Throwback Flacco Wasn’t Enough
Dec 3, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) throws the ball against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Flacco turned back the clock on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough for the Cleveland Browns. The surging Los Angeles Rams, who are finally getting healthy, had one too many counter punches and ended up inflating the scoreboard at the end for a 36-19 victory.
At what ended up being the crucial point in the game, the Browns’ defense forced a quick three-and-out, and the Flacco-led offense took over near their own 20-yard line only trailing by a point. One could argue the only mistake that Flacco made all day came on that drive as he heaved a deep ball that was easily picked off.
To add insult to injury, former Brown John Johnson had a great return on the interception and set the Rams up well. They quickly cashed in to take an eight-point lead.
It truly was a team loss. The defense looked like Swiss cheese at times, both sides committed costly pre-snap penalties, and special teams missed an extra point to boot. With the Browns already down Deshaun Watson, they can’t afford to make these kinds of mistakes and expect to come away with a victory.
Let’s dive into the takeaways from Sunday, and what the loss in LA means for the Browns moving forward.
Flacco is The Guy For Now
After seeing doses of both P.J. Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson over the last six weeks, there is no doubt that Flacco will be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season unless he is also injured. I know Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski both like DTR, but it’s undeniable that Flacco provides the best chance to win.
Even at 38 years old, Flacco still has that same old cannon, and for the most part he kept the team on track. Yes, it’s frustrating at times to see him throw the ball out of bounds, but when no one is open, sometimes that’s the most productive thing to do.
If you take away the interception, Flacco was incredible on Sunday. The former Super Bowl champ who hadn’t taken an NFL snap in 11 months was 23/44 for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He took two sacks (one a safety), but both were in garbage time as the game was all but sealed.
Even though the score wasn’t close at the end, the Browns were in this game the whole way. Keep in mind that Flacco accomplished this with a minimal run game, and without Amari Cooper for most of the game as he could not continue to fight through the rib injury.
Flacco is obvious not a long-term solution, but if the Browns are looking for their best shot to make the playoffs, he’s is the guy who should be under center the rest of the season.
Injuries Killed the Defense
The one thing that especially stood out today was Sean McVay’s strength as a play caller. The Browns have had a top-five defense all season, but they looked pedestrian and on their heels for most of the day.
It’s disappointing but understandable why this unit has struggled the last two weeks, as they are missing their top two players. Myles Garrett played a lot the last two Sundays, but you can tell he is at 50 to 75% health at best. And while half of Garrett is still better than a lot of NFL players, right now this unit is struggling to overcome his lack of production.
What this team has felt even more the last two weeks is the injury to Denzel Ward. We’ve always known how great of a player he is, but Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford have torched the Browns’ secondary the last two weeks, and you can really feel his absence.
The biggest change this week was the amount of zone coverage the Browns played. Courtland Sutton torched the secondary last week in man-to-man, and Stafford was able to pick apart the Browns’ zone this week. A lack of pass rush also didn’t help things this week as the defense failed to record a sack and was only able to make Stafford uncomfortable a handful of times.
The Path Forward
The Cleveland Browns will finally get a home game on Sunday, but the competition doesn’t get any easier as the red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars will be in town. And after dropping to 7-5 and losing their last two games, the Browns need to come away with a victory.
The schedule gets easier after next week, but falling to 7-6 could be too much to overcome. This three game stretch already looked tough after the injury to Watson, but the Browns needed to find a way to win at least one.
Unfortunately, they will now be tasked with beating the toughest opponent on this three-game stretch. However, with a few players getting healthier, being back home in Cleveland, and getting another week of practice for Flacco, let’s not count the Browns out just yet.
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