Joe Flacco undisputed QB1 for Cleveland Browns after win over Jacksonville Jaguars

CLEVELAND — There's no more cloak-and-dagger for Browns coach Kevin Stefanski to engage in this season. At least, there shouldn't be barring an unprecedented need for a fifth starting quarterback.

Stefanski put to bed the latest chapter in the Great Quarterback Mystery the Browns have seemingly spent all season engaged in moments after they finished off a 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. That's when he ended the controversy about whether or not Joe Flacco was the team's starting quarterback for the rest of the season.

"Yes," Stefanski said after the game.

The controversy probably could've been settled had Stefanski said the word on Friday, when he refused to say who was even starting Sunday's game. It wasn't until shortly before kickoff that word came down that it would be the 16-year pro Flacco over the rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the game.

Flacco then went out and showed that, yes, what he had shown the week before in the loss to the Los Angeles Rams wasn't a one-off. He showed that his well-worn arm really could be dropped into the midst of a playoff race and play a big role in winning.

"Well, obviously it feels good when it looks like people have confidence in you," said Flacco, who won his 100th career game as an NFL starter. "I know I've been in a bunch of locker rooms, but whenever you walk into a locker room, you still want to gain the respect of everybody and you don't know if you quite have that until you can go out there and get a win and continue to do it day in and day out.

"You try to carry yourself the right way and you try to do all the right things, but that doesn't guarantee anything in terms of going out on the field on Sunday. So it feels awesome to go out there and get the win."

Again, this was a quarterback who was on his couch in suburban Philadelphia on the weekend before Thanksgiving, before signing with the Browns practice squad on Nov. 20. He was on the practice squad as recently as Saturday morning, before being elevated for the second time in as many weeks to the gameday roster.

Flacco completed 26 of 45 passes for 311 yards with three touchdowns, one interception, one fumble on a sack and a 92.0 passer rating against the Jaguars. It was the Browns' first 300-yard passing game since Jacoby Brissett threw for 324 yards in a Week 12 loss to the Buffalo Bills last season, and Flacco became the first Browns quarterback to throw multiple touchdown passes in back-to-back games since Deshaun Watson in the final two games of last season.

The 38-year-old became the fourth starting quarterback to win a game for the Browns this season, the first time in franchise history. They became the eighth team to have at least four different starting quarterbacks win a game in NFL history, and the first since the 2015 Houston Texans, who won the AFC South at 9-7 and lost in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs.

"You can't say enough about what this team's done all year, just losing guys and continuing to succeed, whether it's the run game or the offensive line, whatever it may be," said Flacco, who is 49-of-89 passing (55.1%) for 565 yards with five touchdowns, two picks and a 83.8 passer rating in two starts. "I think you got to give the coaching staff and all the guys in there a ton of credit for how they've been able to maintain their focus and still have the belief."

Flacco's confidence, and the Browns' confidence in him, showed up from the start. They went right down the field and scored a touchdown on the opening drive for the second consecutive game, which they hadn't done since Brissett's final two starts in Weeks 11 and 12 of last season.

On Sunday's opening drive, Flacco went 4 for 4 for 66 yards, with the final 34 yards on a throw to wide-open tight end David Njoku for a 7-0 lead 3:21 into the game. That was one of two touchdown tosses to Njoku, the other a wide-open 30-yard catch-and-run for a 14-0 lead with 13:40 remaining in the second quarter.

“He’s got ice in his veins,” said Njoku, who had six catches on eight targets for 91 yards and two scores. “He balled out. He threw for 300 passing yards. He just got here like, what? Two weeks ago? It just shows he’s a great player, and we’re really glad we have him.”

All three of Flacco's touchdown passes were throws to receivers who were wide open. The third went to David Bell, a 41-yard catch-and-run on fourth-and-3 with just under 13 minutes remaining for a 28-14 lead.

Play-action was at the root of the two passes to Njoku. A Jaguars defender falling down, coupled with Kareem Hunt's blitz pick-up, aided the one to Bell.

Browns opinion: Joe Flacco is only answer for current QB question | Chris Easterling

"It's awesome for a quarterback when you get that picture," Flacco said. "I mean, listen, I think you've got to credit how well we've done in short-yardage situations and how well these guys have done running the ball all year. So the first, even last game against the Rams, we started to see what worked in the short-yardage situations is loading up and coming at people, and I think that's what happened on that first one."

On the third touchdown, Bell motioned into the middle of three receivers, with Njoku on one side and Elijah Moore on the other. On the snap, Moore ran inside and Njoku outside, with Bell basically curling at the yard to gain where he makes the catch.

Jaguars cornerback Darious Williams, who intercepted Flacco earlier in the game, fell down trying to adjust from covering Moore to covering Bell. That left nothing but green grass in front of Bell for his first career touchdown, with Flacco high-stepping it down the field behind him in celebration.

"My gosh, that was exciting," Flacco said. "It was one of those plays where they're bringing pressure and you have to kind of buy a little time, and he did a great job feeling a little soft spot and then making it happen from there."

That something Flacco can say he's done for the Browns since taking over the starting job, one that's finally his for the rest of the season.

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 earns job as Browns starting QB after win over Jaguars