HOUSTON — Joe Flacco signed with Cleveland in late November, then quarterbacked the Browns to four straight wins to propel them to the playoffs. That magical run abruptly ended Saturday.
Flacco threw pick-sixes on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter, and the Houston Texans routed Cleveland 45-14 to advance to the divisional round.
«I was so fortunate to become part of this team — it's a special group,» said Flacco, who turns 39 on Tuesday. «To be given a chance to do this with those guys, I'm super grateful for it.… Stinks the way it ended. But it was a lot of fun and I'm grateful for the time that we had.»
Joe Flacco's two pick-sixes came against zone coverage. Including the postseason, 9 of his 10 interceptions in 2023 came against zone coverage:
Flacco, the MVP in the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl win in 2012, didn't have a team two months ago. The Browns signed him Nov. 20 following a season-ending shoulder injury to starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Flacco made his first start for Cleveland two weeks later, and from then on, he led the NFL with an average of 323 passing yards per game. On Dec. 28, the Browns clinched their third playoff berth in three decades and arrived in Houston on Saturday as the favorite.
Flacco had another strong start, completing 15-of-19 passes for 172 yards in the first half. But his two pick-sixes doomed the Browns, as Houston jumped to a 38-14 lead to all but put Cleveland away.
«He was trying to make a play,» Browns coach and offensive playcaller Kevin Stefanski said. «I need to put him in better position.»
The first interception came as Flacco was about to be sacked. Instead of just taking the sack, he tossed the ball wildly toward the sideline. Texans cornerback Steven
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