For the second week in a row, Joe Flacco has thrown a touchdown on Cleveland’s opening drive.
On Sunday, Flacco hit tight end David Njoku for a 34-yard touchdown to give the Browns a 7-0 lead over the Jaguars.
The Browns had their heavy personnel in on third-and-1. Flacco sold a play-action fake to Kareem Hunt and Njoku was left completely uncovered deep down the left side.
Flacco made the easy toss to the tight end for the score.
Flacco was 4-of-4 for 66 yards on the opening possession.
Trevor Lawrence is going to play on Sunday.
Word heading into Week 14 was that Lawrence wanted to play through the high-ankle sprain he suffered in last Monday’s overtime loss to the Bengals and that a final decision would be made after a pregame workout in Cleveland. That workout apparently went well because Lawrence is active and the team says he will start against the Browns.
Lawrence has never missed a start in college or the NFL due to injury and that streak looked to be in serious doubt when he was initially injured, but a Thursday return to practice was the first sign that Lawrence would be able to power through this weekend.
Now the question will be whether his performance is impacted by the injury, particularly when it comes to his ability to avoid Myles Garrett and other Browns pass rushers.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s availability has been the biggest storyline for the Jaguars this week, but he isn’t the only offensive starter with a questionable designation for their game against the Browns.
Running back Travis Etienne has the same tag due to injured ribs that limited him in practice all week. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Etienne is expected to play through the injury on Sunday.
Etienne has 205 carries for 771 yards and eight touchdowns to go with 40 catches for 346 yards on the season, so his presence is a significant one for the Jacksonville offense.
Lawrence suffered a high-ankle sprain in last Monday’s loss to the Bengals. A decision on his status is expected to be made after a pregame workout.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence appears to be ready to play today against the Browns, just six days after suffering a high ankle sprain.
Lawrence wants to go and expects to go, and a final decision will be based on how he looks during pregame warmups, according to multiple reports.
That’s surprisingly good news for the Jaguars: When Lawrence went down against the Bengals, it looked like a very serious injury that would force him to miss significant time. He did miss the rest of that game, an overtime loss, but returning six days later would represent a very swift recovery.
Jaguars backup quarterback C.J. Beathard filled in for Lawrence for the rest of the game against the Bengals and would need to be ready again today. The Jaguars also signed quarterback Nathan Rourke, who had been on their practice squad, to the active roster. He will likely be the emergency third quarterback today behind Lawrence and Beathard.
Amid uncertainty about Lawrence’s status, the 7-5 Browns are 2.5-point favorites over the 8-4 Jaguars in a game with major AFC playoff ramifications.
The Browns have made a few Saturday roster moves as they prepare to play the Jaguars on Sunday.
Cleveland has elevated quarterback Joe Flacco from the practice squad to the active roster. While head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to name a starter for Sunday, it appears likely that Flacco will be the Browns’ QB1 for a second consecutive week.
Flacco completed 23-of-44 passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in last week’s loss to the Rams.
The Browns will have only Flacco and Dorian Thompson-Robinson available at quarterback on Sunday, as the team has waived P.J. Walker to make room for cornerback Cameron Mitchell on the 53-man roster. Mitchell was activated from injured reserve.
Walker appeared in six game with two starts for Cleveland this year, completing 49 percent of his passes for 674 yards with one touchdown and five interceptions.
Whoever plays QB on Sunday will have receiver Amari Cooper, as he’s cleared concussion protocol, the team announced.
Offensive tackle Dawand Jones, however, has been downgraded to out with his knee injury.
