Joe Flacco spent 11 years as the quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens. He’s spent the last two months leading their division rivals, the Cleveland Browns, to the NFL playoffs after spending the first portion of the season watching from home. And if a certain scenario plays out how it is predicted this weekend, then we will see Flacco take on his old team with a spot in the AFC Championship on the line.
NFL: Browns Would Play Ravens In This Particular Scenario
We are one Browns win and a Dolphins loss away from Flacco vs the Ravens 🤯 pic.twitter.com/AxRH8o1Toi
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) January 11, 2024
By virtue of qualifying for the 5th seed in the AFC, the Browns will travel for Wild Card Weekend, and will play the first of 6 NFL games on the slate for the Saturday through Monday festivities. They’ll take on the upstart Houston Texans, who have their own reasons for optimism, with the potential Rookie of the Year at quarterback and Coach of the Year leading the way.
Despite being the visiting team, Cleveland is favored by 2 points.
Who their opponent would be should they win would be decided by the game between the Chiefs and Dolphins. But if Kansas City makes good on their status as 4 point favorites, then it will be the mighty Ravens that await the Browns in the second round.
The biggest story line would of course be Flacco’s return, and if he could use any of the playoff experience he picked up in Baltimore in order to defeat his old team.
Flacco Was Absent For Both Regular Season Meetings
The 7 AFC Playoff teams@Ravens @MiamiDolphins @Chiefs@HoustonTexans @Browns @BuffaloBills @steelers pic.twitter.com/dMedvTqUOy
— NFL (@NFL) January 7, 2024
The Ravens would be comfortable as the 1-seed no matter the opponent, but the Browns may present the biggest challenge to them of any of the remaining AFC teams. Divisional games are often closely contested, given the familiarity between the two sides, and Cleveland and Baltimore split the season series 1-1 in 2023. Though, both games were played long before Joe Flacco was even a thought.
The Browns are one of the hottest teams in the NFL heading into the playoffs, having won four in a row before resting their starters in a Week 18 loss. The Ravens are undoubtedly the team to beat in the postseason in the AFC, entering as the #1 seed and getting a week of rest while their potential opponents battle it out.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
