This marked the first of four games against potential playoff-bound teams in the Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts. The Browns saw their three-game winning streak end as the Texans' defense and run game dominated the Browns in a 23-7 blowout loss. Texans DE J. J. Watt, who played tight end in high school, scored the 5th offensive TD of his career. The Browns' lone score came in the 2nd quarter.  A touchdown from Brian Hoyer to Browns' receiver Andrew Hawkins tied the game at 7 in the second quarter.  However, the Texans scored the final 16 points of the contest.  Hoyer struggled as he was 20/50 passing for 330 yards, throwing only one touchdown while throwing a 4th quarter interception.  It was only the second time this season that the Browns got shut out in the second half of a game, an event that also occurred in their 24-6 loss to the Jaguars.  With the loss, the Browns fell out of 1st place in the AFC North and into a tie for 3rd place behind the Bengals and Steelers, who both won that week. Defensive linemen John Hughes and Phil Taylor were lost for the season on IR, and Jordan Cameron missed his 3rd straight game due to a concussion. On November 18, the Browns released RB Ben Tate.
Which players scored touchdowns in the first half?
J. J. Watt Andrew Hawkins