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The Cleveland Browns may be banged up and placing their faith in Joe Flacco for the rest of the season, but their record speaks for itself.
Flacco will guide the Browns against the visiting Chicago Bears on Sunday with a playoff berth in their sights.
Cleveland (8-5) stopped a two-game losing streak last week when Flacco powered the Browns to a 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Flacco completed 26 of 45 passes for 311 yards with three touchdowns (two to tight end David Njoku) and an interception.
After that game, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Flacco — who was signed off his couch last month while the team dealt with injuries to Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson — would be the team’s starter the rest of the way.
“Joe’s been in big games,” Stefanski said of the former Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens. “So (we) feel comfortable with him leading the football team.”
Flacco, 38, has been told he is a calming presence to his younger Browns teammates.
“I don’t think it’s actively what I’m trying to do out there at this point, but I hope that my personality and my playing style can definitely bring that along with it,” he said. “That’s what a quarterback’s job is, that’s what a leader’s job is. … I definitely want to be that guy.”
The Browns are two games behind the Ravens in the AFC North, yet Cleveland could lock up at least a wild-card berth with a few more wins — even as the casualties pile up.
Cleveland placed safety Grant Delpit, the team’s leading tackler, on injured reserve Wednesday due to a groin injury. Injured reserve also could be the final destination for Ogbo Okoronkwo (4.5 sacks), but Stefanski is holding out hope after the defensive end tore a pectoral muscle.
The Browns rested several starters Wednesday, including Njoku (knee), star pass rusher Myles Garrett (shoulder), wide receiver Amari Cooper (ribs) and guard Joel Bitonio (knee).
They also are thin at running back, where Nick Chubb has been out since tearing knee ligaments in Week 2. Kareem Hunt (groin) missed practice Wednesday, and Jerome Ford (wrist) was limited.
The Bears (5-8) lost a key defender of their own when edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue was ruled out for the rest of the year with a broken ankle. His four sacks this season are a team high.
Asked how the Bears would compensate for that loss on defense, coach Matt Eberflus jokingly suggested, “Blitz on every down.”
The Bears have figured some things out in order to win three of their past four games, including a 28-13 victory over the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions last week. Chicago intercepted Jared Goff twice while Justin Fields provided one touchdown with his arm and another with his legs, finishing with 281 total yards.
However, a tall task awaits, as Cleveland leads the NFL in total defense (263 yards allowed per game).
“Just see what he does well, which is pretty much everything,” Fields said of Garrett, who has 13 sacks. “Just have a plan for him going into the game.”
Chicago’s leading receiver, DJ Moore, is up to 76 receptions for 1,071 yards and seven touchdowns, but he missed practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury. Fellow wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (pectoral) also sat out on Wednesday, while defensive back Jaquan Brisker (groin) was limited.
–Field Level Media
