Joe Flacco helped the Cleveland Browns clinch a playoff berth at the expense of his former team on Thursday night, as the Browns hammered the New York Jets by a score of 37-20.
Flacco spent three seasons with the Jets between 2020 and 2022, primarily serving as a backup.
After the game, New York linebacker C.J. Mosley—who was also a teammate of Flacco’s while with the Baltimore Ravens—paid Flacco a pretty big compliment.
“Everybody always joked, even in Baltimore, was he elite?” Mosley said, via Jake Trotter of ESPN.com. “He’s showing it. Not a lot of guys, especially veterans like him and his age, just coming from home, hanging with his kids, do what he’s done. I told him after the game it’s crazy to hear the Browns fans screaming, ‘Flacco!’ That was pretty wild to me, but I’m happy for him. Obviously we wanted to get the win, but just as a friend, as a fan, I’m definitely happy for him.”
Flacco had his best game in Cleveland yet against the Jets, going 19-for-29 with 309 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
The 38-year-old signed on to the Browns’ practice squad in late November but was almost immediately pressed into starting duty.
Through five starts, Flacco has thrown for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight picks while completing 60.3 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 90.2. Most importantly, he has led Cleveland to a 4-1 record in those games.
Joe Flacco, who played his collegiate football at the University of Delaware, was originally selected by the Ravens with the 18th overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft. He spent his first 11 seasons in Baltimore, leading the club to a Super Bowl victory during the 2012-13 campaign.
The Voorhees, N.J. native then linked up with the Denver Broncos for one year before joining the Jets.
The Browns improved to 11-5 with their Week 17 victory and clinched at least a Wild Card berth. They will battle the Cincinnati Bengals to wrap up the regular season on Jan. 7.
For Cleveland, it marks only the third time the franchise has made the playoffs since 2003.
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