Joel Bitonio spent 12 seasons giving everything he had to the Cleveland Browns, and now that his career is over, he is reflecting on the moments that hurt the most. The newly retired guard sat down with the Ken Carman Show on 92.3 The Fan and got honest about the game that still haunts him.
Bitonio said the playoff game in Houston from 2024 is still one that bothers him.
“One of the toughest moments, when we went to Houston for the playoffs. I felt so much momentum and we went there and laid a dud. After that game I was like, is that my last chance to make a run?” Bitonio said.
“One of the toughest moments, when we went to Houston for the playoffs. I felt so much momentum and we went there and laid a dud. After that game I was like ‘is that my last chance to make a run?”
📞Former Browns OL Joel Bitonio on the hardest moments in his career pic.twitter.com/BhfU41OaXs
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) June 11, 2026
The Browns arrived in Houston as wild card team riding genuine momentum. What followed was one of the most lopsided playoff performances in recent Browns history. Houston dismantled Cleveland by a score of 45-14, turning what felt like a promising postseason moment into a forgettable afternoon that ended almost before it started.
Joe Flacco threw for 307 yards and a touchdown but also tossed two interceptions that Houston returned for touchdowns, both in the second half when the game was still theoretically within reach. The Browns managed just 56 rushing yards on the day and were outgained in yards per play by nearly double, with Houston averaging 8.1 yards per play compared to Cleveland’s 4.6. The Texans scored on their first possession and never really looked back.
For Bitonio, who had spent the better part of a decade watching this franchise cycle through quarterbacks, coaches, and rebuilds without ever finding the right combination to make a genuine playoff run, that game represented something much heavier than a single loss. He had spent years being one of the few constants on a roster that changed around him constantly, grinding through losing seasons and near misses, waiting for the moment when Cleveland would finally break through. The 2023 season felt like that moment. Eleven wins. A playoff berth. Real momentum. And then Houston happened.
Bitonio finished his career as one of the best offensive linemen of his generation, earning seven Pro Bowl selections and back to back first team All-Pro honors in 2021 and 2022. He started 178 games in a Browns uniform, the most by any player since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999. He deserved better. Browns fans know it. And based on his own words, so does he.
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