The fact that it's 2024 and the headline to this article would start with “How Browns quarterback Joe Flacco” is insane for many reasons, but the fact that the back half of the headline concludes with “can surpass Tom Brady, Brett Favre in NFL Playoff history” is beyond insane. Mind-blowing is the adjective I'd be inclined to use. But here we are, the 13th day of January, and Joe Flacco is on the brink of making multiple forms of NFL history.
“Browns’ QB Joe Flacco never has lost a wild-card game;” tweeted ESPN insider Adam Schefter. Schefter continued, saying, “He’s 5-0 this round and a win today would move him past Brett Favre for most wild-card wins. Flacco also has seven road playoffs wins and one more would move him past Tom Brady for most in NFL history.”
Let's take a step back and examine why all of this is so “mind-blowing.” Let's start here: Joe Flacco was out of the NFL at the beginning of the season, and had been considered washed-up for years prior to his arrival in Cleveland. Next, we're talking about the Cleveland Browns, a franchise that hasn't exactly had luck on their side. In addition, the Cleveland Browns controversially spent all kinds of draft assets and money to bring Deshaun Watson to town, and now we're fast approaching the hilarious scenario where the Browns have to weigh the option of moving forward with Joe Flacco of all quarterbacks, and figuring out how to move on from Watson.
And that's before we get to the Brett Favre and Tom Brady side of this whole thing. Since retiring, Favre has proven a phenomenally crummy human being, but by just about any measure, he's a top ten to fifteen quarterback in NFL history. And then there's Brady, who might as well change his middle name from Edward to Billy because he's so widely accepted as the GOAT.
(Get it, Billy Goat? … Let's just move on.)
Perhaps there's karma at work here, since Flacco, a former Baltimore Raven, could be the one to bring Cleveland their first NFL championship since 1964. After all, in 1995, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore where they became the Ravens. The city of Cleveland was without a franchise for three years before they returned to the NFL, once again as the Browns. Since that time, the Browns have won exactly one Playoff game.
The Browns are favored on the road against the Houston Texans, but from that point on, one would assume that the Browns would be facing an uphill battle to continue their improbable run. But with karma and the right arm of Joe Flacco leading the way, who knows what's possible.
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