The Browns put the league on notice once again in Week 11 with their 13-10 win against the Steelers. It comes a week after Cleveland defeated the Ravens, which means the team has officially made history on its three-game win streak.
According to NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano, it is the first time in franchise history that the Browns beat the Ravens and Steelers in consecutive weeks.
It wasn’t a must-win game for Cleveland but it was as close to one as it can get, especially after losing QB Deshaun Watson for the season due to a shoulder injury. The Browns now have an 81.7 percent chance to make the playoffs, per ESPN.
Rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Cleveland’s fifth-round pick, didn’t do anything special, but he was good enough to get the win. He threw for 165 yards and an interception while adding 20 yards on the ground.
However, Thompson-Robinson doesn’t need to play hero ball with a defense like Cleveland’s, which is allowing the fewest total yards per game (243.3) and the sixth-fewest point per game (18) in the league.
The Browns did sign veteran QB Joe Flacco to their practice squad following the team’s Week 11 victory. But it would be surprising if they made another quarterback change, especially coming off a win. Thompson-Robinson will likely be on a shorter leash with Flacco now on the roster, however, because Cleveland still has Super Bowl aspirations in 2023.
At the very least, Flacco, a former first-round pick in 2008 and the Super Bowl XLVII MVP, adds some much-needed depth and experience after Watson’s season-ending injury. It’s a necessary move by a team that nobody should be counting out quite yet.
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