5 most memorable Cleveland Browns moments in 2023

As the calendar turns to 2024, the Cleveland Browns find themselves in an excellent spot, despite several factors working against them. By now, we all know about their never-ending injury concerns. There are multiple players on IR including six starters. The most high-profile injuries happened to Nick Chubb and Deshaun Watson but other starters such as left tackle Jed Wills and right tackle Jack Conklin are also out.

Despite this, head coach Kevin Stefanski has kept the train on the tracks and even made history this past Thursday. A win over the New York Jets earned them a spot in the playoffs and that means they're the first team to make it into the postseason after starting four different quarterbacks.

There's one more game to play this season and then, there's the playoffs left as well. With the team focused on that, let's take some time to look back at the most memorable moments that happened in 2023.

5. Landing several stars in the offseason

Before the season began, Cleveland was making moves that would pay off during the year. They were able to sign a couple of huge names in the coaching world when Jim Schwartz came on as the defensive coordinator and Bubba Ventrone agreed to take over special teams. Each has made vast improvements to their units but they also landed some great players.

On defense, the Browns brought in Dalvin Tomlinson, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Juan Thornhill, and Za'Darius Smith. Their special teams improved not only with the trade for Dustin Hopkins but they also signed Matthew Adams and Mike Ford who are special teams studs.

For good measure, there was even a big name added to the offense when they traded for Elijah Moore. All of these moves brought a lot of excitement to a city that was ready for a winner once again. And they wound up getting that thanks in large part to these additions.

4. Blowing out the Bengals in Week 1

Even with all the moves, the Browns weren't going to be given respect until they earned it. That was evident with Cincinnati Bengals fans spending the majority of the offseason making fun of Cleveland while claiming their team was going to handle them easily in Week 1.

Then when the 2023 campaign kicked off, the Bengals were the ones who were embarrassed. Cleveland hosted their AFC North rivals and continued to hand Joe Burrow losses. This time, it was a 24-3 blowout and what made the win more encouraging was how poorly the Browns played on offense — well, that and the fact that Ja'Marr Chase was so mad at the loss he started complaining about elves.

In the win, Deshaun Watson threw for just 154 yards with a touchdown and a pick — although he did run one in as well for a score. Nick Chubb kept the chains moving with 106 yards but it was the defense that led the way. Myles Garrett recorded a late sack on Burrow who was held to just 82 yards on 14-of-31 passing.

Afterward, those same confident Bengals fans returned to their mocking ways. They shrugged this off by saying a calf injury suffered by Burrow was the only reason for the win. They also congratulated the Browns for winning their "Super Bowl."

Fast forward to New Year's Day and the Browns will be trying to make it to the real Super Bowl. Cincinnati, however, will be trying to figure out how to get back on track next year. They'll also have to spend the entire offseason coming up with new excuses for why Burrow is 1-5 against Cleveland in his career.

3. Shocking the 49ers in Week 6

Deshaun Watson suffered a shoulder injury in a Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans and was out when they played the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was set up for failure when he was given roughly 90 minutes notice that he would be starting. That led to a frustrating loss as well as another move under center.

Cleveland was off in Week 5 and then hosted the undefeated San Francisco 49ers in Week 6 with P.J. Walker under center. The former Carolina Panthers backup started slow and the Browns were down 10-0 in the second quarter. They never panicked though as they scored 13 unanswered points.

A 16-yard touchdown from Kareem Hunt — on a pitch out from Harrison Bryant — started the scoring but then it was all Dustin Hopkins. Their star kicker hit four field goals in a row, including a 50-yarder in the fourth. His final kick was from 29 yards and came after a solid drive led by Walker. The defense was unable to keep San Francisco out of field goal range by Jake Moody was wide right and the Niners were handed loss No. 1.

This felt like the first time the Browns realized they weren't going to be denied by anyone. Despite a two-score lead, they just kept chipping away and found a way to pull it out in the end. Again, the defense led the way, holding Brock Purdy to 125 yards while sacking him three times.

2. Amari Cooper making history in Week 16

The Browns wanted to add more depth to their receiving corps this offseason and they did exactly that. They traded for Elijah Moore, signed Marquise Goodwin, and used their first pick in the NFL Draft (which was in Round 3) on Cedric Tillman. All these moves were necessary but they also led to a strange belief that Amari Cooper wasn't a No. 1 wideout.

Rather than realize he managed 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns without another true threat opposite him, there were those saying he needed to be the second option. There were calls for DeAndre Hopkins and while he had a rapport with Deshaun Watson, the Browns continued to insist they liked their receivers and saw Cooper as the centerpiece.

Heading into Week 18, it's hard to see how anyone can argue against that. Even with constant change under center — and several underwhelming passing performances, Cooper put up the most yards in his career. He sat out Week 17 with a heel injury and with the AFC North out of reach, he might be done until the playoffs. If so, he will finish with 72 receptions for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. He also has the most yards per reception in his career with 17.4.

As if that wasn't enough, Cooper put his name in the franchise record books in Week 16. In his second year with the Browns, he broke the record for the most receiving yards in a single game when he had 11 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns. In the process, Cooper became the first player in franchise history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as a pass catcher.

With Cooper out, Elijah Moore was moving the ball as the top receiver in Week 17. Unfortunately, he was injured when he suffered a concussion. Without Moore, the passing game stalled which is proof they need to find someone other than Goodwin — and someone to push Tillman. What they don't need to do is replace Cooper, who continues to be a star.

1. Browns current 4-game win streak led by Joe Flacco

When Deshaun Watson was sent to the IR following a win over the Ravens, the Browns decided to sign Joe Flacco. The 38-year-old was known as a Cleveland assassin, coming in with an 18-3 record against the Browns in his career. The former Baltimore Raven did most of his damage there but his final win against Cleveland was with the New York Jets last year.

Flacco, who was originally signed to the practice squad, got his chance with his new team in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Rams when Dorian Thompson-Robinson was ruled out with a concussion. This one went down as a loss but Flacco gave them hope with a 254-yard, two touchdown performance. Since then, it's been nothing but wins for Flacco and the Browns.

Cleveland has knocked off Jacksonville, Chicago, Houston, and the Jets over the past four weeks. In those wins, Flacco has thrown for at least 309 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, he now has 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns. He's played so well that there's a belief he could win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

What's most impressive is the rapport he's had with the players around him. Despite the short time with his teammates, guys such as Amari Cooper and David Njoku are playing at a higher level than ever before. Cooper averaged 27.2 yards per catch in Week 15 and 24.1 in Week 16 with three touchdowns and a two-point conversion in that span.

Njoku, a first-round pick in 2017, has never had a multiple-touchdown game in his career but did so in Week 14 against the Jaguars. He's had at least six receptions while going over 100 yards twice during the winning streak — and there was a 91-yard game in there. He's also crossed the goal line four times in that span. Coming into the year, four touchdowns was the most he's ever had in a single season.

Flacco has taken the city by storm and gives this team a chance to score every time he's on the field. With the playoffs coming up, this team's confidence is through the roof and it's easy to see why. It's also easy to believe they can make some noise in the postseason.

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