There is only one path for the Cleveland Browns to take if they want to continue their quest for the playoffs. They must continue starting Joe Flacco.
While Cleveland came up short in Flacco’s first start, there was a much different feeling when he dropped back to pass. For the first time in five years, a Browns quarterback attempted 19 passes that traveled over 10 yards through the air, nearly half of Flacco’s pass attempts in the contest.
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This was a breath of fresh air for an offense that has been very conservative in the passing game for far too long. One of the main points of contention for the Browns’ offense the past few seasons has been a lack of a deep threat, but perhaps the focus was on the wrong position. Flacco stepped in with limited practice time, proceeding to let it rip early and often. There is a drastic difference in the aggressiveness of Flacco and the previous trio of Deshaun Watson, P.J. Walker, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Flacco is willing to push the ball down the field on a more frequent basis than any of those three, and that could lead to chunk plays coming from the passing game more consistently.
What it will all come down to is how long the Browns can remain in the mix for the postseason. Should Cleveland fade out of the picture, going back to Thompson-Robinson would be more than understandable. But as long as they have a shot for the postseason, Flacco must continue to be their starter until he shows he is incapable of providing better quarterback play than what has been seen from others up to this point.