The Cleveland Browns pulled off a stunner Sunday against the 2-0 Green Bay Packers. The Packers had a 10-0 edge entering the fourth quarter. Yet, the Browns, who entered 0-2 after eight straight losses, came back to snatch a 13-10 win in Cleveland. 

Following the game, coach Kevin Stefanski made a clear-cut call.

Despite the offensive line missing two starting tackles and Joe Flacco struggling, Stefanski said he’s sticking with Flacco as the starting quarterback moving forward. The decision reflects Cleveland’s tough upcoming schedule. The Browns face road games at the Lions and then visit the Vikings. So, the veteran QB’s experience matters a lot, especially after calmly leading a game-winning drive.

On that last drive, Joe Flacco’s pass to David Njoku moved the Browns to Green Bay’s 37. Flacco then spiked the ball with two seconds left to allow Andre Szmyt, whose misses cost the Browns the Bengals game, to nail the improbable 55-yard field goal, completing a shocking comeback.

Cleveland looked doomed at 0-10 with under 10 minutes left, but Flacco’s composure turned it around. Good for him, or he was just a few bad plays away from the bench. After all, the 40-year-old’s 55.6% completion rate against the Ravens didn’t exactly inspire confidence. And the speculation only grew after Dillon Gabriel got his NFL debut with 4:43 left on the clock on September 14. 

But, in all fairness, Flacco wouldn’t have had that opportunity had the Browns’ defense not managed to keep a tight squeeze on the Packers while the offense took a nap.

The Browns’ defensive unit hit Green Bay QB Jordan Love seven times and recorded five sacks. Packers’ RB Josh Jacobs, who went into the game with at least 1 sack in his last 11 games, got his streak broken as he was limited to just 30 yards on 16 carries. In fact, it was Grant Delpit who set up Brown’s only touchdown following a pick off Love in the final minutes of the game.

Flacco had no choice but to accept that the offense lacked bite.

Joe Flacco reflects on a tough night at home

In the post-game presser, Flacco admitted it was tough not putting points on the board for almost an hour. “It’s hard to go out there and play in games like today. And keep it together, but that’s what football is sometimes…The type of defense that we have. Just going out there and capitalizing on turnovers and not making mistakes yourself. It wasn’t pretty today, and it was tough,” he said.

It indeed was tough. The quarterback was booed on his own home field for his missed opportunities. “There were times where there probably were guys down the field that were open, and I didn’t make it happen. And you feel for the group as a whole. I mean, everybody wants to go out there and perform and put up numbers, points, yards, all that stuff. And part of your job as a quarterback is to get that done.”

But ultimately, the Browns beat the Packers 13-10, pulling off a walk-off win. “But also your job is to win a football game and just play your role in whatever that may be. And I think today, as tough as it can be, we won a football game,” Joe Flacco said. “It’s hard when you’re in your own stadium and you can’t put points on the board and everybody feels it and you feel it. But you gotta keep going out there and doing your job and having faith that something’s gonna happen and we’re gonna get it done.”

The Browns now turn their focus to their Week 4 opponent, the Detroit Lions. Considering Flacco’s uneven play, fans and analysts will watch closely to see if Stefanski’s faith pays off or if change is inevitable.