HOUSTON -- All fourth quarter, Amari Cooper was campaigning to get back in the game. It wasn't to break the Cleveland Browns' franchise record, but rather to top 300 receiving yards in a game.
He didn't quite reach 300. Instead, Cooper had to settle for 265 yards -- a new Browns single-game record.
"It was a lot of time left, man. A lot of food on the plate there," said Cooper, who sat most of the fourth quarter with 252 receiving yards and a 36-7 lead. "So yeah, I was anxious a little bit, for sure."
Fittingly, Cooper came up with the catch that all but sealed the win as the Browns took another big step toward securing their first playoff appearance since 2020.
After the Texans scored two late touchdowns -- including one after an onside kick -- to bring Sunday's outcome back into doubt, Cooper got his wish, re-entered the game and, just as he had done all afternoon, he delivered.
On fourth-and-7, Cooper hauled in a 13-yard reception to break the team record previously held by Josh Gordon (261 in 2013) and help Cleveland fend off Houston's late rally to win 36-22.
"He's a savant out there. ... A consummate pro," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said of Cooper, who finished with a game-high 11 catches. "... Pretty special. He's a good one."
Cooper now has four 200-yard receiving games in his career -- one off the NFL record shared by Calvin Johnson and Lance Alworth -- and he became just the second NFL player to reach the milestone with three different franchises. Cooper also achieved the feat for the Raiders and Cowboys, joining Terrell Owens (49ers, Cowboys and Bengals) as the only other player to do it.
"The rhythm of the game, the way it was flowing, I felt very confident that I could get to 300 [yards], I'm not going to lie to you," Cooper said. "But it was cool, I'm glad we got the dub."
Cooper also passed 1,000 yards on the season Sunday, 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. Now, he has 1,250 yards this season with two games left.
The Browns (10-5) figure to be playing for playoff seeding in their final two games. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Cleveland now has a better than 99% chance to make the postseason. But the Browns can't clinch a playoff spot until next week, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills both winning Saturday.
Cleveland was alone in the 5-seed in the AFC playoff picture coming into the weekend. The Browns are still alive for the AFC North title as well, trailing the Baltimore Ravens (11-3) by only 1½ games. Baltimore faces San Francisco 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, Cooper hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass down the sideline despite a defensive pass interference call, marking the longest Browns scoring grab since 2020.
"He's told me a bunch of times, 'I'm 225 [pounds], cuz, throw me the ball,'" said Flacco, who finished with 368 passing yards and three touchdowns. "I'm going to get more and more used to letting it go [his way]."
Cooper later made a 7-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, then added a two-point reception early in the fourth to extend the lead to 36-7.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Cooper finished with 51.5 points in fantasy football -- the fifth-most by any player in Week 15 or later this century.
"We're trying to find our rhythm," Cooper said of the offense. "We seemed to have found it a little bit. We just want to keep building on that."