The Cleveland Browns took on the Houston Texans on Saturday night in the Wild Card round. Unfortunately for Browns fans, the fairytale run of veteran quarterback Joe Flacco came to a crashing halt.
Flacco helped rescue a flailing Cleveland Browns offense midway through the season after Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury, throwing for 1,616 yards in just five starts, an average of 323.2 passing yards per game.
His ability to move the offense down the field this season has not been a question, and even had some thinking that the Browns have a real chance to make a deep postseason run.
However, one issue that he has had all season long has been with turnovers. And unfortunately, this problem reared its ugly head yet again on the big stage against the Texans.
The Texans defense recorded not one, but two interceptions of Flacco, returning both for touchdowns which obviously played a massive role in the end result.
STEVEN NELSON WITH AN 82-YARD PICK-SIX OFF JOE FLACCO!
31-14 Texans. 🏈🔥pic.twitter.com/lne9FR6pYA
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) January 13, 2024
THE TEXANS GET ANOTHER PICK-SIX OFF JOE FLACCO! 🏈🔥pic.twitter.com/uCZsYJOb2M
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) January 13, 2024
Before the costly interceptions, the Browns were only trailing by ten points midway through the third quarter, not an insurmountable deficit by any means.
After the interceptions, it was merely a formality that the Browns were going to see their postseason hopes come to an end. The Texans ended up cruising to a 45-14 victory.
Simply put, if you give up two pick-sixes, it’s gonna be tough to win many playoff games. Fans took to social media to blame Flacco’s carelessness with the football for the Browns loss.
Christian Harris shows why Joe Flacco is NOT elite: pic.twitter.com/nPGEtgjQXD
— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) January 14, 2024
This seems like the end of the Cinderella story that is the Joe Flacco and Browns run
For how well Flacco had played, the scare was he had 9 turnovers in his 5 games with CLE (8 INT, 1 FL)
What a convoy set up by the Texans defense for the Pick-6 pic.twitter.com/cpjOen1TT3
— Dalton Feely (@dfeely14) January 13, 2024
Joe Flacco with a crucial turnover? Well ain’t that somethin’
— Ross Villarreal (@SportsRV) January 13, 2024
Joe Flacco passing touchdowns today:
To Browns: 1
To Texans: 2
pic.twitter.com/objv6IyoZL— PFF (@PFF) January 13, 2024
To be fair to Flacco, most fans in the league would have laughed if you told them before the season that he would be starting in a postseason game at this point in his career.
What he has done this season should be commended by Browns fans for even getting them to this point. But with that being said, chances are he won’t be the answer in Cleveland at the quarterback position for the 2024-25 season.
[The Comeback on Twitter/X, Photo Credit: NBC]
