3 Big Takeaways: QB Joe Flacco 'super grateful' for playoff push with the Browns

3 Big Takeaways: QB Joe Flacco 'super grateful' for playoff push with the Browns

The Browns' playoffs was cut short on Saturday as they were defeated 45-14 by the Texans in the Wild Card round.

Even though the defeat is painful, the Browns intend to move on by using the outcomes of this postseason in the offseason.

This is just another step in the immense struggle we have faced this year," DE Myles Garrett stated. Something to provide as inspiration for the upcoming year. My career's most agonizing loss to date is this one. Indeed. And I'll use this every day until we return to this level of performance the next year, when we're heading to the playoffs and having another successful run. I also need to hold encouraging and motivating the lads to apply this as an opportunity to work a little bit harder, educate a little bit greater, and bear in mind what steps they need to do to get lower back to this position and in no way revel in this sensation again.

So, let's study three takeaways from the very last sport of the 2023 season.

Defensive struggles against the Texans

Even though the Browns had defensive lapses while playing away from home during the season, their effort on Saturday against the Texans fell short of their usual level. They didn't appear to be the league's best defense.

We were sloppy," Garrett remarked. We made an effort to avoid doing that by starting quickly, particularly while driving, and putting our feet under us as soon as the ball was snapped. They simply outplayed us at their own game, though, you know? took advantage of our errors; regrettably, we didn't have a good day today.

According to Garrett, the Texans quarterback, C.J. Stroud, was having trouble getting to his places and getting the ball out on time, which was the root of their defensive problems. When Stroud needed to throw the ball, he would find a way to scuttle past opponents and make throws downfield. The Browns put pressure on Stroud on several plays, but he managed to either make a play or get out of the pocket fast enough to prevent the defense from making a play.

The Browns allowed a couple of big plays, which include a seventy six-yard landing bypass from Stroud to tight quit Brevin Jordan, a 37-yard landing bypass to tight cease Dalton Schultz, and a 38-backyard skip to huge receiver Nico Collins. Stroud finished 16 of 21 throws for 274 yards and three touchdowns earlier than the cease of the game.

simply didn't carry out," Garrett remarked. "At certain points in the defense, we were out of position, and we simply needed to return to our basics. We took too long to return to what was necessary. We need to have made the necessary adjustments, improved on a personal level, and communicated well with one other. That, in my view, changed into what changed into missing. It's unfortunate.

Joe Flacco's tenure at QB

When the Browns first signed QB Joe Flacco to the practice squad on Nov. 20, the Browns had misplaced QB Deshaun Watson for the season to a shoulder damage and had cycled through 3 starting quarterbacks with rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker. The Browns needed Flacco's degree of experience during the ultimate stretch of the season, and he was critical in main them to the postseason.

In 4 of the 5 games he began for the duration of the regular season, courting lower back to his debut as the beginning quarterback in Week thirteen, Flacco completed passes for greater than three hundred yards. With 123 passes finished for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, he wrapped out the ordinary season with amazing numbers. Additionally, he guided the Browns to four instantly victories from Weeks 14 through 17 and secured a postseason berth for the primary time considering the fact that 2020.

But Saturday's outcome turned into now not what they had hoped for. Flacco completed 34 of forty six throws for 307 yards, one landing, and  interceptions with the aid of the cease of the sport on Saturday. Flacco changed into picked twice in the third sector on consecutive offensive drives that have been both recovered for touchdowns via the Texans. According to Flacco, he attempted to toss the ball on the first interception.

At the end of the day, you have to be able to live with sacks, even if you're trying to throw the ball away and not make a poor choice today, Flacco stated. "And during that drive, we managed to overcome a second-and-long from a holding, so I imagine you were thinking to yourself, 'Okay, we made it through that one, let's not go back there.'" And you almost lowered your defenses a little. As I previously stated, I believe you need to understand that occasionally sacks aren't always a negative thing.

After the game, Flacco stood at the podium and expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to play football this season and for his time in Cleveland.

I feel like I was really lucky to join this squad," Flacco remarked. "This group is unique. And while I am aware that many people can make that claim, it is true. I am really appreciative that I have the opportunity to work with those individuals on this.

RB Kareem Hunt's capacity to find the stop quarter

RB Kareem Hunt scored the lone points for Cleveland on Saturday by using finding the give up zone twice within the first half of even as the Browns struggled offensively. Hunt hit the end zone on the game's second offensive drive, running up the middle for a touchdown off a strong block from G Wyatt Teller. Then, for his second touchdown of the day in the second quarter, Hunt snagged an 11-yard ball from Flacco.

Hunt ran for 26 yards on eight carries for the day's total, his biggest run coming in at 14 yards. On five receptions, he also got nine receiving yards.

Hunt became the fourth player in NFL history to record at least one rushing touchdown in each of his first four postseason games after scoring one each on the ground and in the air. With five touchdowns overall and four touchdowns on the ground, Hunt is also tied for second in Browns postseason history