Cleveland Browns’ American football players qualified for the NFL play-offs for the third time in this century by beating the New York Jets 37:20. Thanks to the miraculous resurrection of the 38-year-old quarterback: Joe Flacco.
Previously, the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions had secured the season record.
The Browns have filled seven of the fourteen playoff spots. The last tickets will be sold for the next two rounds. Play-off matches start on January 13. The top two teams will play in the Super Bowl on February 11 in Las Vegas.
Eleven years ago, Flacco was arguably the best quarterback in the NFL. At least that’s what Flacco thought: He thought he was better than the best players of the time: Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Then they laughed at Flacco. Of course, Baltimore had come a long way in the playoffs with the Ravens’ relentless defense. He was named rookie of the year in his first season in 2009. And of course, the fact that Flacco could throw farther than anyone else on a good day was special.
final match
But when it came to the biggest names in American football, Flacco was never mentioned. Until January 2013, he let his pitching arm do the talking. First, Manning knocked the Denver Broncos out of the playoffs shortly before the end with a massive field goal from nearly 60 yards (the shot became known as the “High Mile Miracle”).
They then beat Brady’s New England Patriots and eventually prevailed against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.
Flacco was named the MVP of this final. But is it among the best of its generation? No, the experts did not want this.
Flacco remained with the Ravens for a decade, helping Baltimore reach the playoffs at least six times. Then began a journey from reserve bank to reserve bank in Denver, New York and Philadelphia, and eventually to the couch at home.
Last season, Flacco showed his class once again, as the backup quarterback for the Jets, when he made a monster field goal of over fifty yards in the final seconds to put his team ahead of Cleveland.
Flacco returned to the bench with an inglorious farewell. Even though all his opponents were injured, New York ignored him.
While Flacco was watching television on his couch in New Jersey, he received a call from Cleveland. The Browns, who had seen their chances of making the playoffs diminish time and time again, were in desperate need of a quarterback.
The Browns have only made the playoffs twice this century; last time in 2021 with “Hug Quarterback” Baker Mayfield. But they didn’t think they could win the Super Bowl with Mayfield in Cleveland. So they offered Deshaun Watson a big contract even though the quarterback was a suspect in more than twenty sexual assault cases.
The marriage between Watson and the Browns hasn’t been a happy one so far. The previous season was mostly canceled due to Watson’s suspension (due to sexual assault cases). And he couldn’t do much this season either, until the broken shoulder he suffered in Week 10 ended his season.
Not everyone is happy with Flacco
When Watson’s “backup” got injured and then Flacco, the “backup to the backup”, arrived by plane. Not everyone in Cleveland was happy about his arrival. Browns fans have been hit with a lot of old feelings since the club moved to Baltimore and was renamed the Ravens in 1996.
While that team was starting to find success, the rebuilt Browns two years later were a complete mess.
Flacco has won hearts now. Under his leadership, the Browns have won four of their last five games. He clinched the playoffs against the Jets, the club that no longer needed him.
At the end of the game, fans in Cleveland chanted his name; This is something Flacco never thought possible during his many years as a puppet of the arch-rival Ravens.
“You never know how many more moments like this you’re going to have,” Flacco later stammered. “But I will remember this for the rest of my life.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
