Joe Flacco not only is doing things he hasn’t done in a long time, the Browns quarterback also is doing things he’s never done.
Case in point, Flacco has thrown for 296 yards tonight. That’s the most yards he’s ever thrown for in the first half of any game in his career.
Flacco, who was only 3-14, in 17 NFL starts for the Broncos and the Jets after leaving Baltimore, is about to be 4-1 with the Browns.
Cleveland gained 367 yards in the first half of Thursday Night Football and leads 34-17.
Flacco is 16-of-22 with three touchdowns and an interception. His only mistake turned into a pick-six.
Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson tipped a Flacco pass and caught it himself, returning it 37 yards for a touchdown. That cut the Browns’ lead to 27-14, but Flacco answered on the next drive.
He rolled out to avoid pressure and found running back Jerome Ford, who bobbed and weaved 50 yards to the end zone. Ford caught a 7-yard touchdown pass on the team’s opening series, and Elijah Moore had an 8-yard touchdown reception.
Playing without receiver Amari Cooper, who is inactive with a heel injury, Flacco has found six different receivers. Tight end David Njoku has five catches for 128 yards but has lost a fumble. Ford has 10 carries for 59 yards and two catches for 57 yards.
Safety Ronnie Hickman scored the Browns’ other touchdown on a 30-yard pick-six of Trevor Siemian.
Siemian is 10-of-14 for 124 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Breece Hall has five carries for 42 yards and three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown.
Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett has his first sack since Nov. 19, ending a five-game sackless streak, and drew two holding penalties in the first half.
