Monday leftovers

Thursday edition

While the Browns' offense grabbed most of the attention in Thursday night's playoff-clinching victory over the New York Jets with a 34-point first half, not enough has been showered on the other side of the football.

After being scalded for 17 halftime points and probably a scolding from defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, the Browns limited the Jets to just a Greg Zuerlein field goal in seven possessions after Kevin Stefanski took his offense conservative.

He gambled the offense put enough points on the board to pull back a little bit and give the defense, which has struggled a bit  recently, a chance at redemption. Othere than the field goal, the Jets threatened only one other time, but defensive tackle Shelby Harris blocked another Zuerlein attempt on the intial possession of the second half.

The Jets piled up sizable yardage with quarterback Trevor Siemian playing pitch and catch with wide receiver Garrett Wilson and tight end Tyler Conklin, and running back Breece Hall was a pest running and receiving with 126 yards on 22 touches, but the Jets got no closer than the Cleveland 32.

They spun their wheels for a majority of the second half, unable to come up with a big play when needed. Linebackers Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Sione Takitaki were two of the main reasons, combing for 27 tackles, 18 solo for the evening.

Owusu-Koramoah has become the player the Browns envisioned when they selected him in the second round of the 2021 college draft out of Notre Dame. He always seems go be where the football is and has improved his tackling to the point where he leads the Browns in that department with 101 this season.

Takitaki has come a long way since starting his pro career as a special teams ace and situational linebacker, looking comfortable after filling in for oft-injured middle backer Anthony Walker Jr., who missed most of last season with a serious knee injury.

***

Credit Joe Flacco, as if he hasn't received enough already, with adjusting nicely in the absence of Amari Cooper Thursday night. Didn't take him long to tap tight end David Njoku with a 28-yard pass that set up Jerome Ford's seven-yard scoring scamper on the opening drive of the game.

The old quarterback has been money on opening possessions this season, putting touchdowns on the board right out of the chute in four of his five starts. He took the offense 75 yards in nine plays against the Los Angeles Rams in his Cleveland debut in week 13, Jerome Ford capping it off with a 24-yard pass.

He began the following week against Jacksonville with a six-play, 75-yard march. hitting Njoku with another 24-yard scoring flip. Then came his only miss so far against Chicago, the initial possession ending in a punt after a six-play, 19-yard drive stalled and brought on Corey Bojorquez.

Flacco got back on track next game against Houston, opening up the game with a 53-yard bomb to Cooper that ended three plays later with Ford again scooting four yards for the score. And on Thursday night, he engineered a seven-play, 75-yarder, highlighted by strikes of 36 and 28 yards to Njoku

There is nothing better for a defense than to watch your offense put up numbers like that and immediately gain an emotional and psychological advantage. Put the opposition on quick notice that it won't be easy.

***

Rookie wide receiver Cedric Tillman learned the hard way Thursday night that quitting on running a route with Flacco under center is a really, really big no-no.

It happened late in the opening quarter with the Browns holding a 13-7 lead, shortly after recovering a fumbled kickoff return at the Jets' 12. Three plays later, Stefanski gambled on fourth and four at the New York six. A strong rush and good coverage caused Flacco to scramble.

He moved right and appeared to wave Tillman to the wide receiver's right in the end zone. The wideout did and then stopped. The pass was nearly intercepted. 

Flacco raised his arms disgustingly, indicating by motioning that the play might have resulted in a touchdown had Tillman not quit his route. He has been victimized enough by sloppy route running in his brief tenure with the Browns. 

***

Finally . . . New kicker Riley Patterson got off on the wrong foot with Browns fans, sending his initial point-after effort wide right following safety Ronnie Hickman's pick six. The fans mockingly cheered his 33-yard field goal late in the game and the success on the other four PAT. . . . The Browns close out the regular season Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, who helped them open the season back on Sept. 10 that resulted in a 24-3 Cleveland victory that featured quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson. . . . New punter Matt Haack looked a lot like Bojorquez in his Cleveland debut. The left-footed kicker averaged 51.7 yards a punt. The left-footed Bojorquez has averaged 49.5 yards this season on 80 punts. . . . Bojorquez might be ready for the playoffs. Can't say the same for Dustin Hopkins.

What a fun ride

The climb back to the postseason for the Browns was arduous most of the way, utterly daunting at other times and often felt damn near impossible with all kinds of impediments that pretty much declared, "Not this season, guys."

So you can imagine the sweet feeling of accomplishment that washed over the joyous capacity home crowd and the international reach of Browns Nation moments before the conclusion of the 37-20 post-season-clinching victory over the New York Jets Thursday night on national television.

It was Dickensian the entire 60 minutes. 'Twas a tale of two halves that featured a 12-round 34-17 slugfest in the first 30 minutes followed by the polar opposite the rest of the way: A slugfest that featured both  defenses and two field goals.

The halftime score had just about everyone busting out the record books in case it continued in the second half. Didn't come even close with just a field goal by each team as it melted into a boring game with Kevin Stefanski satisfied to play much more conservatively, leaning on the ground game to protect the lead and bring this one home in style to stretch the winning streak to four.

Playing January football for only the third time in the last 25 seasons, the Browns did all the damage in the first two quarters with Joe Flacco throwing for 300 yards for the fourth straight game, and three touchdowns, giving him 13 on the season, before Stefanski used his play-not-to-lose card.

Operating for the first time without Amari Cooper, a pre-game scratch most likely precautionary after testing an injured heel, Flacco turned his attention to tight end David Njoku, who caught six passes for 134 hard-earned yards; Elijah Moore's six grabs for 61 yards and a score before leaving in the second half with a concussion; and running back Jerome Ford, who scored on both of his receptions.

The defense grabbed some of the spotlight, too, for the 11-5 Browns when rookie safety Ronnie Hickman's pick six of a Trevor Siemian pass early in the second quarter boosted the lead to 20-7. And Myles Garrett added to the celebration by ending his five-game sackless shneid.

The way Flacco was throwing, he could have gone well over 300 yards behind an offensive line that despite playing together for only a couple of games has protected the meal ticket very well. Another reason this team has become dangerous with the postseason around the corner.

Considering the way they have played the last dozen games (9-3), the guess here is any playoff team not considered elite does not want to face the Browns in the wild-card round. Certainly not with Flacco working his magic and showing few signs of wearing down.

His sideline demeanor Thursday night in the face of a second half when his coach unobtrusively took the game out of his hands with such a large lead and out of the spotlight he's been in all season, indicated this accomplishment meant a lot to him. He couldn't stop smiling and celebrating.

After sitting at home all summer waiting for a telephone call, any telephone call from any team in the National Football League, you bet this ranks right up there with the numerous significant memories in his lengthy career.

And now Browns fans in a few weeks will get to see Flacco playing in an atmosphere that seems to bring out the best in him to the point where he has flourished before our eyes. To be here at his advanced age and prospering beyond reason undoubtedly makes it that much sweeter.

He knows what it's like to play at an elite level. And now he's back on that level. If nothing else, this proves -- at least to him and no doubt his family -- that despite disappointing stops in Denver and New York with the Jets the last few years after after leaving Baltimore, he made the correction decision to stick it out.

So did Browns General Manager Andrew Berry, whose early November call to Flacco began the Browns' improbable march to a place that seemed like a pipe dream after Deshaun Watson went down halfway through the season.

The lone quibble is how much better would all this have turned out if Berry had placed that call earlier. The fact it was made, though, makes it that much more satisfying to a fandom that needed a team like this for whom to root. It does, indeed, embody what Cleveland is all about.

And it could get even better.

Barring any surprises in the final weekend of the regular season, the Browns will finish with the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs, which means their likely opponent in the wild-card round will be the AFC South champion on the road. Don't tell anyone, but the Browns swept that division this season.

Playoffs dead ahead

The season the fates sent to Cleveland for the 2023 season, the one that has agonizingly toyed with Browns Nation for practically the entire campaign, is a teeny tiny step away from returning them to the postseason Thursday night on national television.

The entire nation needs to see this team play a game of football to understand and appreciate how the Browns have become the darlings of the National Football League landscape the last month or so, coming from out of nowhere to carve out a 10-5 record despite injuries that would have felled lesser teams.

