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This is Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the balance of the campaign.
Browns declare Joe Flacco, the quarterback, will start all of 2023
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Joe Flacco, the quarterback for the Browns, will start all of 2023.
Published at 05:32 PM on December 10, 2023
Updated at 06:08 PM on December 10, 2023
Producer of Digital Content, Bobby Kownack
Highlights of Jaguars vs. Browns in Week 14
This is Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the balance of the campaign.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski named 38-year-old Joe Flacco the starting quarterback after Flacco turned back time on Sunday, leading the Browns to a 31-27 victory over the Jaguars with 311 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.
Stefanski had the clear response when asked if Flacco will be at the top of the depth chart going forward following such a crucial play.
That was the Browns’ gameplan, as they were able to withstand a late push by the determined Jags and frequently came alive in bursts under Flacco.
According to Flacco, “It was definitely an ugly game,” as he said to CBS’s Evan Washburn. “Both parties made mistakes. I certainly didn’t play the cleanest game, but I get the impression that this team kind of enjoys it that way. They respond quite well in situations such as those. I’ve been here for a few weeks, and during that time I’ve been watching them on TV, so that’s kind of what I’ve seen. Hey, whatever means necessary, we’ll take them
Although two of Flacco’s TD passes went to Njoku and another went to David Bell in the fourth quarter, his instant chemistry with Amari Cooper was also clear throughout.
The Browns new QB1 looked for the team’s WR1 on 14 different occasions, six more than any other pass catcher, and the duo turned that into seven catches for 77 yards.
Once the smoke cleared, the Browns moved to 8-5, Flacco became the fourth Cleveland QB this season to earn a win and Cleveland’s offense finished with 389 total yards — its most since Week 2.
It all bodes well for Cleveland, which is now in the AFC’s No. 5 seed with a full-game margin over multiple teams after the Steelers, Colts and Texans all fell.
In the past three weeks, Flacco has put back on an NFL uniform off the couch, twice been elevated from the practice squad to play and once reverted back to the practice squad.
He won’t be leaving the active roster now.
More crucial to the Browns’ hopes this season is the cunning veteran’s resume, which includes 16 years of experience and MVP honors from Super Bowls, as he attempts to lead Cleveland to the postseason and beyond.
After the victory, he remarked, “There were so many times when I was just feeling like a 10-year-old kid again.” “And to be able to do that, you just can’t let it be lost on you how special it is to play this game.”
