CLEVELAND — Joe Flacco’s short stint with the Browns has been stunning, storybook, almost unbelievable.
Like everyone else, the New York Jets have watched him from afar — and maybe wondered what might have been.
On Thursday night, Flacco, who in just over a month has revived his career while rescuing Cleveland’s injury-filled season, can lead the Browns back into the playoffs for only the second time since 2002 with a win over the Jets.
The same Jets who chose not to re-sign the 38-year-old quarterback during the offseason or even after Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles tendon injury when he fell to the MetLife Stadium turf four plays into his first game with New York.
Instead, the Jets (6-9) have cycled through QBs — Trevor Siemian will start against the Browns — in a season that crashed weeks ago.
Jets coach Robert Saleh swears the team doesn’t rue passing on Flacco.
“Never regret,” Saleh said. “You always go into things with what you hope being a sound decision. Every decision we make comes with deep thought and logic. But no, there’s no regret there.”
Still, Saleh surely has to think about what Flacco, who went 1-8 as a starter from 2020-22 with New York, would be doing for the Jets now.
“No, I don’t think I ever let myself go there,” Saleh said. “But I am pumped to watch him play. It’s fun for any guy that you’ve gotten an opportunity to coach and be around to have success and he’s definitely having it right now.”
The Browns (10-5) probably wouldn’t be in this position without Flacco.
He has passed for 1,307 yards and 10 touchdowns while going 3-1 in four starts. It’s been something of a blur for the 15-year veteran, who finally has moved into an apartment after spending his first few weeks in town holed up in a hotel.
Once a villain while playing for rival Baltimore, Flacco has become a Cleveland cult hero.
Browns fans quickly have adopted him as one of their own.
“This city’s been unbelievable,” he said. “I can’t say enough about how welcoming everybody has been. It’s definitely been a little bit surreal in terms of how people have treated me around here. That stuff always feels good, so hopefully we can keep it going for them.”
Things could have been so different for Flacco if the Jets had called. But they didn’t, and he holds no bitterness.
“I enjoyed my time while I was there, and it is what it is,” he said. “I’m happy to be where I am, that’s for sure. Listen, there’s 32 teams in the NFL. They’re just another one of those teams. I got a lot of guys over there I really respect and had an awesome few years with in that locker room. So a lot of respect for those guys.”
The feeling is mutual.
“I love him,” Saleh said of Flacco. “I love the way he prepares, really pumped for him and the success he’s having. But it’s just the decision we made in terms of the quarterback room and the way we developed it over the course of OTAs and training camp and it was just the decision that we made.”
JET LAGGED
Flacco had his finest moment with the Jets in Cleveland.
In Week 2 last season, Flacco threw two of his four TD passes in the final 1:22 as New York, trailing by 13 points, pulled off a stunning 31-30 win over the Browns.
“Pretty damn memorable,” Flacco said this week when asked about the comeback.
The loss haunted the Browns, who never recovered on the way to a 7-10 finish.
“Definitely try to forget it, but you also don’t want to forget it,” cornerback Greg Newsome II said. “We still got that stinging pain, that stinging urge to get back out there, improve ourselves from last year’s loss.”
BREECE THE BEAST
Jets running back Breece Hall was struggling, along with the rest of New York’s worst-ranked offense, for several weeks. One huge game reminded everyone how much of a playmaker he can be.
Hall went nine games without rushing for more than 50 yards, but he broke out for 95 and two touchdowns along with 12 catches for 96 yards in last week’s win over Washington. He’s the first player in the Super Bowl era with 190 or more yards from scrimmage, 12 receptions and two TD runs.
“He’s awesome,” Siemian said. “He makes some unbelievable plays. I mean, shoot, there’s nothing he can’t do.”
REVOLVING DOOR
The Jets enter the game at Cleveland having used an NFL-high 12 starting lineups on their offensive line, including a different starting five in each of their past 11 games.
New York might finally have some stability, though.
Left tackle Mekhi Becton, left guard Laken Tomlinson, center Joe Tippmann, right guard Jacob Hanson and right tackle Carter Warren started Sunday against Washington and appear on track to start again Thursday night. It would be the first time since Weeks 3 to 5 that the Jets had the same starting O-line start consecutive games.
NO FLY ZONE
The Jets have been downright stingy when it comes to shutting down opponents’ passing games.
New York hasn’t allowed 300 yards passing in 33 straight games, the league’s longest active streak. The previous time the Jets gave up 300 or more yards came in Week 17 of the 2021 season when Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady threw for 410.
“I saw that on Twitter and had no clue we had done that, so that was really cool to see,” defensive lineman Solomon Thomas said. “But it’s not something we think about.”
This week, the Jets have been thinking about Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper, who dominated the Texans for 265 yards last week and who may have surpassed 300 if not for sitting out a portion of the fourth quarter with the Browns up big.
NEW YORK JETS (6-9) at CLEVELAND (10-5)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime
OPENING LINE: Browns by 7, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Jets 5-9-1; Browns 10-5.
SERIES RECORD: Browns lead 15-14.
