Brown’s Joe Flacco’s Magical Season Ends With Comeback Player of the Year Honor

The Cleveland Browns signed quarterback Joe Flacco in Week 13 and he took them on a run that ended in Comeback Player of the Year Nomination

I was lucky enough to make the trip out to Los Angeles for the Browns versus Rams game in early December. 

When I bought my ticket, I envisioned an afternoon that the high-flying Browns would roll into SoFi Stadium with Nick Chubb, Deshaun Watson and many others to take on Stafford and the Rams.

Instead, at kickoff I settled down in a seat in the back endzone and prepared to see what Joe Flacco still had in the tank.

On Cleveland’s first series, they faced a 3rd and 14, which had been an auto screen and punt situation. This time, Flacco took the snap, looked left and hit Amari Cooper on what is called a “Bang Eight Post.” He didn’t just hit Cooper with a nice pass, he put it dead center of the “2” on his chest.

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 / © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

I sat up a little bit straighter.

Fast forward three plays and Jerome Ford was rolling across the goal line after catching a 24-yard pass from the old veteran giving the Browns a 7-0 lead. 

Clevelanders everywhere started to catch Flacco Fever.

For many reasons, this season should have been a lost cause. The Browns battled injuries everywhere, they went through five quarterbacks including one rookie and one XFL MVP. The defense was able to keep the team together early, but when push came to shove, Joe Flacco stepped in and saved the season for the Browns.

Flacco finished the season with 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns against eight interceptions in just six games. The final five games of the year he eclipsed 300 yards, something even he hadn’t accomplished in his career.

Although the year ended in disappointing fashion for the Browns, Flacco came to Cleveland and saved a season that had very little promise.

Time will tell if his days in Cleveland are over, which I expect them to be. But the month and a half that he gave us, Flacco will forever be a legend in Cleveland.

On Thursday Night he acquired yet another award, becoming the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, the perfect ending to what was a magical run.