The Cleveland Browns couldn’t keep their strong momentum going.
They were 1.5-point favorites on the road, and it seemed like they were ready to keep up with the Houston Texans’ high-scoring offense.
Then, Joe Flacco threw back-to-back pick sixes to put the game out of reach, and the rest is history.
Nonetheless, Steven Palazzolo of PFF wasn’t that surprised to see that happen.
Talking on the PFF NFL Podcast, he claimed that as much as we saw Joe Flacco made great anticipation throws, he also had some head-scratching moments and decisions in which he struggled to read the opposing defense (via PFF NFL Podcast on Twitter).
The #Texans defense absolutely crushed Joe Flacco and the #Browns 💪@PFF_Sam | @PFF_Steve pic.twitter.com/Ret2WNOTNV
— PFF NFL Podcast (@PFFNFLPod1) January 15, 2024
Palazzolo stated that those throws were always a part of Flacco’s repertoire, dating back to his prime days with the Baltimore Ravens.
Some habits are tough to change; some don’t change at all.
Flacco threw for 13 touchdowns in December alone, but he also turned the ball over plenty of times.
Even so, it’s hard to put all the blame on him, as the championship-caliber defense also failed to get stops or create turnovers when it mattered the most.
At the end of the day, the Browns wouldn’t have made the playoffs without Flacco, and they lived and died by him.
In an ideal scenario, they would’ve had their $60 million-a-year quarterback out there on the field, and they will definitely hope that’s the case next season, as that trade with the Texans is starting to look like one of the worst, not only in Cleveland history but in NFL history as well.
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