With Joe Flacco on fire, playoff-bound Browns are fun, incredible, feel-good story | Ulrich

CLEVELAND — When the Browns captured a playoff berth by defeating the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers in front of a pandemic-reduced crowd on Jan. 3, 2021, legendary play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan summarized the bittersweet moment with a famous radio call.

“And the only thing that's missing — all of you,” Donovan exclaimed.

COVID-19 prevented a full-fledged party from breaking out on Cleveland's lakefront when the 2020 Browns ended the franchise's drought of 17 seasons without a playoff appearance.

However, die-hard fans certainly were not missing from Cleveland Browns Stadium this time around when their favorite NFL team earned a 37-20 playoff-clinching victory over the New York Jets on “Thursday Night Football” in front of a paid attendance of 67,919.

The atmosphere was electric when the Browns (11-5) punched their ticket to the playoffs for just the third time since the team's rebirth in 1999.

The stadium rocked moments before kickoff when injured star running back Nick Chubb served as the Dawg Pound Captain, donning a Batman mask and smashing a guitar to smithereens as part of a pregame tradition adopted last year.

The collective enthusiasm didn't relent.

Anyone who knows anything about the Browns realizes their fans deserve a chance to celebrate.

The occasion, by the way, was unprecedented during the expansion era.

When the Browns defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the 2002 regular-season finale — remember Donovan's iconic “Run, William, run” call? — they needed help later in the day to qualify for the playoffs. They received the requisite assistance when the Jets, of all teams, routed the Green Bay Packers.

And when former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield gained a game-clinching first down on a designed run to send Cleveland to the playoffs amid a win-and-in scenario during the 2020 regular-season finale, pandemic-related restrictions limited the attendance to an announced crowd of 11,989.

Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco continues to deliver for the Cleveland Browns

Finally, the stadium was packed while the 2023 Browns kicked down the door to the postseason.

In their penultimate regular-season game, they wore a steel-toe work boot named Joe Flacco.

The former Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl-winning quarterback who had been a free agent this season until the Browns signed him to their practice squad on Nov. 20 is among the main reasons Cleveland has become such an incredible feel-good story.

The season could have been derailed after quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending broken throwing shoulder on Nov. 12. Watson had led the Browns to a comeback AFC North victory in Baltimore by completing all of his 14 passes in the second half, but the extent of his injury was not discovered until afterward.

With Watson needing surgery, the Browns resorted to starting rookie fifth-round draft pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson in back-to-back games. He helped them beat the Steelers before a loss to the Denver Broncos.

How Jerome Ford delivered for Browns: Running back uses power and determination to score two touchdowns in Cleveland's playoff-clinching victory vs. NY Jets

Voice of the Cleveland Browns Jim Donovan has another playoff-clinching radio call

Since then, the Browns have gone 4-1 with Flacco as their starting quarterback — the fourth one they have used this season (don't forget P.J. Walker) — prompting Donovan to declare on the air, "The postseason is back in Cleveland!"

Flacco's most recent triumph came against the same Jets (6-10) who employed him last season when he orchestrated an improbable come-from-behind win over the Browns in Week 2. Yet, the Jets did not call Flacco this year amid QB turmoil triggered by Aaron Rodgers suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the Sept. 11 opener.

By going 19-of-29 passing (65.5%) for 309 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for a passer rating of 121.2, Flacco became the first Browns quarterback to ever throw for at least 300 yards in four consecutive games in the same season. He also became the first QB in NFL history to throw for at least 250 yards and multiple touchdowns in each of his first five games with a new team, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Flacco led the charge in sparking revelry among Browns fans reminiscent of when then-rookie Mayfield made his NFL regular-season debut in 2018 and helped the Browns snap a 19-game winless streak by prevailing on “Thursday Night Football” against, of course, the Jets.

Obviously, the stakes were much different, a reflection of how far the Browns have come since coach Kevin Stefanski and General Manager Andrew Berry were hired in January 2020.

Overcoming injuries has been a theme for the 2023 Cleveland Browns

This season, the Browns have made the playoffs despite enduring an absurd amount of season-ending injuries to key players, including Watson in Week 10, Chubb in Week 2 and offensive tackles Jack Conklin in Week 1, Jedrick Wills Jr. in Week 9 and rookie Dawand Jones in Week 13.

Watson served as a coin-toss captain Thursday night. No matter what you think of Watson, the haul of draft picks the Browns surrendered for him in a March 2022 trade with the Houston Texans and the historic $230 million guaranteed contract team brass gave him despite more than two dozen women accusing him of sexual misconduct or sexual assault during massage appointments, it's undeniable Watson-themed arguments between fans and media grew exhausting long ago.

The performances of Flacco, 38, ought to be applauded by everyone. His teammates have embraced him, and "Flacco" chants could be heard late in the victory against the Jets.

After a Week 14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Flacco said during a postgame locker-room speech he felt like a 10-year-old kid. Coming off a franchise-record 265 receiving yards in Sunday's road win over the Texans, wide receiver Amari Cooper held Flacco to his word by dumping slime on him to commemorate a Nickelodeon award.

These Browns are fun.

Cooper (heel) was inactive Thursday night. Fellow wide receiver Elijah Moore left the game with a concussion late in the second quarter and didn't return. Recent roster additions Riley Patterson and Matt Haack were summoned to kick and punt with Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) and Corey Bojorquez (quadriceps) out.

But the Browns have repeatedly overcome injuries and a league-leading 35 turnovers, a testament to a defense coordinated by Jim Schwartz and led by star end Myles Garrett.

Browns vs. Jets instant analysis: How the action unfolded on 'Thursday Night Football'

The Browns still have a shot to win the AFC North

The Browns have won their last four games. They finished their regular-season home schedule with a record of 8-1.

The AFC North title is still a possibility, but the Browns would need to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in the regular-season finale and have the red-hot Ravens (12-3) lose both of their remaining regular-season games (Miami Dolphins on Sunday and Steelers in Week 18). In other words, the AFC's No. 5 seed, the first of three wild-card spots, is the most realistic outcome.

Either way, the Browns will soon be playing with house money in the postseason, and a pressure-free vibe is enough alone to make them capable of causing some damage.

Nick Chubb fires up Browns fans: Running back returns to Cleveland Browns Stadium as Dawg Pound captain

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

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Joe Flacco gives Browns fans playoff party with win over Jets