Joe Flacco says 'it's definitely a shame the way' Browns were routed in playoffs by Texans

HOUSTON — With emotions raw and wounds fresh, Joe Flacco didn't give a speech in the Browns locker room Saturday night at NRG Stadium after they were blown out 45-14 by the Houston Texans in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.

The veteran quarterback had a more personal touch.

“I think we're all just looking at each other right in the eyes and telling each other how much we appreciate each other and how much we love each other,” Flacco said.

There probably wasn't a more compelling story in the final month of the league's regular season than former Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl MVP Flacco signing with the Browns on Nov. 20 after Deshaun Watson suffered a broken shoulder and later going 4-1 as a starter to lead injury-ravaged Cleveland to its third postseason of the expansion era.

The Browns' ride to the AFC's fifth seed was magical, though their first-round encounter with the fourth-seeded Texans proved to be a nightmare.

"Usually, the further you go, the more heartbreak there is just from my experience," Flacco said. "It's a lot of fun along the way, but if you do get beat, it's hard to deal with. I don't want to let everybody in the locker room, but there is part of me that wishes you could see just how much everybody cares and how much everybody cares about each other and just what kind of team that was.

"So, yeah, it's definitely a shame the way it went down and hard to deal with at the moment.”

Flacco went 34-of-46 passing for 307 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions for a rating of 80.6. He rushed three times for 13 yards and took four sacks. His interceptions were returned 82 and 36 yards for touchdowns on consecutive possessions and put the Browns in a 38-14 hole with 4:06 left in the third quarter.

It was a backbreaking sequence for the Browns, who finished the season 11-7, including 0-1 in the playoffs.

“I was so fortunate to become a part of this team,” Flacco said. “It's a special group, and I know a lot of people can say that, but it really is. So to be given a chance to do this with those guys, I'm super grateful for it.

“It's disappointing the way it ends. I mean, I think when the city embraces you and the team the way they have, you definitely want to do big things, mostly for your teammates because those guys, like I said, have been incredible. But it's hard not to feel the way the city rallied around the group of guys in that locker room.

“So I can't thank the organization, my teammates, the city enough. I mean, it stinks the way it ends, but it was a lot of fun, and I'm grateful for the time that we had.”

Browns vs. Texans: Joe Flacco's amazing Cleveland run ends with postseason dud. Your move, Deshaun Watson

The Browns led the league with 37 giveaways in the regular season, and those bad habits were exposed as Flacco attempted to lead a rally from a 24-14 halftime deficit created by defensive letdowns against rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans (11-7, 1-0 in the playoffs).

“I just didn't do a good enough job,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I need to put [Flacco] in better position. There's things that I can do better. He's trying to make a play.”

On the Browns' first possession of the second half, Flacco launched a deep pass as defensive end Derek Barnett hit him. Flacco explained he had been trying to throw the ball away. Instead, cornerback Steven Nelson intercepted the pass and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

"You're trying to throw a ball away," Flacco said. "You're not trying to make a bad decision, but at the end of the day, you have to be able to live with sacks."

Four snaps later on fourth-and-2 at the Cleveland 33-yard line, Flacco tried to connect with tight end Harrison Bryant near the first-down marker, but linebacker Christian Harris cut in front of Bryant, intercepted the pass and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter. With a 38-14 deficit, the Browns were virtually done.

"I thought I'd be able to jam one in there, and that's just a calculated risk at that point," Flacco said.

More Browns vs. Texans: Cleveland defense 'picked a f****** wrong day to play' poorly in wild card loss to Houston

Browns Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku pointed out "crucial mistakes" the offense made.

"We were still the game," Njoku said. "We threw two pick sixes. You can't win that way, and that's on all of us. It's not just Joe. It's on everybody across the board. So we're going to swallow this pill. It's going to be tough to swallow, but we'll be OK."

The Browns may be OK, but they won't play again until next season, a fact Flacco was left to process and lament.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Joe Flacco: Browns being eliminated from playoffs 'a shame'