Flacco, Browns Ground Jets, Clinch Playoff Spot
When Joe Flacco was leading the Baltimore Ravens — aka the team formerly known as the Cleveland Browns — to a Super Bowl win after the 2012 season, we imagine Cleveland fans didn’t too care much for the strong-armed quarterback at the time.
After the Browns’ 37-20 beatdown of the visiting New York Jets on Thursday Night Football, Flacco is the river-fired toast of the town.
Led by the 38-year-old QB, Cleveland clinched just its third playoff appearance since 1999. As he has since taking over as the starting signal-caller, Flacco was productive, at times spectacular. He threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns, despite not having star wideout Amari Cooper (out with a heel injury) at his disposal.
Cleveland built a 17-point halftime lead, with Flacco strafing the celebrated Jets pass defense for an eye-popping 296 yards in the first 30 minutes alone. The Browns jumped on New York early, taking the opening kickoff 75 yards in seven plays, with Flacco hitting tight end David Njuko on passes of 36 and 28 yards to set up a seven-yard TD catch by Jerome Ford.
The Jets answered back on the ensuing drive to tie the game, 7-7, with Trevor Siemian finding back Breece Hall on a 21-yard TD pass. Hall, who finished with a team-high nine catches and 84 yards rushing, broke off a 25-yard run on the drive.
Cleveland controlled the rest of the half, with Flacco and the Browns’ offense carving up the usually stingy Jets pass defense. Following the Hall score, Flacco engineered a seven-play drive finished off by a Kareem Hunt seven-yard TD run. The Jets fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, but the Browns could not capitalize, turning the ball over on downs inside the New York 10-yard line.
Following the defensive stand, the Jets ultimately relinquished the points when QB Trevor Siemian was intercepted by Cleveland DB Ronnie Hickman, who returned the pass 30 yards to put the Browns up, 20-7. Cleveland pushed the advantage to 27-7, early in the second quarter, when Flacco hit receiver Elijah Moore in the end zone from eight yards away. Moore also had a 24-yard catch on the drive to convert a 3rd-and-3 and move the ball into Jets territory.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Joe Flacco masterpiece without a couple of smudges and cockeyed brushstrokes marring an otherwise flawless composition. Midway through the second quarter, the game saw its second pick-six when New York’s Jermaine Johnson batted a Flacco toss into the air, grabbed it and ran 37 yards to bring New York to within two possessions.
But any hopes the Jets held out that the Browns’ offense would slow its roll were dashed on the next Cleveland drive. Moore added a 22-yard catch to his 61-yard night, and Ford took a short Flacco toss 50 yards for a TD. Two Siemian passes to tight end Tyler Conklin in the final minute of the first half set up a Greg Zuerlein field goal that made it 34-17.
New York threatened to get back into the game, taking the second-half kickoff and driving 61 yards into the Browns’ red zone. But Cleveland’s Nick Harris blocked a 31-yard field goal attempt by Zuerlein to maintain the 17-point advantage. The Jets eventually did get that Zuerlein field goal, from 44 yards away, midway through the fourth, to narrow the gap to 34-20, before a Browns field goal closed out the scoring.
Cleveland’s offense pretty much shut things down in the second half, as Flacco’s 13 yards passing after intermission suggest. Along with Flacco, Njoku was the offensive star for the Browns Thursday, catching six passes for a robust 134 yards. Ford and Hunt combined for 95 yards rushing on 22 attempts. The only blemishes for the Browns’ offense were three turnovers, including two lost fumbles.
The Browns (11-5) still have an outside shot at the AFC North title and best record in the conference, but would need a lot of help (i.e., two Baltimore losses). With the Flacco-led Browns’ offense now complementing the team’s elite defense, Cleveland could be a very tough out in the postseason.