The Cleveland Browns picked up their 10th win of the season with their blowout victory over the Houston Texans this past weekend, and in doing so, they achieved something not done in over 70 years.
The Browns became the first team since stats first started being tracked in 1950 to win 10 games with four different quarterbacks earning at least one win in the process (h/t OptaSTATS).
Cleveland has employed Deshaun Watson, P.J. Walker, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Joe Flacco under center in 2023.
Of course, the Browns began the year with Watson taking snaps, but a shoulder injury ultimately forced Watson out of the lineup for the remainder of the season, further solidifying Cleveland’s trade for Watson as one of the worst in NFL history at the current point in time.
The Browns tried Walker and Thompson-Robinson, but neither player seemed to possess what Cleveland wanted in a playoff-caliber signal-caller.
Enter Flacco, who joined the Browns’ practice squad in late November and has since started four games, going 3-1 while throwing for 1,307 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has completed 59.4 percent of his passes and owns a passer rating of 85.1.
Against the Texans, Flacco went 27-for-42 with 368 yards, three touchdowns and a couple of picks.
The 38-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Delaware, was originally selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 18th overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft and spent the first 11 years of his career with the Ravens, leading the club to a Super Bowl title during the 2012-13 campaign.
After his time in Baltimore, Flacco spent one season with the Denver Broncos before linking up with the New York Jets for three years.
He was unexpectedly thrust into a starting role with the Browns this year, but he is taking full advantage of the opportunity and is flourishing.
Cleveland has the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth when it takes on Flacco’s former Jets club this weekend. It will then wrap up the regular season when it takes on the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 7.
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