Browns clinch playoff spot; Joe Flacco turns clock back against his former Jets

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The Cleveland Browns – yes, those Cleveland Browns – are playoff bound.

Joe Flacco turned back the clock on Thursday night, getting revenge against a former team of his in the New York Jets en route to a 37-20 victory.

The first half was a scoring bonanza as Jerome Ford scored on the Browns’ first drive and the Jets answered right back with a Breece Hall score.

On the Browns’ next drive, it was Kareem Hunt. Cleveland opted to go for it on fourth-and-four from inside the 10 after recovering a fumble, but didn’t convert. However, they returned an interception to the house, making it 20-7 before the first quarter even ended.

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Joe Flacco (#15) throws the ball against the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Dec. 28 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

In the second quarter, Elijah Moore also got revenge on his old team with a touchdown to put Cleveland up 27-7 (cashing out over bets early in the second quarter), but after forcing a punt, Flacco threw a pick-six, and the Browns' lead was cut to 13. 

Though there was no need to panic as Flacco found Ford for a 50-yard score, extending the lead back up to 20. Flacco threw for 296 yards in just the first half against the team he played for from 2020 to 2022.

The Browns kicked off the second half by blocking a field goal, pretty much ruining any hope the Jets had.

This game was a tale of two halves – 51 points in the first half and just six in the second. The only scoring in the final 30 minutes came from two field goals, one from each team. 

It was the fourth straight game Flacco threw for over 300 yards (he threw for just 13 in the second half). David Njoku led all players with 134 receiving yards, while Ford and Hunt combined for 95 yards on 22 carries and three total scores.

It’s the Browns’ third playoff appearance since being reborn in Cleveland (2002 and 2020). This is also the first time the team has made the playoffs twice in a four-season span since the late 80s, although that iteration of the Browns is now the Baltimore Ravens.

Joe Flacco (#15) and Elijah Moore (#8) celebrate a touchdown in the first half against the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Dec. 28 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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Cleveland went for it by trading for Deshaun Watson and signing him to a contract worth $240 million, with all of it guaranteed in an unprecedented move. Watson was up-and-down earlier this year and then he was ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury. 

The Browns then split between PJ Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson before finding Flacco a few weeks ago. At the time of Watson’s injury, the elite Browns defense was seemingly going to propel them to the playoffs, but Flacco has looked like his old self since landing in Ohio. He's thrown for 13 touchdowns and 1,616 yards in his five games with the Browns.

Joe Flacco #15 (L) and Cleveland Browns Head coach Kevin Stafanski (R) celebrate after a touchdown against the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Dec. 28 in Cleveland, Ohio.  (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

A Ravens win would clinch them the AFC North, and the Browns would be locked into either the fifth or sixth seed, but that will be finalized after they take on the Bengals in Cincinnati in the season finale.

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Meanwhile, the Jets fell to 6-10 and will wrap up their season in Foxboro against the New England Patriots in a battle for draft position – and what could be Bill Belichick’s final game in Massachusetts.

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