The Cleveland Browns are set to start Joe Flacco at quarterback in Week 1 and the foreseeable future.
Flacco is entering his 18th season in the NFL and will be a veteran presence under center for Cleveland. Although Flacco is 40 years old, he had a ton of success in training camp and preseason, beating out Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Heading into Week 1, NFL analyst Marcus Grant of NFL.com believes Flacco will be a top-10 quarterback and have a ton of success for the Browns.
“Let’s start the season off with some spice! We know the Bengals offense can score. We know the Bengals defense struggles to prevent scoring,” Grant wrote, calling Flacco a top-10 fantasy quarterback in Week 1. “That adds up to the potential for a track meet in Cleveland. The last time Joe Flacco donned brown (orange?), he threw it more than 40 times per game. If this game turns into an up-and-down affair, Flacco could be the surprise of Week 1.”
Flacco being a top-10 quarterback this week would be a surprise. But, Grant has confidence that the veteran quarterback will be able to have success against the Cincinnati Bengals‘ defense, which is a major concern.
Heading into Week 1, Flacco’s over/under passing yards is set at 248.5, while the veteran is heavily favored to throw an interception. But if Flacco is going to be a top-10 fantasy quarterback, he would have to go over his yards and throw for multiple touchdowns.
Browns Coach Praises Flacco
Flacco won Cleveland’s starting quarterback job in training camp, beating out the two rookies and Kenny Pickett.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski says Flacco earned it as he showed everything the team wanted to see.
“I thought he’s done exactly what we’ve asked him to do and I think we have a lot of confidence in him,” Stefanski said… “He earned it. And I understand with the injuries how that may look. That’s really not the case here. Joe performed really well both in practice, in the joint practices, in the meeting room — you name it — in the walk-through. Just what he’s able to bring to the football team, he’s earned that role.”
Flacco spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts, where he ended up starting 6 games. In 2023 with the Browns, the veteran led Cleveland to the playoffs.
Flacco went 4-1 as a starter for the Browns in 2023, throwing for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions.
Flacco Knows Week 1 is Important for Cleveland
The Browns enter the season with expectations of being one of the worst teams in the NFL.
However, entering Week 1, Flacco is confident in the team. He also knows the team has to come out strong, given the fact that the Browns are playing a divisional opponent to open the season.
“Yeah, I think anytime you open up against a division opponent, it makes it — you don’t want to say that much more important because they’re all important, but, you know, these division games, they can be tough, and they’re going to be a battle till the end, so you just got to make sure you’re ready to go. I think the way we prepare this week will kind of tell us a lot about ourselves,” Flacco said.
Cleveland is a 5.5-point underdog against the Bengals in Week 1.
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