Giving into that was not in their DNA . . .  on both sides of the football as it has turned out. The defense carried this team through the first half of the season until the offense caught up in a spectacular way the last month, or when the Browns went after Joe Flacco and he didn't say no.

These Browns are entertaining but not in a spectacular way. The lunchpail approach to their work on defense, in particular, plays well in blue-collar Cleveland.  No matter what the scoreboard says, they have been in every game except one. Winning games on the last play of the waning seconds has become a specialty.

They major in hanging around. The game never gets away from them. And now with Flacco in charge of the huddle, that will not happen the rest of the season. They are never out of a game as long as he remains vertical and healthy.

All they have do Thursday night quite simply is score at least one more point than the visiting New York Jets and it'll be 2020 all over again. It's that simple. A just reward for a team that shrugged off all the major injuries, overachieved and outworked the opposition.

After trying to figure out the last few weeks who has to win and/or lose and/or tie to determine the Browns' fate, all that is about to reach a conclusion.  

A couple of interesting storylines for this one, the main one involving Flacco, who led the Jets a year ago with far less success than he's had with the Browns and whose sizzling stats with Cleveland almost certainly has caught the attention of the New York defense, which permits only 190 yards a game through the air.

This season,  Flacco and wide receiver Amari Cooper are playing otherworldly football with tight end David Njoku waiting in the wings to break through. Throw in an offensive line that has protected its ageless quarterback zealously and you have the winning formula.

The Jets have rolled out three quarterbacks this season with Trevor Siemian owning the QB1 reps now after Zach Wilson traveled between hot and cold too many times before head coach Robert Saleh turned to Siemian, who beat Washington last week. He is not a long-distance threat. Tim Boyle lasted long enough to start and lose two games.

Jets running back Breece Hall will be the main concern for the Browns' front seven in both facets of the offense. He is just as dangerous catching passes out of the backfield as he is running between the tackles, compiling seven touchdowns and 869 total yards. 

Former Ohio State standout Garrett Wilson is having another terrific season with 88 receptions for 958 yards, three touchdowns and 43 first downs. 

The big question for the Browns is when -- or even whether -- Kevin Stefanski will turn his running game loose. The Browns have recorded just one 100-yard game -- and that was barely over at 107 yards in the Denver loss -- in the last six games.

In the first nine games of the season, however, the Cleveland ground attack registered seven 100-yard games. It's understandable Stefanski wants to get as much out of Flacco as he can, but practically ignoring the run game might come back and sting if someone finds a way to shut down Flacco.

In the end, the is no denying the Jets are a mediocre, middle-of-the-pack team that does not play well on the road facing a team far more talented with just one loss in eight games by the lakefront. Flacco will enjoy the evening, rewarding fans with three more touchdowns (Amari Cooper, Jerome Ford and Njoku) and two more picks (that seems to be his MO this season). The defense will pick up two more takeways (that'll be 10 in the last four games) en route to an unusually easy victory. Make it:

Browns 28, Jets 13

Monday leftovers

It took Kevin Stefanski exactly one game to realize the signing of free-agent quarterback Joe Flacco was not just another desperate move by the Browns after losing Deshaun Watson for the 2023 season.

With many very capable veteran quarterbacks out on the street as this fate-filled season rolled on, the club foolishly, as it turned out, cast their lot with a wet-behind-the-ears rookie and a National FootballLeague vagabond whose career has consistently met with little success.

So when General Manager Andrew Berry finally threw up his hands and finally determined the quarterbacks room had to change and plucked Flacco off the street on Nov. 19, little did he and his head coach realize what a ten strike it would turn out to be.

It took Flacco about 10 days on the practice squad to get himself back into playing shape while Stefanski altered the playbook to better fit his gunslinging style. The head coach had watched him from afar and wisely began catering to his strengths.

It took him one game to realize the Browns' offense was about to dramatically -- and seismically -- change and chart a new course to the postseason, a course that puts the 10-5 Browns one victory away from that goal.

Flacco debuted against the Los Angeles Rams in week 13, the second of back-to-back games out west. For some reason, he seemed to be holding the big quarterback back, sort of feeling out what  and would not work with the new guy.

Stefanski dialed up 44 passes in the 36-19 loss for 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But he looked good despite the loss. For the first time this season, including Watson's brief stint this season, the Cleveland offense looked sharp.

Flacco's play fakes were executed with exquisite precision, allowing him to complete easy passes as the defenses bit on the fakes. Even though he is on the verge of his 39th birthday, he reminded me a lot of the much younger Joe Flacco who led the Baltimore Ravens to numerous postseasons.

Stefanski obviously saw something that somehow foreshadowed what has happened to this franchise in the last three games, during which Flacco is putting up astonishing statistics that have captured the attention of the NFL.

Since the Rams loss, his production has been otherworldly. In those three games, all victories, he has booked three straight 300-yard games for 1.003 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. In four games overall, it's 1,257 yards, two more TD and a pick. 

The Browns' first 11 games with three different quarterbacks produced 1,549 yards through the air, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Flacco has accomplished in seven fewer games nearly as much as three others.

Oh yeah, those interceptions. Flacco is not going to stop throwing them until his receivers run their routes correctly and be where the football is supposed to be. He is a timing quarterback who is often victimized when a route is run incorrectly against a zone defense.

Yes he's made some ill-advised throws if he misreads the defense. But he's savvy enough to quickly make corrections. Amari Cooper, who has become the huge beneficiary of Flacco's new-found success, admires how football smart the quarterback is.

What Flacco and Cooper have put together in the last three games sent a lot of people to the record books. Before Flacco arrived, Cooper had banked 47 receptions for 765 yards and a couple of touchdowns in the first 11 games. Since, he has caught 25 more passes for 485 yards and three scores. 

His record-shattering 11-catch, 265-yard afternoon Sunday in the 36-22 victory over Houston is one record that will stand the test of time.

And with the offensive line getting healthier now with the return of Joel Bitonio and Ethan Pocic and the  possibility of reenergizing a sagging ground game to couple with Flacco's play-action prowess, Thursday night's regular-season home finale against the New York Jets becomes a very winnable game.

Virtuoso time

To classify the latest Joe Flacco-Amari Cooper performance on a football field as virtuoso would be an understatement of gigantic proportions.

What these two outrageously talented veteran members of the Browns' offense accomplished Sunday in Houston was several steps beyond remarkable as they willed their team to a 36-22 victory over the Texans in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicates.

In doing so, they lifted the Browns closer to an invitation to the postseason with two games remaining, including a Thursday night home date with the New York Jets on national television. Even at 10-5, seven different ways to clinch remain that are way too complicated to go over here.

They are so close now, it's almost inconceivable they won't make it. Too many other possibilities have to  come together perfectly in order to keep them out. But hopes rise significantly because the offense hasn't played this well in a long time and Flacco seems to be totally reinvigorated and rejuvenated..

It's been only four games since he joined the Browns, but the stats he has compiled would lead one to believe it has been much longer than that. The symbiotic relationship he has developed with Cooper has  helped produce three straight victories.

The quarterback, who will be 39 the middle of next month, has thrown for 1,257 yards (314 per game) and 10 touchdowns for an offense that was totally lost before he arrived, in addition to seven interceptions (two more Sunday).

He and Cooper combined for 11 receptions (on 15 targets) for the wide receiver's one-game club-record 265 yards and two touchdowns against a Texans defense that looked clueless. The so-called terrific Houston defensive front never dropped Flacco, who received better protection with Joel Bitonio and Ethan Pocic back after shaking off injuries. 

Can't remember the last time one man made this much of a difference to turn around a team headed in the wrong direction and with little hope when he arrived. Flacco has hoisted not just the offense on his shoulders, but the defense now seems much more motivated.

Before the Texans turned a 36-7 deficit into a closer game with consecutive touchdowns against mostly against backups, the Cleveland defense looked a lot like the one who played so well in the early stages of the season.

Only 75 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes. Texans quarterback Case Keenum threw for just 40 yards. It was an unfair fight.

