It feels like just yesterday that Joe Flacco fell short too many times for the Indianapolis Colts, and yet in just one game with his latest team the veteran journeyman has already done it yet again. The Browns were surprisingly competitive with what many were anticipating to be a tough Cincinnati Bengals team, but they were unable to finish the job.
It was a heartbreaking finish for Browns fans, but if Joe Flacco had played better throughout the game, they most definitely could have taken home the victory. Flacco finished the day going 31/45, passing for 290 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
Without the interceptions, this is a fairly respectable stat line, but anytime a team commits two turnovers, it's going to be hard to win the game. Colts fans know this all too well from Tua Tagovailoa's latest disastrous outing against them in week one.
The difference between Daniel Jones and Joe Flacco couldn't be greater.
On a day that might've been Daniel Jones best statistical performance, Joe Flacco looked his age to say the least. With how bad the Miami Dolphins looked today (could they be the worst team in the league?), it might be a stretch to say that the Colts wouldn't have won if Joe Flacco was still their quarterback, but it's almost a guarantee it would have been nearly as handed of a win.
As of late, Flacco has more than earned his reputation as a volatile gunslinger, balancing big plays with turnovers galore. That turnover monster reared its ugly head in week one, showing just how game changing two turnovers can be for a team. The game might have been lost when kicker Andre Szmyt missed the extra point at the end of the game, but it could have been won much earlier.
Overall, if Daniel Jones can keep putting in performances like this one week in and week out, the Colts will be a formidable team to face. This week showed the stark difference in quarterbacking between Flacco and Jones, and Colts fans should be hopeful heading into a tough defensive matchup in Week 2 against the Broncos.