Amari Cooper, one of the greatest players to ever don the Crimson and White, had an absolutely massive day on Christmas Eve to help the Cleveland Browns defeat the Houston Texans and take a huge step towards earning Cleveland a playoff berth.
Cooper finished with 265 receiving yards, a Cleveland franchise record, on 11 catches and two touchdowns:
JOE FLACCO TO AMARI COOPER IN 2023 🔥 (via @NFL)
— Overtime (@overtime) December 24, 2023
Amari Cooper is having himself a day 🤯
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/PeFlVdsktn
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 24, 2023
AMARI COOPER! INSANE CATCH pic.twitter.com/MOLLnRJZeI
— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) December 24, 2023
The win over Houston pushed the Texans, who have had a phenomenal season under first-year coach and former Alabama star linebacker DeMeco Ryans, out of the playoffs with two games remaining.
Cooper, who has been in the league since 2015, has more than 9,000 yards in his career with 667 receptions and 60 touchdowns.
He is one of the most decorated receivers in the history of Alabama football, having led the Crimson Tide historically in just about every category until DeVonta Smith came along.
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Before Smith passed him, he was Alabama’s career leader in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns, having accomplished all three feats in just three seasons.
He was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, where he spent three seasons before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys during the 2018 season.
The Browns acquired Cooper before the 2022 season, and he has put up back to back 1,000-yard seasons since for the first time since 2019-2020.
Cooper can now help the Browns clinch their first playoff appearance since 2020 with a win over the New York Jets on Thursday night.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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