Beard or no beard, Joe Flacco's comeback story has Cleveland Browns on playoff doorstep

BEREA — Joe Flacco was a different man walking to the podium on Wednesday.

The distinguished-looking salt-and-pepper beard the Browns quarterback had sported over his first four weeks with the team? Well, it was gone, replaced by a mild case of 5 o'clock shadow.

So what's the deal?

“I don’t know," Flacco admitted. "It was a mess. That’s why.”

Forgive the random Browns fan who may look at Flacco's beard the same way Samson's hair was viewed in the Bible story. After all, with the beard, the 38-year-old has thrown for 939 yards, the most ever for a Browns quarterback in his first three starts, and seven touchdowns while guiding them to a 2-1 record.

The first signs to some may be Flacco's appearance on the Browns' Wednesday injury report, where he was listed as having a calf injury. The team did not practice on Wednesday, instead opting for an extended walkthrough, but the report estimated that the veteran would have been limited in practice had they had one.

The Browns are scheduled to practice on Thursday, which should potentially provide more clarity on the subject.

That beard's last appearance ended with Flacco throwing for 212 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 20-17 come-from-behind win over the Chicago Bears last Sunday. It was part of a 374-yard performance, although there's one part of his day that Flacco can't quite shake.

“I don’t know if three picks is (doing) well," Flacco said, "but the ending results are definitely nice.”

The three interceptions Flacco threw certainly played a role in why the Browns entered the fourth quarter trailing 17-7. One fourth-quarter throw made it all go away.

The Browns had pulled within 17-10 with less than 3:20 remaining, and had second-and-4 at the Browns 49. Amari Cooper was running a crossing pattern, and Flacco threaded a pass between three Chicago defenders — safety Jaquan Brisker, cornerback Terrell Smith and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

Cooper didn't just catch the pass, but turned upfield for a 51-yard touchdown to tie the score 17-17 with 3:08 left. However, after three picks earlier in the game, wasn't Flacco afraid he was risking a fourth by trying to thread the needle to Cooper?

"You just got to take each play individually," Flacco said. "He was open. I felt it, threw it. You’re not really thinking about that in the moment."

It's a similar mindset to what the Browns (9-5) are taking into Sunday's game at the Houston Texans. While they aren't in a "win and in" situation against the Texans (8-6), with a win and few other results breaking their way they could find themselves clinching the team's third playoff berth since their 1999 rebirth.

Part of what has helped stabilize the Browns' playoff push has been Flacco's arrival. During the first 11 years of his 16-year career, he went to the playoffs six times while quarterbacking the Baltimore Ravens, including winning the Most Valuable Player award when they won Super Bowl 47.

After being replaced by Lamar Jackson as the Ravens' quarterback during the 2018 season, Flacco spent one season in Denver (2019) and three years with the New York Jets (2020-23) before spending the first two months of this season on his couch. He got off it on Nov. 20 when he signed with the Browns, for whom he may not win another Super Bowl MVP award, but could push himself into Comeback Player of the Year talk.

It's the kind of talk that, for now, may have Flacco preferring to discuss facial hair choices.

"Who knows what constitutes as a comeback?" Flacco said. "I've only played three games. I mean, it's kind of crazy. Come back from not going to training camp and bussing kids around. I mean, who knows?"

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Joe Flacco's comeback story has Browns on doorstep for AFC playoffs