LAST MEETING: Jets beat Browns 31-30 on Sept. 18, 2022, in Cleveland.
LAST WEEK: Jets beat Commanders 30-28; Browns beat Texans 36-22.
JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (32), RUSH (28), PASS (31), SCORING (30).
JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (24), PASS (2), SCORING (14).
BROWNS OFFENSE: OVERALL (13), RUSH (11), PASS (20), SCORING (10).
BROWNS DEFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (10), PASS (1), SCORING (12).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Jets minus-8; Browns minus-7.
JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Breece Hall. He bounced back from a rough nine-game stretch last week by becoming the first player in the Super Bowl era with 190 or more yards from scrimmage, 12 receptions and two TD runs in a single game. Widely acknowledged as the engine of the Jets’ offense, Hall finished with 95 yards and two touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 96 yards against Washington.
BROWNS PLAYER TO WATCH: DE Myles Garrett. Without a sack in five straight games, Garrett has the national TV stage to make his case for AP Defensive Player of the Year. His coaches and teammates have been promoting his cause, and now it’s Garrett’s chance to deliver a big performance. He has nine sacks in five games against the Jets.
KEY MATCHUP: Jets CB Sauce Gardner vs. Browns WR Amari Cooper. One of the NFL’s best cover corners will likely be assigned to Cooper, who dominated the Texans for 265 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches last week. Jets CB D.J. Reed will also get a chance on Cooper, considered an elite route runner and physical target.
KEY INJURIES: Jets QB Zach Wilson remains sidelined by a concussion, so Trevor Siemian will start his second straight game. … TE Jeremy Ruckert (concussion) is out. … K Greg Zuerlein, who kicked the winning 54-yard FG against Washington, had tightness in his right quadriceps and his availability for the game at Cleveland was uncertain. … The Browns will be without K Dustin Hopkins (hamstring), who has been clutch and among the league’s most accurate kickers all season. Hopkins is 8 of 8 beyond 50 yards. … Browns P Corey Bojorquez is also nursing a hamstring injury. He’s Cleveland’s holder. … This week, rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (hip) became the 12th Browns player to go on injured reserve. Thompson-Robinson started three games.
SERIES NOTES: The Jets have won seven of the past nine matchups. … New York staged one of the biggest comebacks in team history last season, scoring two touchdowns in the final 1:22 to stun the Browns 31-30 behind QB Joe Flacco, who has saved Cleveland’s season. … The Browns ended a 19-game losing streak with a win over the Jets in 2020 — also on a Thursday night.
STATS AND STUFF: The Jets are trying to avoid a fourth straight double-digit loss season. New York has lost 10 or more in six of the past seven seasons. … With the win against Washington, Siemian snapped a six-game skid for games in which he started. It was his first victory as a starter since Denver beat Indianapolis 25-13 in Week 15 of the 2017 season. … The Jets scored 17 points in the first quarter against Washington, their most in the opening 15 minutes of a game since Week 10 of the 2014 season. … Hall was the first Jets player to have 70 or more yards rushing, 70 or more yards receiving and multiple TDs from scrimmage in one game against Washington. His 9.0 yards per catch lead all running backs in that category since the start of last season. … Jets WR Garrett Wilson has 88 catches, making him the third player in franchise history to have consecutive seasons with 80 or more. He’s the ninth player in NFL history to have 80 or more in each of his first two seasons. … The Jets have used an NFL-high 12 starting offensive line combinations, including a different starting five in each of their past 11 games. … New York is the league’s most-penalized team with 111, including 14 last week. … LB Quincy Williams has a league-high 10 passes defensed. He’s also the only player with 100 or more tackles, 10 or more tackles for loss, 10 or more QB pressures and 10 or more passes defensed. … The Jets have not allowed 300 yards passing in 33 consecutive games, the NFL’s longest active streak. … With a win or tie, the Browns will clinch just their second playoff berth since 2002. … Flacco has passed for 1,307 yards and 10 TDs — both league highs — in four starts with Cleveland, which signed him on Nov. 20. … Flacco downplayed his chance to face the Jets, who chose not to re-sign him during the offseason or after Aaron Rodgers got hurt in the opener. … WR Amari Cooper dominated the Texans for 265 yards receiving last week. Cooper also became the first player in team history with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. … Injuries have been an issue for the Browns all season and this week they’re without Hopkins, who injured the hamstring in his plant leg while chasing returner Dameon Pierce in Houston. … The Browns signed K Riley Patterson, recently released by Detroit. … Cleveland’s defense is allowing just 260.3 net yards per game, the fewest since the Jets (252.3) in 2009. … The Browns are 7-1 at home. … Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is 0-6 against the AFC East. … The Browns were held to just 54 yards rushing on 30 carries last week.
FANTASY TIP: With the Jets likely focused on stopping or at least slowing down Cooper, Flacco may have to switch things up and make Browns WR Elijah Moore his primary target. Moore knows New York’s secondary well after spending two seasons with the Jets. He only caught two passes for 19 yards a week ago.
