4 Cleveland Browns to blame for loss to the Rams in Week 13

1. Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco

This one is tough to dive into since he played so well for the majority of the game but at the end, Joe Flacco had a costly turnover. He also missed a couple of passes that could have extended drives, or even gotten his team into the end zone. In all, his performance was encouraging, especially given the circumstances.

For the fourth time this season, the Browns had a new starting quarterback. The 38-year-old Flacco was elevated from the practice squad, got the start, and was brilliant on his opening drive. He was able to throw for 65 yards while completing four-of-five attempts, including a 22-yarder on third-and-14 to Amari Cooper. He then capped that drive off with a 24-yard touchdown to Jerome Ford.

From there, he continued to throw the ball well and even hit Elijah Moore for a 42-yard reception. However, on that one, the Browns could have had a touchdown if Flacco threw it with more accuracy but considering he's been with this team for just a couple of weeks, it was still encouraging to see he had four passes over 20 yards in the first half — including the 42-yarder. For some perspective, Cleveland had just two completions over 20 yards in Weeks 11 and 12 combined.

Flacco even threw a touchdown to Harrison Bryant in the fourth quarter making it a one-point game. But then with a chance to go down for the lead, he threw a terrible pass that was picked off by John Johnson III. He then missed two passes in a row after falling behind by eight.

After the game, Kevin Stefanski wouldn't commit to Flacco starting in Week 14. It would make sense to give him a shot at home after he had 254 yards passing and two touchdowns. But the costly interception might give them pause against the Jaguars.

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