Instant analysis as Jets taken care of by Joe Flacco’s big night

Browns quarterback Joe Flacco continues his latest path of destruction and the Jets cold do nothing about it. Flacco finished with 309 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 37-20 loss for the Jets as Cleveland clinched a playoff berth with the win. The Jets fell to 6-10 and now have to

Final score: Browns 37, Jets 20

Game notes

• Joe Flacco’s recent hot streak continued. It was his third game in five starts with the Browns in which he threw three touchdown passes. It’s also his fourth straight 300-yard passing game.

• Flacco ended the Jets’ streak of 33 games without allowing a 300-yard passer. Flacco, of all people, is the one to end the streak.

• Trevor Siemian wasn’t terrible. 32 of 45 for 261 yards, one touchdown, one interception.

• Breece Hall had another fine day. He rushed 13 times for 84 yards and added nine catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. Hall has 21 catches in his last two games after his 12 receptions last week against the Commanders.

• Garrett Wilson went over 1,000 yards for the second straight season. Not a bad start to his career, especially given all the quarterbacks he has already played with in just two years.

• The leap from year one to year two for Jermaine Johnson has been incredible to watch. Last week, it was a blocked punt. This week, it’s a pick-six. Between him and Quincy Williams, it’s hard to say who was the more improved player because both have been downright excellent this season.

• The defense did get shell shocked early on. The way the Browns were able to move the football with such ease was something you don’t expect against a defensive group this talented. Yet the Jets let Flacco and tight end David Njoku (six catches, 134 yards) start helping fantasy owners inch closer to a championship.

• Former Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore also got in on the fun with a touchdown and running back Jerome Ford had two receiving touchdowns. Quite the day for the Browns offense.

• Israel Abanikanda took his first  NFL kickoff return…and fumbled it. Ouch.

• Yet another offensive line injury. This time it was right guard Jake Hanson suffering a concussion. He was replaced by Xavier Newman, who got banged up later himself and was replaced by Billy Turner.

• The Jets fell to 6-10 on the year. That matches last season’s loss total and marks four straight seasons with at least ten losses. New York has one game left in the season, a trip to New England to try and snap a 15-game losing streak in the series and at least match last year’s 7-10 record after everything that happened this season.

It was over when…

…the Browns scored 34 points in the first half. Mistakes throughout the second half kept the Jets from getting any closer after being down 34-17 at halftime. The Jets even had a blocked field goal right before halftime. Another play that encapsulated the 2023 season of the Jets.

Three stars

• 3rd star: WR Garrett Wilson – Wilson finished with 50 yards on five catches (ten targets) and has now started his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He’s the first Jets wide receiver to ever accomplish that.

• 2nd star: DE Jermaine Johnson – In a span of just five days, Johnson has picked up a blocked punt and a pick-six. His improvement from his first year to his second has been extremely impressive.

• 1st star: RB Breece Hall – Two straight games with over 100 total yards and a touchdown for Hall. It wasn’t a spectacular day for the Jets’ offense, but it was another reminder that Hall is a really good football player and, with steady quarterback play, should be in line for a strong season in 2024.

Play of the game

We go back to Jermaine Johnson’s pick-six in the second quarter as he went 37 yards and tried to give the Jets some life with the score 27-14 following the touchdown and extra point. It also happened to be Johnson’s first interception and first touchdown.

What’s next?

The Jets wrap up the regular season with a visit to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots in Week 18. The schedule hasn’t been set yet but the game will almost certainly be a 1:00 kickoff on Sunday, January 7. The Jets will look to snap a 15-game losing streak to the Patriots and salvage at least a match of last season’s 7-10 mark.

Story originally appeared on Jets Wire