The only Houston points in the first half were scored off special teams with running back Dameon Pierce taking Dustin Hopkins' kickoff 98 yards following the second of Cooper's scores early in the second quarter. Other than that, the Cleveland defense smothered everything the Texans threw at them.

The coaching strategy of the game changed, though, after Hopkins pulled a hamstring while futilely chasing Pierce and couldn't kick. The man responsible for four game-winning kicks, the man who has missed only three field-goal attempts and the man who was perfect on eight kicks from 50+ yards this season was finished for the day.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski scrambled. At first it was two-point attempts after touchdowns with Dorian Thompson-Robinson. It became worse later when punter Corey Bojorquez went down with what was called a lower-body injury. Safety D'Anthony Bell kicked off a couple of times.

Everything changed strategically after the Texans were successful on an onsides kick and started moving the football better than they had all afternoon with little or no Cleveland resistance.

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had seen enough after Davis Mills, who had replaced Keenum, moved the Texans quickly on each possession, finishing with scoring throws to Nico Collins from five yards and tight end Andre Beck from a yard out.

Schwartz had seen enough this season to know something was in the early stages of ruining what looked las though it was going to be an easy victory and brought back the starters to settle things down. They probably didn't like working a little overtime, but it worked.

The biggest worry now is fixing the sudden problem with the kicking game, an area that has not caused any worry whatsoever this season. Bojorquez has been one of the league's best and most effective punters this season. And Hopkins has been, well, the Browns' most valuable player with his clutch kicking.

General Manager Andrew Berry probably experienced a fair amount of indigestion as he watched the victory from a suite in the stadium. It looks as though he can cross the offense off his to-do list. And the defense, with the exception of the brief letdown Sunday.

In his business, it seems, it's always something. Next up: The kicking game.

Playoff atmosphere

There's good reason to believe it's still a wee bit early to suggest the 9-5 Browns are a virtual lock to return to the postseason after a two-season absence.

But with three games remaining, including Sunday's in Houston against the Texans, there is every reason to believe every game from here on out will fully prepare them for the playoffs because the intensity of these late regular-season games often produces a playoff-like atmosphere.

Every play, every snap, every decision will be meaningful and in most cases impact the ultimate outcome. Precision of execution is of the utmost importance. The  slightest mistake can become larger due to the pressure involved.

Just about everything takes on greater importance at this time of the season, especially when you get this close in a season that many times was headed in the wrong direction with roadblocks no one saw coming. Everything magnifies now.

The biggest problem for the Browns lies in the fact this is nowhere near as strong a football team on offense as the talent-laden crew that began back on Sept. 10 with a home victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. The talent quotient is at a season low.

Gone until next season are the likes of Nick Chubb, Deshaun Watson and most of the offensive line with injuries now playing havoc with various parts of the secondary and defensive line. Early-season mastery that threatened to break numerous records on defense has abated to the point where that side of the ball is just hanging on.

And if it weren't for Andrew Berry's sagacious decision to bring Joe Flacco back to the National Football League, there's no telling where the Browns would be at this moment. In a relative blink of an eye, the ageless quarterback has become a franchise savior. The irony is stupefying and astonishing all at once. 

If there's anyone who knows what it's like to play this level of football at this time of the season and excel with so much on the line, it's Flacco, who has booked 15 games over the course of six postseasons with the Baltimore Ravens and thrown for 3,223 yards, 25 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions. Oh and one Super Bowl MVP.

A vast percentage of this roster can only dream of playing meaningful football this far into the season. Flacco seems to be the kind of guy willing to share his experiences. There's no better time to start than Sunday against a team locked in a three-way tie for the lead in the AFC South -- right there with the Browns in the post-season chase -- and a 5-1 record at home.

The Browns won't have to face quarterback C. J. Stroud, spending his second weekend in concussion protocol. The former Ohio State standout has put up sensational rookie season numbers with 20 touchdown passes and only five picks, and is a lock to win NFL rookie-of-the-year honors.

Case Keenum, so backed up Baker Mayfield in Cleveland for a couple of seasons, steps in and will be the main target for the Cleveland defense, which has played horrendously on the road his season. Many of the playmakers responsible for the sensational early start are either on injured reserve or just a step or two shy of that status with nagging injuries.

Keenum is more efficient when he works from sideline to sideline, whereas Stroud is a north-south, gunslinging flamethrower. Keenum is excellent at taking what the defense gives him. The deep secondary won't have to worry about him. Look for a more well-balanced Texans attack.

Keenum will throw primarily to wide receiver Nico Collins, who has banked a 1.000-yard season with six touchdowns, tight end Dalton Schultz, who checks in with 513 yards and five scores, and the wide receiver tandem of Noah Brown and Robert Woods, who have filled in nicely after rookie Tank Dell, who flashed for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games, broke a leg recently.

The Texans' ground game will be handled almost exclusively by Devin Singletary,  who has rushed for half of the team's 1,400 infantry yards. 

Defensively, the Texans are opportunistic with at least one takeaway in all but two of their games, 20 overall. And the offense has gifted teams just 12 times. (FYI: The much more generous Browns have distributed 30 of those gifts this season, including six in the last two games, both victories.)  

On offense, it has reached the point where head coach Kevin Stefanski, as the playcaller, all but abandoned the ground game in the last two games because his new patchwork offensive line was incapable of opening holes or creating creases through which running backs can prosper. 

But it protected Flacco well enough and long enough for him to throw for 212 of his 374 yards and two of his three touchdowns in the final quarter of the dramatic 20-17 victory over the Chicago Bears Sunday. And with center Ethan Pocic and left guard Joel Bitonio reportedly ready to return, that could change Sunday.

Factoring in the improbability of what the Browns have done on any given Sunday this season and the success the Texans have enjoyed at home, this one figures to be close for at least the first three quarters with neither team sustaining any momentum. It will be a battle of the defenses featuring a multitude of turnovers. In other words, it'll be quite ugly and yawningly boring. Coin flip time: Going with the home-field advantage like I did last week against the Bears. Make it:

Texans 24, Browns 23

Mid-week thoughts

Overlooked somewhat, due most likely to the anticipation of the Browns clinching at least an invitation to the National Football League's 2023 postseason Sunday, is one sobering fact.

Two of the season's final three games, including Sunday's in Houston, are on the road. And with the Browns approaching the precipice of their first invitation to the postseason since 2020, the road is not where they should be. Unless the figures lie, that is.

They don't. 

Instead, they indicate trouble lurking in this almost magical season that has not only weekly entertained and fascinated Browns Nation, but unveiled characteristics that have eluded this franchise for way too long. 

The Cleveland community has connected with this group because they embody what Cleveland is all about: Grit, determination, overachievement, and somehow finding ways to win games in spite of an enormous number of physical impediments that would cripple other teams.

That they are 9-5 at this point of the season is borderline miraculous, a testament proving that just about anything can be achieved with hard work. And luck, which has been attached to this team by some from time to time, is the residue of hard work. That attribute will be put to the test down in Houston.

The Browns have played six games away from downtown Cleveland, where they are 7-1. They are the antithesis of road warriors at 2-4 and that's a slippery 2-4. Both road victories were achieved by merely outscoring the opposition (33-31 in Baltimore and 39-38 in Indianapolis). Only Carolina (0-8), Las Vegas (1-5) and Tennessee (1-6) are worse on the road.

Defense is the main culprit, surrendering 184 points in the six games (30.7 per). And most of that was accomplished before the devastating injuries arrived. Still labeled one of the best defenses in the league, that clearly is not the case away from home.

And now we are in week 16 when most of the players are either healthy second-stringers who are part of  sub packages and don't get many reps, or a season-long starter. fighting to stay healthy but not nearly the the player he was earlier in the season.

Attrition is starting to catch up to the Browns on this side of the football after it all but wiped out the vast majority of the starting offense. Most of the defensive line (where pass defense begins, says defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz) is either gone for the season or on injured reserve.

Myles Garrett, playing at about 60% due to a bad shoulder, is the Lone Ranger on the edge. Too bad he ean't play both simultaneously. Right now, he is stuck on 13 sacks for the season with a career-high four straight games without a sack. Schwartz needs more than Garrett, a lot more. If he doesn't get it, nothing starts with the Browns line.

