Wide receiver Nico Collins scored eight touchdowns for the Houston Texans during the 2023 NFL regular season. Linebacker Christian Harris didn’t score any.

Both players found the end zone during the Texans’ 45-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday in the opening game of the AFC playoffs.

A prep star at Clay-Chalkville, Collins caught a 15-yard pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud for Houston’s first touchdown as the Texans took a 10-7 lead with 11 seconds left in the first quarter.

Collins caught six passes for 96 yards on Saturday. It was almost more: Collins got behind the Cleveland secondary in the second quarter, but Stroud overthrew him on what could have been a 59-yard touchdown pass.

Collins had 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns during the 2023 regular season.

A former Alabama standout, Harris picked off Cleveland quarterback Joe Flacco on a third-and-1 pass and returned the interception 36 yards for his first touchdown in the NFL as Houston took a 38-14 lead with 4:06 left in the third quarter.

The Texans didn’t return an interception for a touchdown during the regular season. But Harris’ was the second pick-6 for Houston in 1:59 after cornerback Steven Nelson ran back an interception 82 yards for a touchdown to end the previous Cleveland possession.

The next time the Browns had the football after his touchdown, Harris recorded a fourth-down sack for a 13-yard loss.

Harris had two sacks and did not intercept a pass in 16 regular-season games in his second NFL campaign. Harris had one interception as a rookie.

Harris made eight tackles and recorded two tackles for loss against Cleveland.

Former Jess Lanier High School and Alabama standout DeMeco Ryans got a victory in the first playoff game of his first season as an NFL head coach. Ryans became the first Alabama alumnus to be the winning head coach in an NFL playoff game since Jan. 8, 1983, when Bart Starr’s Green Bay Packers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 41-16.

Ryans became the third first-year coach to win a playoff game with a rookie quarterback in NFL history. Stroud completed 16-of-21 passes for 274 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

In addition to Collins and Harris, 10 other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the Cleveland-Houston game:

· Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) started at defensive end for the Texans. Anderson made three tackles and recorded one sack. Anderson missed Houston’s 36-22 loss to Cleveland on Dec. 24 because of an ankle injury. The Texans did not sack Browns quarterback Joe Flacco in that game. Flacco was sacked four times on Saturday.

· Amari Cooper (Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Browns. Cooper had four receptions for 59 yards. When Cleveland defeated Houston 36-22 on Dec. 24, Cooper had 11 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns to set a franchise single-game record for receiving yards. Cooper missed the two intervening games because of an ankle injury and got shaken up in the first half on Saturday but continued to play.

· Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (Alabama A&M) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High) did not record any stats.

· Jerome Ford (Alabama) started at running back for the Browns. Ford had 17 yards on nine rushing attempts and 15 yards on four receptions.

· Texans guard Tytus Howard (Monroe County, Alabama State) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Texans safety Kareem Jackson (Alabama) made one tackle.

· Browns offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood (Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Texans wide receiver John Metchie III (Alabama) had three receptions for 44 yards.

· Za’Darius Smith (Greenville) started at defensive end for the Browns. Smith made one tackle and registered one quarterback hit.

· Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama) started at defensive tackle for the Browns. Tomlinson made three tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.

· Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o (Alabama) made one tackle.

· Texans safety Jimmie Ward (Davidson) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Browns wide receiver Austin Watkins (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Browns defensive end Alex Wright (Elba, UAB) did not record any stats.

· Texans offensive tackle Kilian Zierer (Auburn) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Cleveland had an 11-6 regular-season record, and Houston went 10-7. The Texans will have to wait for the results of the other three AFC playoff games to determine their opponent in next week’s Divisional Round.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.