The Cleveland Browns are now 1-3 after losing to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and the calls for a quarterback change are extremely loud. With Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders on the sideline, fans and media members doubt the rookies will be worse than Flacco. Still, head coach Kevin Stefanski doesn’t seem to be entertaining a quarterback change.
If Flacco remains under center going into Week 5, fans unfortunately know what to expect: interceptions. The veteran quarterback has struggled with protecting the ball this season, and there’s little reason to believe that will change moving forward.
From ESPN Research: Joe Flacco's six interceptions are the most by a Browns QB through the first four games of a season since Baker Mayfield's 6 in 2019.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) September 28, 2025
Joe Flacco’s turnovers are hurting the Browns
Flacco was let down by his pass catchers on Sunday, as he had two deep balls dropped. If those passes were caught, his day would’ve looked different. Still, the dropped passes don’t negate the turnovers he committed. Flacco threw two interceptions, and lost a fumble. On the year, he’s now up to six interceptions, throwing at least one in each game.
While it’d be great if this was just a rough patch the veteran quarterback could shake, it’s unfortunately on brand for him. Last season with the Indianapolis Colts, Flacco threw seven interceptions in six starts, and eight total games played. Two years ago, when he had the magical run with Cleveland, he had eight interceptions in his five starts. The problem now is that he doesn’t have the positive numbers to overlook the turnovers.
Flacco’s history says he’ll continue to turn the ball over, and if that’s the case, there’s really no point for him to start. He was supposed to be a stabilizing veteran presence that protected the football and made big throws when necessary, that hasn’t been the case, and the offense hasn’t been productive at all. If Flacco can’t protect the ball or produce offense, it’ll be irresponsible for the Browns to continue to start him.