The only area that hasn't ben hit hard by hard by injuries is linebacker, where Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah has been a tackling machine with 84 (60 solo) to lead the team in both categories and Sione Takitaki, whose versatility has been rewarded with more snaps.

The fact the defense will face Case Keenum rather than hot-shot rookie C. J. Stroud, in concussion protocol, is a break. Stroud is a vertical quick-strike quarterback for the Texans. Keenum, who backed up Baker Mayfield with the Browns in 2020 and 2021, is a horizontal quarterback with a more conservative approach.

It has been almost six weeks (Nov. 12 against the Ravens) since the Browns won a road game. Many positives have occurred since, including a few miracles at home created mainly by the offense but with occasional timely help from their defensive brethren. They need at least one more like it. And from what we've seen all season long, all the right attributes are there. 

Monday leftovers

Lost in the frenzy of the Browns' recent surge back into the National Football League's post-season picture lies the stark reality that Joe Flacco appears to have unlocked the secret as to why David Njoku has been a sizable disappointment since being selected in the first round of the 2017 college football draft.

Njoku had the size at 6-4 and a famously-chiseled 246-pound frame he proudly displayed during pre-game warmups no matter the weather. He sure looked impressive in his uniform. 

Once he stepped onto the field, though, it was a different story. He played the game as though he was allergic to pigskin. No matter the quarterback, he has had trouble with his hands, not only securing the throw when targeted but holding on to it. Instead of catching the ball, he fought it and piled up his drops.

He became unreliable to the point where he often became an afterthought in game plans. At the same time, he worked on his blocking and developed into a reliable asset in the ground game, but did not abandon his quest to become valuable in the passing game.

It wasn't until Flacco came along three games ago that Njoku showed signs of flourishing. In fact, prior to his arrival, the great concern in Browns Nation was Njoku's drop count rose to the point where he was among the league leaders in that department.

The two didn't click in their first game together, a loss in Los Angeles against the Rams, but Flacco seems to have picked something up with regard to how Njoku runs his routes and makes himself available, and how savagely he runs after catching the ball.

Of the 704 yards in receptions he has compiled this season, the big tight end has gained 394 of them after making a catch. That's good enough for 18th place in the league, but given Flacco's new symbiotic relationship with him, that number should increase nicely.

He is a load to bring down when both feet are on the ground and churning following a reception. And now that he has added a hurdling kind of leap over defenders to his repertoire to avoid low tackles, he has become a danger to opposing secondaries.

Flacco apparently likes to see that kind of yardage pile up. Makes his stats look better. In the last two games against Jacksonville and Chicago, both victories, he targeted his tight end 22 times with Njoku grabbing 16 of them for 195 yards and three touchdowns. His 10 touches against the Bears represents his season high in that department.

To put that in perspective, Njoku scored only two touchdowns in the first 12 games of the season. 

***

Watch out, Wyatt Teller, the grim reaper is coming for you after claiming fellow guard Joel Bitonio early in the Bears victory with a bad back. Teller is the lone remaining offensive lineman from the group that began the season. Back injuries are tricky, especially for someone like the 6-4, 320-pound Bitonio, who is 32. He is now listed as day-to-day.

Gone and not coming back until 2024 are LT1 (Jedrick Wills Jr.), C1 (Ethan Pocic), RT1 (Jack Conklin) and RT2 (Dawand Jones). 

Protecting Flacco now are tackles Geron Christian and James Hudson III, Teller and Michael Dunn (depending on Bitonio's status come game time Sunday in Houston) and center Nick Harris. The latter limped off the field in the fourth quarter Sunday with a foot injury, but returned. If he is unable to go against the Texans, rookie Luke Wypler from Ohio State is the next man up.

The inexperience of that new offensive front could be one of the reasons Kevin Stefanski has slanted his attack heavily toward the forward pass. Sunday's 29 yards on 18 attempts was a season low. That's not Stefanski football. He keeps this up and opposing defensive coordinators will ignore Flacco's play fakes and zero in on him. Got to keep them honest.

Snatching a victory
from jaws of defeat

Six minutes and five seconds remained in the third quarter of Sunday's National Football League game between the hometown Browns and Chicago Bears and I had a feeling at that point as to the outcome. 

The Bears had just taken a 17-7 lead and the Browns showed no signs whatsoever of indicating that observation was improbable and seriously understating it. In fact, just about no one saw it coming. 

"This one's over," I wrote in my notes at that point after the Bears had taken a 17-7 lead on a Cairo Santos field goal. Why so early? What made it so evident? Lack of faith? Not with this team. More injuries? To an extent when guard Joel Bitonio left with a back injury early in the fist half.

There was just something about this one that said winning will have to wait one more week this time. The Browns have exhausted their comeback victories for the season. Couldn't put my finger on why not, though. 

And that is why the 20-17 Browns victory that slowly unraveled ranks as one of the most improbable, stunning, mind-blowing, how-in-the-world-did-that-happen, come-from-behind victories this iteration of the franchise has recorded. If I hadn't seen it, I would never have believed it.

Practically nothing worked for the Browns. Until it did.

The run game was hardly used. Not sure why. Joe Flacco, who had a Jekyll-Hyde afternoon, finally floated back down to Earth with three more interceptions that helped set up all the Bears points before resurrecting himself in the second half. It all had the feel of a loss because there didn't seem to be any effort to find ways of changing the situation.

The offense, which knows how good their defense is, discovered the Bears' just might be a little better,  much more opportunistic and crazily disruptive. Once getting the lead in the second quarter, they threw just about everything at Flacco, who was sacked four times, 2.5 by Montez Sweat, and hounded  mercilessly.

As it was, the Browns were fortunate to be on the wrong end of just a 17-7 score at the time. That's because the Chicago offense isn't very good and couldn't put the Browns away, in part thanks to a defense that hung around long enough to finally do something about it.

This team has been through so much this season in their efforts to win games, nothing after this would seem improbable. And yet, in real time, I had this feeling their good fortune was about to run out. even as it played out. The postseason was slipping away.

It lingered into the final quarter. The Browns hung around, desperately looking for something, anything that would serve as a jolt of inspiration to get them focused on the task at hand.

And then there was a glimmer, a spark that suggested this one wasn't over just yet. Rookie cornerback Cameron Mitchell made the play of the day on the first snap of the fourth quarter, dropping scrambling Chicago quarterback Justin Fields shy of a first down on fourth-and-one at the Cleveland 40.

It was almost as though Flacco took a clue from the big play, booking a sizzling second half, hitting on 14 of 21 in the final 30 minutes for 234 yards and a scoring strike of 51 yards to Amari Cooper that tied the score after completing 14 of 23 for 134 yards in the opening half.

The Browns defense, by now looking a lot like the one that was so spectacular at the beginning of the season, recorded their eighth three-and-out in 15 possessions and turned the game over to Flacco, who connected with David Njoku on throws of 31 and 34 yards that moved the ball to the Chicago 15, where Dustin Hopkins, per usual, delivered the final dagger from 34 yards.

But this being the Browns and their unpredictable selves this season, nothing is assumed. Fields found Tyler Scott for 30 yards at the Cleveland 45 against soft coverage. It was his final completion of the day, but not his final heave. The final Hail Mary toss to the Cleveland end zone wound up in the the hands of Browns safety D'Anthony Bell.

Drama there, too. Television replays showed Bears wide receiver Darnell Toomey, in the group  gathered in the end zone in the event of a deflection, was on the receiving end of such a deflection. He actually had the football in his arms before losing it with Bell on the recovery for the interception.

Considering the way this season has gone for the now 9-5 Browns, this result is a microcosm of their journey thus far. There's a charm about this team that's hard to define. Tough and resilient come immediately to mind. Lucky, too, but that's because they create their own luck through hard work. 

It has also become obvious they love playing at home at 7-1, ending the home schedule against the New York Jets (and Aaron Rodgers?) with road games at Houston next Sunday and Cincinnati in the regular-season finale.

