Cleveland Browns
In a season where even the best teams have weaknesses, the veteran quarterback only needs to be competent when he has a brilliant defense behind him
When the NFL season began, Joe Flacco watched it like most of us: from the couch. The 38-year-old, who was out of contract at the start of the season, stayed in form and pitched with his brother in case an offer came along. But he shifted his focus primarily to a coaching career.
Then the Cleveland Browns came calling after their $230 million man Deshaun Watson was sidelined with a season-ending shoulder injury. He started last week and was average, although significantly more productive than the Flacco we saw playing for the New York Jets last season. In Sunday's 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Flacco was better, certainly above average. Maybe even very good. This is Flacco we're talking about, so it's never going to be a stunning display, especially at this point in his career, but man, is he solid? He finished Sunday 26 of 45 for 311 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He was smart and, among other things, managed to get coverage to fend off a fake against Kareem Hunt on the opening drive, which gave tight end David Njoku a great chance for the first of his two goals. There were mistakes and a few missed opportunities, but for the most part Flacco played like an experienced and reliable game manager.
One-man Avalanche Myles Garrett should be a rare defensive MVP in the NFL
Now that the Browns are 8-5 and well-positioned to play in the postseason, a reliable game manager under center might be enough. Ultimately, Cleveland's defense is fearsome, opportunistic and championship-caliber when healthy.
Jim Schwartz's group showed once again that they are particularly strong at home. The result was deceptive considering that 14 of Jacksonville's points came from Cleveland turnovers. The Browns swarmed around Trevor Lawrence, who was somehow able to play despite suffering a severe ankle sprain. In total, Cleveland pressured Lawrence 26 times, sacked him four times and forced four turnovers. And this while Myles Garrett was still not playing at 100%.
With Garrett back at full health, the defense should be bolstered by other key players. Rookie Cameron Mitchell recovered from his injury on Sunday and intercepted a pass from Lawrence to Zay Jones on fourth down with 3:30 left. The Browns also hope to get cornerback Denzel Ward back in the next few weeks.
In recent years, teams like the Chiefs, Bills and Bengals have had offenses that were simply too good for teams that couldn't trade blows with them. But this season has been unconventional in the AFC. Miami has a deservedly strong offense, but has been hampered recently by serious injuries to the defense and offensive line. The Bills are hanging by a thread, but Josh Allen can and will lose their games and has very little support elsewhere. The Fox pregame show did a parody this week called “Mahomes Alone” and aside from Travis Kelce, they nailed it. In Sunday's loss to Buffalo, the Chiefs only scored a single point with a minute left in the first half. That doesn't exactly scream Super Bowl contender. The Ravens are always a threat, but Lamar Jackson also tends to make some very off-target throws.
After Cleveland's win, reporters asked Garrett for his opinion on Flacco. Garrett showed off his sense of humor and called him “elite.” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski didn't go that far, but named him the starter for the rest of the season.
The quarterback carousel has been busy this season. But Flacco's chance to move from coach to QB1 is truly one of the most endearing storylines of the season. And he enjoys the moment.
“It's incredible to be out there. It is truly a unique experience,” he told reporters. “I can’t say enough about having kids who are at the age where they understand what’s going on.”
Who knows how far this Browns team can go? They're still a long way from reaching the championship game, but there's a precedent for winning a Super Bowl with a top-notch defense and a quarterback who's suddenly hot: the 2012 Baltimore Ravens, quarterbacked by…Joe Flacco.
MVP of the week
Jake Browning led the Bengals to another AFC South win after win on Sunday. Photo: Joseph Maiorana/USA Today Sports
Jake Browning, quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals. It turns out the Bengals' playoff hopes didn't end when Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending ligament tear last month. Browning, the undrafted 27-year-old, wreaked havoc on an AFC South team for the second straight game. After stunning the Jaguars in overtime last week, Browning led the Bengals to a much less frightening 34-14 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, completing 18 of his 24 passes for 275 yards and two touchdown throws (one further he ran). . Browning has rarely looked unsettled since filling in for one of the league's best quarterbacks and has helped keep the 7-6 Bengals in the playoff conversation.
