Texans lean on postseason veterans to prepare for playoff opener: 'It definitely was earned'

The Texans' young stars get most of the attention, but the roster was built with plenty of playoff veterans. Before he emerged as a force in the Texans running game, Devin Singletary was part of eight playoff games for the Buffalo Bills. Singletary told ABC13 on Wednesday that the Texans postseason veterans will make sure no one in the locker room takes Saturday's playoff game against Cleveland for granted.

"It definitely wasn't given. It definitely was earned. That just makes you go harder. Locked in that much more, whatever it is. Do an extra rep here, a little extra time watching tape, whatever it may be, to give ourselves the best shot. Us knowing that it's been earned, we're not taking it for granted at all," Singletary said.

The Texans' first priority is finding a way to slow down the Browns' passing attack. Just over two weeks ago, Amari Cooper caught 11 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns in an easy win over the Texans. Safety Jalen Pitre said the Texans' defensive backs take those numbers personally.

"I definitely take it personal. As a safety, I'm not supposed to let anything get behind me. Anytime that a receiver, a running back, anybody scores touchdowns and has that many yards, it definitely eats at me, so we're looking forward to Saturday," Pitre said. Texans standouts like Will Anderson Jr, Jon Greenard, Noah Brown, and Jerry Hughes did not practice Wednesday.

They are all dealing with injuries as they work to try to play Saturday in the Texans' first playoff game since 2019..