The postseason has been the main goal. And now they are on the precipice. They arrive a physically battered group wearing, for the most part, the scars of victory. The latest one, though, will be remembered as the most satisfying.

Creeping closer

If the injury reports of the two teams meeting down by the lakefront Sunday afternoon are used as a portent of what lies ahead for the outcome of that game, the Browns are in a hit of trouble against the Chicago Bears. 

As of Saturday, there are 14 names on that list for the banged-up but still very much in the postseason picture 8-5 Browns. The 5-8 Bears, already thinking of next season, list five. 

The Browns enter the game with only two healthy starters on the offensive line that began the season in guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller. Two new tackles and a new center will attempt to keep new quarterback Joe Flacco vertical.

Defensively, two backups (one a rookie) will man the safeties; the pass rush will rely on a badly bruised Myles Garrett, who is sackless in three straight games with no one coming even close to stepping up to help; and a head coach/playcaller who seems to have forgotten he's got a good ground game.

Pretty grim thus far. How about a dose of optimism? Like kicker Dustin Hopkins, who is primarily  responsible for the current record with clutch kick after clutch kick. And punter Corey Bojorquez, who has kept opposing teams buried deep in their territory, averaging 50.3 yards per boot. 

That's as much pushing this narrative is going to receive. No, this one will be decided by which team, at the risk of abusing a cliche, wants it more. This has become a war of attrition for the Browns at a time when overachieving is the primary goal and generally produces the best results.

The Bears are playing out the string. The Browns somehow keep overcoming the landslide of crippling injuries with the postseason remaining the main goal. They keep finding ways to win, which is more difficult at this juncture of the season.

On the plus side, there's the Browns' 6-1 record at home to take into consideration. For whatever reason, that's where the Browns have played their best regardless of any outside impediments. They have outscored the opposition on friendly turf, 144-88 (20.57-12.57 on the average). On the road, where they are 2-4, it's 145-184 (24.2-30.7).

The Bears, meanwhile, have been on a roll lately with an opportunistic defense playing a major role, winning three of their last four outings after losing six of the first seven games of the season. They have recorded 11 takeways in the last three.

The Browns, meanwhile, continue to be way too charitable with the football which, at least theoretically, plays into the Bears' plans for Sunday. They are now up to 26 turnovers. The lone game with none was the 27-0 perfecto they threw at Arizona in week nine.

One can only imagine how much more dangerous the Flacco offense would be with a little more concentration on ball security.

The Bears lately have also picked it up on offense with the return of quarterback Justin Fields, who missed four games with a broken finger on his throwing hand. The ex-Buckeye has thrown 13 touchdown passes in his nine starts with only six interceptions.

He is just as dangerous with his feet than he is with his arm, leading the Bears in rushing with 458 yards despite having missed a month of the season. This could be the game where the underwhelming Cleveland run defense of late gets back on track.

But when it comes to airing it out, Fields and wide receiver D. J. Moore have developed a nice relationship since the Bears traded for Moore with Carolina during the last NFL draft. They  have collaborated this season on 56 receptions for 860 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games, including an eight-catch, 230-yard, three-rouchdown afternoon against Washington in week five.

It sort of boils down to this: A Browns team with a roster not nearly as talented and dangerous as the one that began the 2023 season against a resurgent Bears team playing up to its capabilities in the last month. 

Sounds like a game where the special teams could be the deciding factor. That said, don't expect Flacco to keep up his torrid pace against a team aching to shut him down, Look for Kevin Stefanski instead to get back to a run game that keeps the chains moving and the clock running. Nothing fancy. 

Quick last question: Remember what happened to Fields during his rookie season when he made his starting debut against the Browns in Cleveland? Loyal fans do. Garrett sure does. He accounted for half of the nine sacks Fields absorbed in the 26-6 loss on Sept. 26, 2021.

"Hope we can change that going back this weekend," Fields said when reminded of that day. Not gonna happen.

Finding a way seems to have become the Browns' mantra lately. They'll honor it again Sunday as they creep closer to the postseason as the injury-riddled defense finds another gear and drops Fields at least twice and Flacco throws for two more touchdowns (Amari Cooper and David Njoku). Make it:

Browns 23, Bears 21

Mid-week thoughts

If I didn't know any better, I'd give a lot of thought to the notion somebody up there does not, in a far out way, want the Browns to even sniff the postseason.

How else can anyone explain the torrent of injuries this roster has suffered at the most inopportune times this season? Take, for example, what happened from a medical standpoint following the 31-27 victory  over Jacksonville Sunday that snapped a two-game losing streak.

Just when the defense was beginning to show signs of recovering from a mid-season swoon, a few new major injuries crippled that side of the football. Edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo and tackle Maurice Hurst II, both of whom have played well, gone for the season with torn pectoral muscles. 

What are the chances . . . ah, never mind.

Strong safety Grant Delpit, the club's leading tackler, gone for the rest of the regular season with groin miseries. Then news arrived that offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., already on injured reserve, had knee surgery that ended his season and rookie right tackle (knee) Dawand Jones was through for 2023.

It seems the Browns are adding names to the injured reserve list on a weekly basis. There are now 11 players on that list, nine of whom were either starters or key contributors at one time or another during the season.

It also seems as General Manager Andrew Berry can't catch a break when he arrives in the office every Monday morning following a game. It's one piece of bad news often followed by even worse news hours later after  checking with the team's medical staff.

So when Berry says,"It's always something," he really means it. This time, it's a tsunami of injuries that has shown no signs of relenting. And there's still a month left to further hamper his effort to get this team to mid-January football and beyond.

At this point of the season, the free-agent market is getting slimmer from a talent standpoint. The Cleveland active roster gets weaker every time a move is required.

It all makes it tougher for position coaches and coordinators to quickly acclimate the newcomers with the nomenclature of the club's systems so they can move right in and be productive. 

With so many major stars no longer available on the open market, the current Browns are far less talented than the group that assembled in Berea back in August. Then again, so are numerous other National Football League teams experiencing the same problems. The Browns, however, rank in the top three.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski goes into Sunday's home game against the Chicago Bears with backups Ronnie Hickman and D'Anthony Bell as his starting safeties. If defensive tackle Jordan Elliott does not clear concussion protocol, rookie Siaki Ika will take his first reps as a pro. 

Offensively, it's not as dire, although Stefanski might have to fight off some indigestion knowing tackles Geron Christian and James Hudson III protect -- and not very well -- the flanks of new quarterback Joe Flacco, who generally gets rid of the ball quickly. And if center Ethan Pocic's stinger remains bothersome, backup Nick Harris starts in the pivot. Better hope Pocic is a quick healer. 

It has almost reached the point where Stefanski might need to ask for a show of hands at daily practice to determine how many are ready to play a game of football against the Bears Sunday. 

Monday leftovers

Basking in the glow of Sunday's big victory over Jacksonville comes good news and bad news, both affecting the direction the Browns are currently headed in the race to the postseason.

The good news concerns Joe Flacco, whose style of playing quarterback in the National Football League has captured the imagination of Browns Nation. The 38-year-old veteran, who has shown fans of this team exactly how the position should be played at this level, has been elevated to the main roster from the practice squad.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski made it official Monday in the aftermath of the 31-27 victory over the Jagwires. Flacco, who has thrown five touchdown passes in his first two games, will have the huddle for the remaining four games on the schedule and the postseason.

This isn't exactly a show-stopping revelation considering the quality of Flacco's performances. It was pretty obvious Stefanski had seen enough from Flacco to realize he had no other option that made sense since his other quarterback was a raw rookie in Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

What this move does, though, is prevent other teams in need of a quarterback from signing him off the Cleveland PS. Like the  Los Angeles Chargers, for example, in danger of losing Justin Herbert (busted index finger on his throwing hand) for a long period

Flacco in a short period of time has become a leader in the clubhouse, rising in popularity with his teammates in leading by example. It was that side of the football that had not kept up with the defense for most of the season. 

Now with the new guy at the helm, the Browns can outscore opponents if that's what's needed to win. With the other three quarterbacks who have suited up this season, that was rarely the case. Points were hard to come by. Not any more.

