Browns vs. Jets score, takeaways: Joe Flacco helps Cleveland clinch playoff berth, knock off New York on ‘TNF’

The Browns are playoff-bound. Cleveland punched its ticket to the postseason by taking down the New York Jets 37-20 at home Thursday night in the Week 17 opener.

In a game that featured two of the top defenses in the league, the offenses exploded for 51 points in the first half. Both clubs put together quick opening-drive touchdowns, but it was the Browns that kept up a more prolific scoring pace. On top of scoring on its first down drive, Cleveland put points on the board, thanks to its defense as safety Ronnie Hickman picked off Trevor Siemian in the closing minutes of a wild first quarter and took it 30 yards to the house to go up by two scores. Chunk plays were the Browns’ best friend in a first half where the offense scored touchdowns on four of its seven possessions. Even after Joe Flacco tossed a pick-six to the Jets, he righted the wrong on the ensuing possession with a quick three-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to put the Jets up by 20 points. 

Things did cool down to begin the second half as neither team was able to add to their total in the third quarter and managed just a field goal apiece in the fourth. The Browns’ special teams unit blocked what would’ve been a key 31-yard field goal for the Jets on their opening second-half drive that would’ve cut the lead to two possessions. Outside of that threat, Cleveland was able to keep New York largely at bay. That last gasp for the Jets came after a fumble by running back Pierre Strong that gave New York the ball deep inside Browns territory early in the fourth quarter. Despite that golden opportunity along with a Cleveland penalty after a failed fourth down to move the chains anyways within that drive, the Jets could only muster a field goal to make it a 14-point game. Beyond that, New York couldn’t muster much of a comeback. 

Flacco finished his night 19 of 29 for 309 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Tight end David Njoku was his go-to target early and had six catches for 134 yards. Running back Jerome Ford rushed for 64 yards on 12 carries and had two receiving touchdowns. Meanwhile, Siemian was 32 of 45 for 262 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Why the Browns won

The first-half explosion by Flacco and the Browns was enough to put the Jets away and send Cleveland to the playoffs. The veteran quarterback had 296 pass yards in the first half (most by a Browns player since at least 1991) and was doing so by way of David Njoku, who had the most first-quarter receiving yards by a tight end (113) since they started recording quarter splits, besting Travis Kelce’s 106 yards in 2016. Flacco’s success through the air in this game was unprecedented against a Jets secondary that had not allowed a 300-yard passer since 2021 (Tom Brady, Week 17). When the offense simmered in the second half, the Browns defense started to put the clamps down on New York, allowing just three points in the Jets’ six second-half possessions. The defense also stood tall following two turnovers by the offense. After Njoku fumbled in the first half, the unit forced a three-and-out. Then, when Pierre Strong Jr. fumbled at the Cleveland 35-yard line early in the fourth quarter, they held the Jets to a field goal. That ability to wipe away mistakes could be key as the Browns now look forward to the postseason. 

Why the Jets lost

New York surprisingly kept pace for a brief moment to start this game, but the Trevor Siemian-led offense was no match for what Flacco and the Browns were firing off in the first half, which proved to be the difference, especially as both offenses went ice cold in the second half. On top of the offense still lacking any real momentum, the Jets defense was carved up by Cleveland’s offense that was without top wideout Amari Cooper, and missing fellow receiver Elijah Moore for a chunk of this game as well. Specifically, the inability to slow down the Browns tight ends proved to be fatal. When targeting tight ends, Flacco completed nine of his 12 targets for 176 yards, most of which came from Njoku. 

The Jets also had a few undisciplined moments that helped dig themselves further into a hole in the second half. With an outside chance of still making a comeback attempt early in the fourth, a delay-of-game penalty forced Robert Saleh to retrieve his offense for the punting unit after initially keeping them on the field to go for a 4th-and-6 attempt in Cleveland territory. 

Turning point

After opening the game with a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, the Jets offense did stall throughout the first half, but did seem to regain some momentum before halftime with a field goal drive, and were poised to add more points to begin the second half. The offense brought the football as far as the Browns eight-yard line, and while they couldn’t punch it in for a touchdown, they were fine to settle for a field goal that would’ve made it a two-score game with 9:34 to play in the third quarter. However, Shelby Harris was able to get a hand on Greg Zuerlein’s 31-yard attempt and erased the scoring opportunity. That took whatever wind the Jets had in their sails out entirely.

Play of the game

The 38-year-old quarterback continues to dazzle during his Browns tenure. After the two-minute warning in the first half, Flacco took a first-and-10 snap from midfield and pulled off arguably one of his most impressive touchdowns since joining Cleveland. He nearly was sacked, but was able to evade the would-be tackler, scramble up the left side of the field before finding Jerome Ford. The back not only hauled in the pass from Flacco but forced his way past multiple Jets defenders and barreled into the end zone for his second score of the night. 

What’s next

From here, the Browns will wrap up the regular season with a trip to Cincinnati to face the Bengals. As for the Jets, they’ll also finish the year on the road as they’ll take on the Patriots in New England.