CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Flacco fever is on, but nothing comes easy for the Browns.
Not this year.
Joe Flacco threw three touchdowns – two to tight end David Njoku – while Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence threw three TDs and three interceptions in the Browns 31-27 win over the Jaguars Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Here’s our top Brownie Bites from Sunday’s win.
The win pushed the Browns to 8-5 and kept them in the driver’s seat to clinch a Wild Card spot in the AFC but these two teams appear on a collision course for a No. 4 vs. No. 5 playoff rematch on Super Wild Card Weekend in Jacksonville. It was the Jaguars first road loss in 2023.
The game featured a total of seven turnovers with the Jaguars committing four of them.
Flacco started hot for the second straight week by completing all four passes on the opening drive for 66 yards, including finding Njoku wide open for a 34-uyard touchdown and a 7-0 lead at the 11:39 mark of the opening quarter. Njoku was left open again early in the second quarter inside the 25 and Njoku did the rest for a 30-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Browns lead. It marked the first multi-touchdown game of Njoku’s career. Flacco became the first Brown to throw three touchdown passes of at least 30 yards in the same game since Brian Sipe on December 21, 1980. The 38-year-old completed 26 of 45 passes for 311 yards with three touchdowns and one interception to earn a 92.0 rating.
Kicker Dustin Hopkins gave the Browns the cushion they needed in the fourth quarter by drilling a 55-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game at 31-21 with 3:10 to play in the game. It was his league-leading 31st made field goal of the season and his eighth from 50 or more yards, a new franchise record.
Lawrence, playing on a sore right ankle, was 28-of-50 for 257 yards with three picks and three touchdowns for the Jaguars.
Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. had two of the three interceptions thrown by Lawrence, including as Lawrence looked for Calvin Ridley with 1:47 left in the first half. Emerson returned the ball 11 yards out to the 19 but the Browns were unable to add to their lead before half. Greg Newsome II came away with the third pick early in the fourth quarter on a deep ball for Ridley that came on third-and-inches. Cleveland took over at the 48.
The sacks returned this week. Four of them – Grant Delpit, who just got a contract extension, along with Maurice Hurst, Ogbo Okoronkwo, and Za’Darius Smith. Delpit’s 13-yard sack pushed Jacksonville out of field goal range and forced a punt. Myles Garrett dropped Lawrence on a 2-point try with 1:33 remaining but does not get credit for a sack.
Denzel Ward was inactive and before kickoff it was announced safety Juan Thornhill was unavailable due to a calf injury. Center Ethan Pocic suffered a stinger with just under nine minutes left in the first quarter and was replaced by Nick Harris. Delpit suffered a groin injury in the second half and did not return.