***

Now the bad news. Rookie offensive tackle Dawand Jones is done for the season with a knee that requires surgery.  That's not just bad news; it's terrible news. That's because James Hudson III now becomes the new right tackle.

Hudson has been in and out at the position throughout the season filling in for Jones on occasion. And each time he did, the quality of play hampered the offense. The third-year pro tries hard, but he's just not very good. He's a liability at pass protection and with pre-snap penalties.

He was guilty of three false start penalties against the Jags: One in the second quarter with 6:14 on the clock on first and 10; another in the second quarter at 1:31 on second and 10; and one in the final quarter at 3:12 on third and one. Totally unacceptable.

Jones has become a revelation, providing the Browns with the kind of solid pass protection not often seen in a 6-8, 375-pound package. The former Ohio State star has allowed just three sacks in more than 700 snaps. The guess here is the Browns will ask Jones to shed some weight, which might have accounted for enough stress on his knees that eventually ended his season.

Unfortunately, Hudson has not come even close to being the tackle Jones is right now. And the overall pass protection will suffer as a result. Unless, that is, General Manager Andrew Berry is able to find  someone in the free-agent market.

From now on, it will be Hudson and Geron Christian at the tackles unless Jedrick Wills Jr., currently on IR, heels quickly enough to retake his position at left tackle. Until then, look for a lot of chipping by the tight end ends and/or running backs the rest of the way to keep Flacco vertical.

Have you noticed how banged up the offensive line is? The only two who have escaped missing games are the two guards, Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller. And now center Ethan Pocic is questionable after suffering a stinger Sunday. Nick Harris, a lesser talent, will fill in if Pocic can't go Sunday against Chicago. A distinct downgrade.

***

Finally . . . It's only one game, but David Njoku appears to be back and actually holding on to the football. After spending the last few weeks fighting the ball instead of securing it, the flashy tight end had a spectacular game against Jacksonville with six receptions on eight targets for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The first  came on a gorgeous play fake by Flacco, who found Njoku all alone down the seam from 35 yards on the first possession of the game. The second climaxed a four-play, 72-yard drive that consumed just 85 seconds. Njoku caught a short pass at around the Jags 20, stiff-armed Jags safety Andre Cisco to the ground at the 12 and danced in. If he keeps this up, his target count will rise.

A Stefanski save

Without question, it was the best play call Kevin Stefanski has made this season with so much on the line. Ian Eagle on CBS-TV went so far as to call it "a brilliant play call." It saved the Browns Sunday at the exact time they needed it in their 31-27 home victory over the Jacksonville Jagwires.

After piling up an early 21-7 lead on a pair of touchdown passes to David Njoku by the ageless Joe Flacco and a short Kareem Hunt score with less than 10 minutes left in the third quarter, everything seemed comfortable because of a Cleveland defense that usually plays lights out at home.

Well, someone forgot to turn out those lights as the Jaguars stormed back behind quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a Jacksonville defense that played a lot differently in the second half and slowly crept to within striking distance at 21-14 with less than five minutes left in the third quarter.

Until this one, the Cleveland defense at home had permitted an average of just 10 points a game in six outings. That surely should have been enough to put this one in the correct column with no problem. And even though they won, it might be time to take a closer look at the disappearing former No. 1 defense in the NFL.

It got sloppy along the way with both teams having problems holding onto the football, combining for seven turnovers. Flacco accounted for two of the Browns' three giveaways with an interception and  fumble on a strip sack that set up the touchdown that pulled the Jags to within seven at 21-14

And that is where Stefanski yanked his little miracle out of the playbook.

Shortly after Greg Newsome II picked off a pass intended for Calvin Ridley at the Jacksonville 48 on the third play of the fourth quarter, the offense bogged down and stalled at the 41 after a third and three pass fell incomplete.

Why not punt at this point and pin the Jags deep in their territory? Play the field-position game. Sorta made sense. But this is Kevin Stefanski and just about anything can happen with him, including failing and turning the ball over to the Jags in plus territory if it failed.

Fourth down and the punt team remained on the bench. What's he got up his sleeve? The play of not just the game as it turned out, but it has a nomination here for play of season to date.

It began with seldom-used wide receiver David Bell lined up next to fellow receiver Elijah Moore directly behind Njoku on the line of scrimmage to Flacco's right. At the snap, all three moved forward before splitting up and heading in different  directions, Njoku to the right, Moore to his left and Bell straight ahead before stopping.

The execution so flummoxed the Jags' secondary, cornerback Darious Williams slipped and fell trying to get back to a wide-open Bell at the 26. By the time he had recovered, Flacco had delivered a perfect pass and the wide receiver had nothing but grass in the way of his first touchdown as a professional.

It was so stunning, one had to blink a few times before realizing what had just happened. Like how could such a defensive breakdown happen? The replay unraveled the mystery. A perfect call against a full-out blitz made it happen. 

It boosted the Browns back to a 14-point lead at 28-14 with 13:34 left in regulation and a cushion in the event anything else went wrong because Lawrence was beginning to warm up after a slow start. Dustin Hopkins' 55-yard field goal provided a little more cushion a couple of possessions later.

Both head coaches chose to throw the football most of the afternoon, combining for 95 passes and 568 yards. Flacco, who checked in with 311 yards and three touchdowns, has now thrown for 565 yards and five touchdowns in his burgeoning two-game career as a Cleveland Brown. 

The Jags stormed back to make it a game and throw a scare into Browns Nation. Lawrence, who was questionable all week with a high ankle sprain suffered last Sunday, was a surprise starter but paid a heavy price. He was picked twice by cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. and once by Newsome. 

He threw 50 passes for 257 yards and three scores, two to tight end Evan Engram and narrowed the deficit to 31-27 with 93 seconds left after failing on a two-point attempt. 

The outcome finally ended the Jags' unbeaten streak on the road at five games and snapped the Browns' two-game losing streak out west, lifting them into second place in the AFC North, a game ahead of Pittsburgh and Cincinnati tied for fourth.

Two streaks end

The first clue arrived early Saturday morning.

The first clue to what? 

The first clue to answer the dumbest and silliest question of the week as to who will quarterback both teams when the Browns and Jacksonville Jagwires (yeah, I know) meet Sunday down by the lake.

Let's start with Cleveland. We pretty much know it will be Joe Flacco even though Dorian Thompson-Robinson cleared concussion protocol Saturday and will be the only other candidate following the waiving (finally) of P. J. Walker.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski can hem and haw all he wants as he tries to shroud the mystery of his choice, but he knows Jags head coach Doug Pederson isn't falling for this nonsense. Why start an unproven  rookie just out of concussion protocol when you've got a proven 16-year National Football League veteran who is healthy and easily the best quarterback on the roster?

Pederson has all his faculties and isn't for one minute buying any of that crap Stefanski is trying to sell. It's kind of obvious the Browns' head man must have had a hard time in psychology class as a student at the University of Pennsylvania.

So what's the clue? It deals with the conundrum over whom Pederson will start Sunday. It became a conundrum the moment Jags starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a high ankle sprain late in last Sunday's overtime loss to Cincinnati. 

High ankle sprains generally require at least a few weeks to heal, thus generating this little conundrum. And Saturday, Jacksonville added quarterback Nathan Rourke to the active roster from the practice squad, ostensibly to back up journeyman C. J. Beathard, who took over when Lawrence went down. 

The move indicates one of their now three quarterbacks on the active roster won't play Sunday. That could also be Beathard, who suffered a shoulder injury in the Bengals loss. 

So why did the Jags make this move if Lawrence is ready to go? Beats me. I believe, though, he is. Ready, that is. And that's why the Browns probably will prepare more for the much more dangerous Lawrence. The only possible argument against that notion is why risk further damage to his ankle?

All these questions about two teams pretty much neck-and-neck in the race to the postseason. The call here is Flacco against Lawrence, a couple of 6-6 quarterbacks at opposite ends of their careers.

Here's shat Lawrence offers with regard to statistical importance: He has thrown for 3,004 yards this season, including 14 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions. He's been sacked 27 times.

