher than most people because I have a lot of old teams,” Keenum said. “So, I have had to answer this a bunch because I played a lot of my old teams in the past.”

Against the Titans, Keenum displayed savvy, accuracy and confidence.

He completed 23 of 36 throws and overcame a 13-0 deficit. He improved to 3-0 in starts for the Texans since 2014. He has won his past three starts, including a pair of wins for the Browns in 2021

This is arguably a much tougher challenge this week than the Titans.

The Browns have the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense, allowing only 158.9 passing yards per game. Between the presence of dominant defensive end Myles Garrett and a talented cornerback trio comprised of Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II and Martin Emerson, Keenum has his work cut out for him.

Garrett, a former top overall pick from Texas A&M, has 13 sacks.

“Myles is one of the top rushers, top defensive ends in this league,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Everybody understands that he is one of the best players. Each and every year that he’s been in the league, he’s a problem. We have our hands full, for sure. How do you handle him?

“That’s the key for everybody that goes against him. How do you handle such a tremendous player? They do a great job of moving him around as well, so he’s not just always on the edge. Myles is an exceptional talent, truly generational talent who’s done great things in the league.”

And Flacco, although up in years, is a former Super Bowl MVP with the Ravens and a former first-round draft pick.

“He can still throw a really nice deep ball,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “You saw some of those last week, all the explosives that they had. I mean, it’s so effortless, his motion, and he can still sling it. And, obviously, he’s got all the experience in the world in terms of operating and running the system, seeing coverages, all of that stuff. It’s not a surprise to me that he was able to just slide in. Obviously, kind of at this point in the year and have some success, but I would say that his arm is still all there.”

Although he’s up in years for a professional athlete, Keenum still has plenty of juice. He delivered a gritty performance with plenty of clutch throws.

“Case Money, that’s my guy,” Singletary said of the quarterback who once engineered the ‘Minnesota Miracle’ touchdown pass to Stephon Diggs for the Vikings to win a playoff game over the New Orleans Saints. “That shows the type of guy he is. That’s hard to do, to stay prepared to play, even sometimes you might not play, but when your moment finally comes, you answer that bell. It speaks volumes on what type of guy he is”

A former undrafted free agent who signed with the Texans and went 2-0 as a replacement for Fitzpatrick has gone 3-0 in his last three starts for the franchise since 2014.

“Case Keenum been getting it done,” Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil said. “Ain’t no surprise to me.”

Keenum manufactured a workmanlike performance that included one touchdown pass to wide receiver Noah Brown and overcoming his early interception.

“I’m built for this,” Keenum said. “I’ve been in a lot of situations. I’ve been in a lot of systems, been in a lot of different games. And God’s made me who I am for this, for moments like this. And just trying to make sure that I’m ready when my number’s called. I said it before, you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready.”

Keenum bounced back from the interception and a difficult first half overall where he completed 11 of 17 throws for just 83 yards and a 51.8 passer rating. Keenum, who set NCAA passing records for the Coogs, has played for the Rams, Texans, Vikings, Denver Broncos, Washington franchise, the Browns, whom he last started for in a January 2022 game, and the Buffalo Bills.

The Brownwood native has played for everyone from Gary Kubiak to Bill O’Brien and Ryans, signing a two-year, $6.25 million contract last offseason.

Now, he’s suiting up for another meaningful football game in December for the Texans.

“Games in December that matter are awesome,” Keenum said. “That’s why last week was incredible, because it mattered. It makes this week matter that much more. We’ll worry about next week, next week. It’s playoff football against a playoff team. That’s basically how we see it.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.