3 Cleveland Browns who stood out despite defeat in Week 13

For much of the first half, it seemed as though the Cleveland Browns were going to find a way to pull out the win against the Los Angeles Rams. Unfortunately, they started to unravel in the second half and gave up 16 points. That led to a 36-19 loss, in a game that was much closer than the score suggests.

The good news for the Browns is that they're headed back to Cleveland. The Pacific coast has been bad for them for years, so it will be nice to get back to familiar grounds. And there were also several players who stood out, giving them something to build on. Here, we look at three such players who deserve praise for their performance.

3. Harrison Bryant, TE

A former fourth-round pick and John Mackey Award winner, Harrison Bryant has been a solid backup throughout his career. But like most pass-catchers in Cleveland, he's been rather quiet in 2023. Entering Week 13, he had just 12 yards on five receptions — although he has been good in the red zone with two touchdowns.

Against the Rams, however, he had his best game of the season. Bryant continued to provide Joe Flacco with a security blanket in the middle of the field. He was running clean routes and displayed soft hands throughout the day. He even came up huge in the fourth quarter when Cleveland was trying to tie the game up at 20.

A 13-play, 75-yard drive was capped off by Bryant hauling in a pass from Flacco and running it in from eight yards out for his third touchdown of the year. That score made it 20-19 and it appeared the Browns would be tying the game. Unfortunately, that's not what happened as Dustin Hopkins uncharacteristically missed the extra point, keeping it a one-point game.

2. Elijah Moore, WR

Heading into this game, Elijah Moore was one of the players openly expressing his excitement about working with Joe Flacco. The two know one another well since Flacco was a backup for the New York Jets during the first two seasons of Moore's career. The expectation was that this familiarity would help Moore improve his production.

Added in the offseason in a trade with the Jets, Moore has been good but he's been limited by the lack of deep-plat ability in this offense. Through the first 11 games, he had 418 yards and a touchdown on 43 receptions. His most yardage in a gem was 60 and he nearly approached that on one play this weekend.

Moore proved he was comfortable with Flacco as he led the Browns in receiving — even stepping up his game when Amari Cooper was lost due to injury. With Cooper out, Moore finished with four receptions for 83 yards. That included a 42-yarder in the first half that led to a field goal. Had the pass been better, it would have even ended in a touchdown.

That drive ended in a field goal as did another where Moore stepped up. This time, he had an 18-yard reception, which would have put the ball at the eight-yard line. That one didn't count since Cedric Tillman was called for illegal formation. Moore then responded with a 22-yard reception on the very next play.

Moore also had a couple of opportunities for big plays but the ball wasn't where it needed to be. His route running has been sensational this season and he put on a clinic this weekend. That's very encouraging moving forward.

1. Joe Flacco, Quarterback

Unfortunately, there are reasons to put this loss on Joe Flacco. He did miss a couple of throws, including a third-down pass to Elijah Moore in the fourth quarter. However, none of his misfires were more devastating than when he tried to go deep for Moore but left the ball over the middle of the field where John Johnson III was waiting to pick it off.

Despite those hiccups, Flacco deserves a lot of praise for what he did on Sunday. At 38 years of age, Flacco was asked to start despite being signed just two weeks ago. Even the broadcast crew continued to express their surprise at how well he was throwing the ball since he was just tossing it around with his kids.

He started by completing 4-of-5 attempts on the opening drive for 65 yards. He had two passes go for more than 20 yards, which was a welcome change after the offense had just two in Weeks 11 and 12. He even finished that series with a touchdown pass to Jerome Ford from 24 yards out.

Flacco had a second touchdown pass in the second half. This time, it was Harrison Bryant who made it 20-19 with his score. From there, a missed extra point, a penalty on third-and-inches, and the Flacco interception doomed the Browns.

After the game, Kevin Stefanski said he wasn't going to commit to Flacco being the starter going forward. But after he threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns, it would make sense to put him in the game against the Jaguars. His ability to throw the ball downfield opens up this offense and gives them the best chance to win.