He lost Christian Kirk, his best wide receiver, for the season in the Bengals game. But he still has speedy Calvin Ridley and tight end Evan Engram, on whom he leans heavily in short-yardage situations.

The Jags pretty much rely on Travis Etienne Jr. in the ground game, Lawrence's former college teammate has run for 771 yards and eight touchdowns infantry style and added another 346 yards and touchdown through the air. He is especially dangerous on screen passes.

On the Browns' injury front, cornerback Denzel Ward is expected back after missing the last two games with shoulder issues; wide receiver Amari Cooper, who was concussed last week in Los Angeles, has cleared protocol and should be a go for Sunday (Flacco is smiling); and corner Cameron Mitchell (hamstring) is back.

The bad news is offensive tackle Dawand Jones is out with a knee. That means James Hudson III will start at right tackle. More bad news considering how much better the rookie has been than the third-year man. Fortunately, he won't have to face defensive end Josh Allen, who owns 13.5 of the team's 26 sacks. 

That responsibility belongs to newcomer Geron Christian, who fortunately has excelled at protecting his quarterback, but needs to work on opening holes for his skilled teammates.

* * * 

Facts entering the game: The Jags own this series, winning 12 of the 18 previous meetings. They also hold a 7-2 edge in Cleveland. . . . Jacksonville is also unbeaten in five road games this season. . . . The Browns are 5-1 at home, outscoring opponents 103-61 (17.17-10.2 per). . . . On the road, they are 2-4 and outscored, 184-152 (30.7-25.3 per) by opponents. Considering those revealing stats, good thing this is a home game. 

* * * 

Flacco sustains his nice start as a Cleveland Brown especially with Cooper back from protocol. And maybe this will be the game where Stefanski mingles more ground game with his three-headed monster into the game plan and finally realizes, as Flacco has, tight end Harrison Bryant is more reliable in catching the football than David Njoku. Flacco throws two more scoring passes (Cooper and Elijah Moore), and now that they're at home, the Cleveland defense makes life miserable for whatever Jags quarterback shows up. Two streaks fall: The Browns' two-game loser and the Jags' unbeaten string on the road. If I'm wrong about Lawrence, it will be worse. Make it:

Browns 24, Jaguars 20

Monday leftovers

From the first snap of the game Sunday in Los Angeles, it was obvious Joe Flacco will be the Browns' starting quarterback the rest of the way this season. 

He was smooth, poised to the nth degree, confident and for a soon-to-be 39-year-old football professional he was totally unruffled. He's the kind of quarterback the Browns have been searching longingly for since 1999. 

His play-action misdirection game is still one of the best. And he executes it so effortlessly. He is really a pleasure to watch operating an offense, a throwback to the way better-than-average quarterbacks took their teams to new heights not long ago.

Right now, Flacco is not just the best quarterback in the room in Berea. He is the best quarterback on the entire roster, including injured reserve. Deshaun Watson, who watched from the stands Sunday while rehabilitating from shoulder surgery, could learn a few pointers from what he saw.

Flacco was in command all the way -- except maybe for that late interception that changed the direction the game was headed and served as the catalyst for a 36-19 loss to the Rams that slammed the brakes on the road to the postseason.

Now all Kevin Stefanski has to do is make it official. Come right out and tell the media what just about everyone else knows. Don't play games in an effort to keep the Jacksonville Jagwires (yes, I know) guessing who to prepare for in Sunday's home game.

The Jags don't really believe Stefanski will start Dorian Thompson-Robinson even if the cookie clears concussion protocol. And they certainly won't prepare for P. J.Walker, who probably will return to the practice squad. So why wait?

That kind of gamesmanship doesn't work anymore. Hasn't for a long time, in fact. Stefanski should worry more about why his defense, the one that helped the club get off to such a terrific start this season, is AWOL.

When mediocre teams like Seattle, Denver and the Rams use the ground game to beat the Browns, that's a big problem, especially when there's little help from an offense that has staggered most of the season. How the defense closes out this season will determine where they finish.

It's not looking good at all currently. The middle of the defensive line is constantly being collapsed by opposing offensive lines. No one has taken charge. Dalvin Tomlinson, who signed a four-year, $57 million contract to join the Browns, is as close to being a bust as one can get. He's stealing money.

The big defensive tackle, who plays around 60% of the plays, has 20 tackles (seven solo), forced one fumble (didn't cover it), seven quarterback hits and three sacks in 12 games. That's it. He takes up a lot of space and this is the best he can do? Prediction: There will not be a year two for him in Cleveland.

And if defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz gets his way, neither will just about everyone else at that position. The interior defense is being exposed too frequently for an encore to take place in the offseason. That will -- or should be -- a priority in the next college draft.

***

Based solely on what we saw Sunday, Harrison Bryant should be elevated to at least TE1(a) alongside David Njoku, whose hands suddenly have turned to concrete. He is getting all the tight end money, but Bryant is is producing more comparatively.

Bryant has been targeted a mere 15 times this season, catching 10 for 61 yards and three touchdowns.  He was targeted 108 times in his first three seasons with 76 receptions for 710 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Bryant has also been used as a quarterback under center in short-yardage situations by Stefanski and done well with the exception of a costly fumbled snap on the exchange against Denver.

Njoku, on the other hand, leads the Browns in receptions with 53 on 84 targets for 509 yards but just two touchdowns. He's catching just 63% of the throws as opposed to Bryant's 70.4% in this three seasons.

Njoku also leads the team in another vital department -- dropped passes. Depending on which statistical service you follow that provides such numbers, he has been tagged with anywhere from 26 to 29 dropped throws, many of which have occurred in the last few weeks. 

Bryant has scored one more touchdown than Njoku while playing maybe a quarter of the time Njoku is on the field. It makes no sense to limit Bryant's snaps for an offense that needs now more than ever to be reliable for Flacco.

***

Finally . . . In a way, it was kind of fun to watch a couple of old warhorses go against each other Sunday. Matthew Stafford of the Rams at 35 with Hall of Fame credentials against Flacco. Both can still bring it and show some of the youngsters how it's done. They combined for 533 yards and five touchdowns. . . . The Cleveland pass rush has produced just one sack in the last two games. Take a bow Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah against the Broncos. . . . Two legitimate reasons for at least part of the defensive collapse is the absence of cornerback Denzel Ward, who has missed two games with a shoulder problem, and the ineffectiveness due to injury to Myles Garrett. The latter failed to make the final stats sheet Sunday although he played major minutes.

You know who to blame 

Kevin Stefanski doesn't need me or you or myriad either members of Browns Nation to point out exactly where and when it all went wrong Sunday in a very winnable game in Los Angeles against the Rams that turned into a second consecutive Cleveland loss for the first time this season.

No it wasn't when Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper left the game midway through the second quarter of the 36-19 loss and sat out the rest of the game with a concussion, taking away the club's best offensive weapon who had instantly bonded with new quarterback Joe Flacco in his very impressive Browns debut.

And it wasn't when the Browns almost caught up to the Rams despite a disappointing Cleveland defense that had all kinds of trouble corralling running back Kyren Williams and wide receiver Puka Nacua, who combined for two touchdowns and 251 of the Rams' 399 yards.

It arrived shortly after Flacco connected with seldom-used tight end Harrison Bryant from eight yards to cap a 13-play 75-yard drive with almost nine minutes remaining in regulation. That's when it all unraveled. The golden toe of Dustin Hopkins was wide right on the point-after for the first time this season.

If you were to list all the things that could go wrong for this team, Hopkins missing a big kick wouldn't even make the list. With the Browns, there's  always something that stands in the way of winning and after all these years remains unexplainable. 

So instead of a 20-20 tie, which no doubt would have been an emotional lift for the defense, it remained a one-point game. It sure looked like it when a Nacua 45-yard burst was negated by a holding penalty. Okay, time to cue the moment it all went to crap.

It's still a one-point game with 6:51 left in regulation. The Browns had twice put together clock-draining drives that wore down a Rams defense that couldn't believe the game was coming down to this. Advantage Browns and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Here comes another one of those long, drag-out slogs that could end with another Hopkins game-winning field goal with no time on the game clock just like the victories over Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Ahhh what sweet retribution for Hopkins that would be for the missed PAT.

