INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Despite the Browns losing 36-19 to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, veteran quarterback Joe Flacco is earning praise for his performance in his first start with the team, including from his head coach.
"He saw [the field] well, made good decisions, got us into the correct plays and all those type of things," Kevin Stefanski told reporters after the game. "Operated well; did what we expected him to do."
But was it enough to make Flacco Cleveland's QB1 going forward?
"I'm not going to get into all that," Stefanski said when asked specifically.
True, the immediate aftermath of a tough road defeat probably isn't the best place to announce a major personnel decision, but it was on everyone's mind after watching Flacco at SoFi Stadium. Fresh off being signed from the practice squad this week, the 38-year-old completed 23 of 44 passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The yardage output is the second-most by any of the Browns' four quarterbacks this season, a welcome sight for a club in desperate need of a pulse in the passing game.
"It was obviously a lot of fun to be out there and play football again, especially with [this] group of guys," Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP with 234 career TD passes to his credit, said following his first action in almost a year. "Obviously not fun in the end and how it ended."
Flacco managed to put up solid numbers not only with less than a week of preparation, but also after losing top receiver Amari Cooper to a concussion in the first half. Though he was able to use the vertical game a bit (particularly with Elijah Moore), he leaned heavily on his tight ends and running backs, as well, with those positions combining for 11 catches and both scores.
"Obviously with Amari going out, guys need to step up," Flacco admitted. "I'm just trying to run the offense they way that it needs to be ran, and if those guys are in those situations and are getting open, then they should get the ball."
Cleveland's Week 13 defeat can be mostly attributed to injuries and a lackluster defense, but unfortunately, Flacco did make a crucial error that helped LA pull away. Down by one with less than seven minutes to go, Flacco attempted to go up top to Moore, but the ball was underthrown and picked off by John Johnson III. It set up a Rams touchdown that led to 16 unanswered points to end the game.
"It ultimately was just a bad decision," Flacco said of his wayward throw. "I was late throwing that pass. ... I had time in the pocket but lost track of the safety there."
Regarding the interception, Stefanski remarked that Flacco was just "trying to make a play."
"It's a play-action — all your play-actions have options on them, not necessarily ... a home run ball," he explained of the call. "We'll learn from it."
Even after being signed from the practice squad, Flacco was still technically the backup quarterback behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson, only to be pressed into action when the young rookie was ruled out with a concussion sustained during a Week 12 loss in Denver. Stefanski did not have an immediate update on Thompson-Robinson's condition, only saying he would likely know more in the coming days.
Flacco knows any final decision on the starting lineup will rest with the coaching staff. However, his desires were pretty clear to all watching.
"I think any time you get a little taste of playing football, you want to keep that going for as long as possible," he said.
Even after losing two in a row on the west coast, the Browns remain firmly in the AFC playoff picture at 7-5, with a home game against the AFC South Division-leading Jacksonville Jaguars set for next Sunday.