Video of the week
Dawg Travis Kelce is wild for this play, but damn if it was a touchdown that would have been 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/tGCeqrJ0qt
– Shannonnn Sharpes Burner (PARODY account) (@shannonsharpeee) December 11, 2023
It looked like the Kansas City Chiefs would beat the Buffalo Bills again in agonizing fashion when Travis Kelce, who played quarterback in high school, switched to Kadarius Toney, who trotted home to score a touchdown that was his would have given the team the lead with less than a minute left on the clock. It was a risky move on Kelce's part – perhaps Tony Romo had confused him on the CBS broadcast when he referred to Taylor Swift as the tight end's “wife” – but it was all for naught anyway: Toney was offside and the play was called back . Patrick Mahomes in particular was outraged by the call, saying players are normally warned when they are offside – but the officials were right about the letter of the law. “There is no need for a warning, especially when they are so far offside that they are actually blocking our view of the ball,” referee Carl Cheffers said after the game. Buffalo beat its old rivals 20-17 and stayed in the playoff hunt.
Statistics of the week
Eleven. There were eleven complete drives in the first half of the Houston Texans' visit to the New York Jets – and all eleven ended in a punt. For the Jets, it looked like the same old story: a brilliant defense let down by a terrible offense. Then something strange happened: Zach Wilson started balling. It was just his third 300-yard passing game in 32 starts and sparked a 30-6 win over Houston. Wilson frequently linked up with Garrett Wilson, throwing at varying depths and looking like a man with little to lose. “[Wilson] said, “What's the worst that can happen if I get put on the bench again?” That's what he said and that's how he played. You could see that,” cornerback DJ Reed said after the game.
A pretty impressive feat for Wilson and the Jets considering the first half puntfest and the ridicule he received. It was also a glimpse of what could have happened for the Jets this season if they had had the offense to support their defense.
Elsewhere in the league
The Cowboys were too strong for the Eagles on Sunday night. Photo: Michael Ainsworth/AP
– Suddenly the Dallas Cowboys look like a very dangerous team and have now won seven of their last eight games. Their most recent was also their most impressive, as they easily defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 33-13 on Sunday Night Football, leaving both teams atop the NFC East at 10-3, although the Cowboys would be declared division champions at the end of the season today . Dak Prescott and the defense were impressive as always, but credit also goes to their kicker Brandon Aubrey, who made all 30 of his field goals this season, including shots from 50, 59 and 60 yards on Sunday. The result also gives the 10-3 San Francisco 49ers, who have convincingly beaten the Eagles and Cowboys this season, the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
– The Chicago Bears embarrassingly blew a 12-point lead over the Detroit Lions with four minutes left a few weeks ago. Facing the same scenario this week – a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter – Chicago walked away with a surprising 28-13 win. The Bears' turnover-heavy defense kept the Lions' offense scoreless in the second half. Offensively, Justin Fields was sensational on the ground and was once again so adept in the air that he will force some interesting organizational decisions come draft time.
— Take a bow, Tylan Wallace. This is how you end a football game …even if it was aided by a missed block in the recall. The Ravens ultimately secured the 37-31 overtime win because their defense didn't completely collapse in the fourth quarter, as has so often happened this season. The impressive Los Angeles Rams held on as Matt Stafford threw three touchdowns, Cooper Kupp came to life and Kyren Williams continued to be a spark on the ground, but it wasn't enough. The Ravens are the first AFC team this season to win 10 games.
– Sunday's results mean the New England Patriots have been eliminated from the playoffs for the earliest time in a season since 2000. Bill Belichick's tenure in New England may be on thin ice as the 71-year-old is 27 games shy of Don Shula's all-time coaching wins record.
– Horrible moments during the Texans' loss to the Jets. NFL passing leader CJ Stroud appeared to be in severe discomfort after hitting his head on the turf while being tackled to the ground by Quinnen Williams. Stroud was placed in the concussion protocol, a troubling sight for a player who was outstanding in his rookie season but was under pressure on 44% of his dropbacks Sunday. “At the end of the day, our job is to protect the quarterback, and we didn’t do that well enough today,” Texas guard Shaq Mason told ESPN after the game.
– There are now six 7-6 teams in the AFC – the Steelers, Colts, Texans, Broncos, Bengals and Bills – which is also the limit for the wild card spots. If the season ended today, the Steelers and Colts would make it into the various tiebreakers. This hasn't been a great year in the NFL, but the parity means we should have an exciting end to the regular season.
– 3-0 is an impressive win in the Premier League, slightly less so in the NFL. With this score, the Minnesota Vikings prevailed against the Las Vegas Raiders in the league's weakest game in 16 years. The game-winning field goal didn't come until the final two minutes in a game that summed up much of the uninspiring offense we've seen this season. However, the 7-6 Vikings are still in the playoff spots, and Justin Jefferson escaped serious injury after taking a hard hit from Raiders safety Marcus Epps.
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