Following the Browns’ victory over the Jaguars, Joe Flacco was named the team’s starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season.
Joe Flacco is back in the starting lineup.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Sunday that the seasoned quarterback will start for the Cleveland Browns for the balance of 2023.
With 311 yards for three touchdowns and an interception on Sunday, Flacco led the Browns to a 31-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
On November 20, the 38-year-old quarterback signed a contract with the Browns following the season-ending shoulder injury of starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Flacco will make his next start.
Flacco made his second consecutive start in the victory over the Jaguars, having been selected on December 3 for the Browns’ 36-19 Week 13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
In his Browns debut, Flacco passed for 254 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a rookie quarterback who has made five appearances—three starts—this season and has passed for 429 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions, is being benched by Stefanski in favor of Flacco.
The pivotal moment in Thompson-Robinson’s season occurred as he guided the team toward a game-winning field goal in the final seconds against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10.
Flacco was also selected by the Browns instead of PJ Walker, who last started in a Week 12 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Walker was discarded by Cleveland on Saturday so that Flacco could be added to the active roster.
With their victory over the Jaguars, the Browns raised their record to 8-5 on the year, good enough that The Upshot of the New York Times projects an 87 percent likelihood of the team making the playoffs.
The postseason berth for Cleveland is far from the team’s chances of making it to the postseason for the first time since 2020 will mostly depend on Flacco’s performance in Week 15 against the Bears.
