Houston After joining Cleveland in late November, quarterback Joe Flacco led the Browns to four straight victories, which helped them advance to the postseason. On Saturday, the amazing run came to an abrupt end.
The Houston Texans defeated Cleveland 45–14 in the third quarter thanks to pick-sixes from quarterback Joe Flacco on consecutive plays. This victory advanced them to the divisional round.
Flacco, who turns 39 on Tuesday, said, “I was so fortunate to become part of this team—it’saspecial group.” “I am really appreciative that I have the opportunity to work with those guys on this. The way it ended stunk. However, we had a great time, and I’m thankful for the time we had.”
Two months ago, Flacco, the MVP of the 2012 Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl victory, was without a team. After starting quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, the Browns signed him on November 20.
Two weeks later, Flacco started for Cleveland for the first time, and he went on to lead the NFL in passing yards per game (average of 323). The Browns, who had secured their third postseason berth in thirty years on December 28, came into Houston on Saturday as the clear favorite.
After completing 15 of 19 passes for 172 yards in the first half, Flacco had another excellent start. However, the Browns were doomed by his two pick-sixes, as Houston surged to a 38-14 lead to virtually shut out Cleveland.
Kevin Stefanski, the offensive playcaller and coach of the Browns, stated, “He was trying to make a play.” “I have to move him to a better spot.”
The initial intercept was made just before Flacco was going to be fired. He threw the ball wildly toward the sideline rather than just taking the sack. After picking it off, Texans cornerback Steven Nelson ran 82 yards to score.
Flacco remarked, “You’re trying to throw a ball away, not trying to make a bad decision, but you have to be able to live with sacks at the end of the day.” “You have to understand that not all sacks are bad.”
On the next drive, Cleveland went for it on fourth-and-2 from its own 33, which resulted in the second interception. Tight end Harrison Bryant was the target of Flacco’s attempted pass, but linebacker Christian Harris got in the way and intercepted it for a touchdown.
After that, the Texans handed Cleveland its worst playoff loss in fifty-six years.
Flacco remarked, “I thought I could jam one in there.” “At that point, it’s just a calculated risk.”
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Flacco made history during his time with the Browns by becoming the first NFL quarterback to pass for multiple touchdowns and at least 250 yards in his first five games as a new player.
However, Flacco’s contract was only signed for this year.
With three years remaining on his $230 million fully guaranteed contract that he signed with the Browns in the offseason, Watson is expected to recover from shoulder surgery in time for the upcoming campaign.
When asked if he would want to return to Cleveland, even as a backup, Flacco—who has previously stated that he wants to continue playing in the NFL—answered yes.
“Listen, I adore this place and everything we’re going through right now—just experiencing the feelings of the game and being thrilled to be in this position—and then to come up empty,” he uttered. That is my mental location. attempting to take it all in and give it some time to settle.”