No way Stefanski could screw that up. Or so a lot of us thought. Run the damn ball. Run down the clock. Make the Rams used heir timeouts. Flacco has been terrific. Don't spoil it for him, right?

Wrong. This is the very unpredictable Kevin Stefanski, who is often guilty of overthinking a situation. All afternoon, Flacco had played play-fake football beautifully and thrown the football even better though he hadn't taken an NFL snap in nearly a year.

So for the first time all afternoon, the playcaller asked the still strong-armed Flacco to let it rip, sending speedy Elijah Moore downfield. As the ball was in the air, I found myself shouting, "What in the hell are you doing?!!" over and over. He had the game in his grasp. He's been here before. And then this.

Former Browns free safety John Johnson III, back with the Rams after the Browns released him last March, tracked down the nearly 70-yard heave at his 34 and returned it 42 yards to the Cleveland 24. Five plays later, the Rams were up, 27-19 on a Cooper Kupp touchdown throw from Matthew Stafford.

And then it devolved from that point into embarrassment and a final score that was misleading. The Browns, by now falling apart completely on offense, turned the ball over on downs at their 30 when David Njoku failed to hold on to a well-defensed Flacco throw on fourth down at the Cleveland 30.

Williams scored four plays later and the Rams tacked on two more points when Flacco was sacked in the end zone by Toby Turner and Aaron Donald. 

If nothing else, the new Cleveland quarterback proved beyond any doubt he should start the rest of the games on the schedule if the Browns genuinely believe they have a chance to qualify for the postseason. At 7-5, good enough to tie Pittsburgh for second place in the AFC North, their struggles have become much more difficult. It's not good to struggle in December.

Flacco threw for 156 yards in the first, half, completing 11 of his 21 throws, Cooper hauling in three balls for 34 yards. Moore, his former teammate with the Jets last season, was easily his favorite target with a dozen. He caught only four balls for 83 yards

It was obvious Cooper's absence hampered Flacco's timing and effectiveness, all because the head coach totally lost control of the game when it mattered most. And because of that, this one falls into a familiar category: Trusting this head coach can be bad for your health.

Once again, the ground game was an afterthought --- 23 attempts for 87 yards while Flacco dropped back 46 times. A ratio of 2-1 in favor of the forward pass is unacceptable. In the name of Nick Chubb, it might be time to reverse that ratio.

The Browns' defense, which is collapsing in slow motion, was roughed up for 120 yards. That's 100 yards or more in eight of the last nine games. Remember when that run defense put up sensational numbers in the first three games of the season? Time to start calling them the good old days. 

With five games left, the pressure to win mounts. Three of them (Jacksonville, Chicago and the Jets) are at home, where the Browns are 5-1. All are winnable. The way this team is playing football now, that means squat. Winnable is one thing. Knowing how to win is altogether different.

The Browns don't.

Not yet for Flacco

Is there any question the Browns, notably head coach Kevin Stefanski, enter Sunday's game in Los Angeles against the Rams in desperation mode?

Stop and think about it. The starting quarterback will be Joe Flacco, who spent the last few months in a forced retirement. He wanted to keep going after 15 seasons of plying his craft in the National Football League. Not one bite.

He's no longer the quarterback who led the Baltimore Ravens to numerous playoff victories, including a Super Bowl title and MVP honor. But at the moment, who cares? He is healthy and vertical, which makes him the perfect candidate to work under center for Cleveland at this point.

Deshaun Watson is gone for the season. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson is (a) not ready for prime time and (b) still recovering from a savage blow to the head last Sunday in Denver. And P. J. Walker is not NFL material.

This still-talented offense, despite losing their starters at running back and both offensive tackles, needed a quarterback. Desperately. When desperate, moves of desperation are required. So ready or not, here comes Joe Flacco. 

So when the Browns became the team on the NFL landscape desperate enough to go after not just any  free-agent quarterback a couple of weeks ago when Watson was placed on injured reserve, choosing Flacco's his months-long wait. was rewarded. 

Sure he's 38 years old. But he's a young 38, a vibrant 38 whose yearning to play the game he loved was not ready to accept retirement. Nineteen comeback victories and 25 game-winning drives still burned in his memory.

He caught the eye in recent practices of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, a former quarterback himself, who cited Flacco's "elite arm" when prompted to evaluate the newcomer. He can still bring it, which is all Stefanski needed to hear when deciding on Sunday's starter.

He knows his offense is struggling to put points on the scoreboard lately, especially by players not named Dustin Hopkins. That stems from Watson's absence and woefully insufficient help from other members of the quarterbacks room.

So here comes Flacco, in the twilight of his career, eager to unlock the mystery that has brought this offense to a near dead stop. One look at third-down statistics on offense tells you all you need to know. 

When it comes to third-down conversions, the life blood of any offense, the Browns know what misery feels like. They are 30th in the NFL at 31.33%. In the last three games (Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Denver), they are a putrid 23.08%. And yet they are 2-1 in those games, thanks to Hopkins. 

Stefanski, of course, gets the blame for these awful stats, although we know poor execution is really to blame. Fine line here: Someone has to be responsible for that, too. So why not Stefanski? Nothing is getting fixed. 

He has tried just about everything to kick that side of the ball loose from the doldrums. As stated in the last rant, about the only thing he hasn't tried is fundamentally sound football. Basic stuff with a just a few variations. And none of the cute stuff.

What he needs to do is focus on winning first and second downs to avoid reaching the dreaded third down. With backs like Kareem Hunt, who specializes in short-yardage situations, and Jerome Ford whose speed is underutilized, that shouldn't be a problem.

The Rams enter the game Sunday on a little bit of a roll with consecutive victories over Seattle (for the second time this season) and hapless Arizona after dropping four of the previous five. They have the kind of offense that could seriously challenge the Cleveland pass defense.

Veteran gunslinger Matthew Stafford is the ringmaster of a passing game that features arguably the best group of receivers the Browns' secondary will face this season. Head coach Sean McVay dials up passes nearly two-thirds of the time.

Rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, who has amassed 73 receptions for 924 yards but just three touchdowns, heads this talented group. He's got four 100-yard games already.

Veteran Cooper Kupp, who has missed at least a dozen games the past two seasons with injuries, has slowly worked his way back into the rotation of late and is still considered dangerous, as are wideout Tutu Atwell and tight end Tyler Higbee.

The hottest Ram right now is pro sophomore running back Kyren Williams, who owns three 100-yard games in just seven starts. He returned last Sunday after being sidelined for four games with an ankle injury and posted a 143-yard afternoon on the ground on just 16 carries and caught every one of his six targets for another 61 yards.

It should be noted here the Browns, especially the defense, have not been road warriors this season. They have been singed for 60 points in the last two road games, 84 in the last three and 122 overall in the last four. Strangely, they are 2-2.

The key ingredient that was missing from the Cleveland offense in last week's loss in Denver was the ground game. Way too many second and 10s because of incomplete passes on first down with DTR at quarterback. Gotta coach smarter than that.

Now with Flacco at the controls, it will be interesting to see if Stefanski sticks with a heavily-laden pass-on-first-down game plan or has learned his lesson and brings back the very good infantry attack.

At this point of the season, Stefanski needs to win this one. Falling to 7-5 significantly damages the Browns' chances of qualifying for the postseason and buttresses the notion by some in Browns Nation that Stefanski is on the edge of a slippery slope.

This will be the fourth time this season the Browns face the possibility of losing two in a row. They won the next game in the first three against Tennessee, Indianapolis and Arizona. The Rams are better than those teams.

One certainty about this one. Flacco most likely will struggle early before getting used to the speed of the game after being off for nearly a year. He will throw at least one interception, be sacked at least twice and connect at least once with Amari Cooper for a touchdown. 

The Cleveland defense, without an effective Myles Garrett and a seemingly worn-down defensive line, has only one takeaway in the last two games. That number will not change. Flacco's return is a step in the right direction. It gives legitimacy to that side of the football. It won't be enough Sunday. Make it:

Rams 23, Browns 14