As we head into week 13 of the NFL season, I highly doubt that any Clevland Browns fan had Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback on their bingo card. After years of starting multiple quarterbacks in a season because of poor play, it’s finally because of so many injuries. After learning that Deshaun Watson was ruled out for the year, we finally see some improvements from Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and now we are likely without him for a week.
At 7-4, the Browns control their own destiny into the playoffs, but they must find a way to win at least three more games before the end of the season. They have a few winnable games on the schedule, and even though this is on the West Coast, the Browns need to win this week vs. the LA Rams to solidify their playoff hopes.
Not only are the Browns banged up on offense, but the defense could potentially be without a few stars as well. And even if a guy like Myles Garrett gives it a go, how healthy will he be? Buckle up and enjoy the journey of going from all the hopes in the world for a Super Bowl to Joe Flacco starting as our quarterback to keep our hopes alive for a wildcard.
The Should Injury:
This whole mess started when Deshaun Watson was inactive vs. the Baltimore Ravens because of a shoulder injury from the week prior. I don’t think many fans saw the scratch coming, and that forced Dorian Thompson-Robinson into his first start which he wasn’t prepared for.
Watson would miss four games (minus a few series vs. the Colts), and would eventually return vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Watson would play well vs. the Cardinals and then put together his best half of football as a Brown the next week in Baltimore, where he led the Browns to a comeback win.
In the first half of that game Watson would take a hit that dinged up the shoulder, and we would eventually learn the next week that he would be sidelined for the remained of the year because the risk of a more serious injury was too high if he continued to play.
On to PJ Walker and DTR:
After DTR completely flaked in his start vs. Baltimore, Kevin Stefanski turned the keys over to PJ Walker. At the time, this felt like the right move as the game felt too fast for the rookie and Walker at least had some starting NFL experience. Walker came away with victories against the Colts and 49ers and nearly came away with another win in Seattle before the return of Watson
He struggled with accuracy throughout his starts, but he always found a way to keep the game close. Walker made a few timely runs and was able to avoid pressure, but once Watson was ruled out for the season, I wasn’t shocked to see the coaches go back to DTR. Now that Flacco is in the mix, I'm also not surprised to see him pushed to the bottom of the depth chart again.
The rookie was forced into action, and all we heard from the staff was how much he had improved from that last start. It was a situation where we knew what we could get from Walker, and the ceiling for DTR was much higher if given a chance. DTR got his first NFL win vs. the Steelers where his receivers let him down with crucial drops and gave his team a chance until the fourth quarter in Denver.
Neither DTR nor Walker can carry this team on their back, but the roster is good enough for both to have some success if forced into action. Remember, the Browns had the ball down one score when they fumbled it and the Broncos scored almost instantly pushing it back to two scores.
Cleveland Browns potentially handing the keys to Flacco:
After the Watson injury, Andrew Berry told us they would add another quarterback to the roster. We weren’t sure if it would be a veteran presence to lead, or someone to come in to challenge DTR for the starting spot. That guy ended up being Joe Flacco, and now with the concussion to DTR, it looks like he will end up getting thrown into action whether we want it to happen or not. Walker remains on the roster, but coaches still think Flacco gives the Browns a better chance to win in LA, and that doesn’t surprise me.
Flacco lacks the athleticism this team is used to at the quarterback position, but even at 38 years old, Flacco still has the arm strength he did in his twenties while playing with the Baltimore Ravens. At one point the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback was considered a top-ten NFL quarterback, and his ability to make any throw has allowed him to stay in the league after being replaced by Lamar Jackson years ago.
There is no doubt that this will be a tough game for the Browns, but with Stefanski and Flacco, I’m not ready to count the Browns out just yet. Flacco will have a full week of preparation, and Stefanski can tailor the offense to what he does best. Expect to see a lot of Jerome Ford and short passes to begin the game, but as Flacco gets his sea legs back you could start to see more and more plays downfield as he showcases his big arm.