The all-pro guard for the Browns overcame a back injury to win against the Texans, but he will need to do it again this coming short week.
Houston — Joel Bitonio claims that his ability to play in the Browns’ 36-22 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday is nothing short of a Christmas miracle.
Muscle spasms kept the All-Pro left guard out of last week’s victory over the Chicago Bears, so he had to fight through a back injury this week.
To put it mildly, the road to his return a week later was a long one.
“My wife was assisting me with putting on my shorts and underwear, getting out of bed, and other tasks. You can ask her if you would have asked me on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday,” Bitonio stated on Sunday. “After a while, you think, ‘It’s okay, I played in the game the next week, even though I crawled up the stairs on Sunday night.'” It helps put things into context.
Bitonio did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday and only participated minimally in the session on Friday.
For the longest-tenured Brown to miss a single snap, let alone an entire game, is quite an accomplishment. Following a minor knee procedure earlier in the season, Bitonio’s streak of 102 regular-season starts and 6,481 snaps was broken. He seemed certain that he would be able to play in this one when he spoke to the media on Thursday, and he turned out to be correct.
“After the game, I felt like, ‘All right, once we get to Sunday, adrenaline’s kicking in, I think I can get through as long as it doesn’t reaggravate,'” he said after practicing outside on Friday.
Because of his Sunday injury, Bitonio was able to finish the game, which was fortunate given the Texans’ formidable defensive line, which entered today with every regular starter having accumulated five or more sacks. Prior to Week 16, the Houston defense was allowing just 3.44 yards per carry on average, which was the second-best mark in the league.
Cleveland benefited greatly from having one of the best pulling guards in the NFL at their disposal as well as from not having to face Houston’s top sack-getter, Jonathan Greenhard (12.5), who left the game in the first quarter due to an ankle injury.
However, Bitonio did get to leave the game a little early when the Browns led 36-7 and Cleveland’s other starters were benched halfway through the fourth quarter.
However, the Texans pulled within two scores with roughly four minutes remaining, so the first team was back on the field.
“I managed to stop them from scoring after they got an onside, but I had to go back in there,” Bitonio remarked. “I believe that was the first time in my career that I had to return to the game after getting pulled during a significant victory. So, while it didn’t exactly go as planned, I’m still happy that we succeeded.
The upcoming short week presents a challenge for Bitonio and the rest of his teammates. The Jets visit the city on Thursday night, so the Browns won’t have much time to get into the Christmas spirit.
Because of the short turnaround, he still has some work to do in order to fully recover from back injuries.
Bitonio stated, “I made it. I got a little bit shocked on a couple plays early, but I kind of made my way through as the game went on.” “We’ll see how we feel tomorrow, but I was excited that I finished this one.”
However, it does help to know that the Browns are in a win-now-you’re-in situation.
“Having a chance at the end of the season is what drives you to play, and we’ve discussed starting 1-0 as we look for a solution, and it’s right in front of us right now,” Bitonio remarked. “We’re going to come in tomorrow after a little Christmas morning off and get to work because we win this game and we’re in.”
To put it another way? A guy who had to crawl up his staircase seven days earlier might even try to suit up for a game with those kind of stakes.
