Joe Flacco, the man who once authored Baltimore’s greatest football fairytale, returned as the opposing QB, his arm tasked with slaying the very franchise he built. The result was a harsh dose of reality, a 17-41 rout that felt less like a reunion and more like the Browns‘ early-season hopes dying. In the aftermath, the vibe was less about panic and more about painful ownership.

As Camryn Justice reported, Flacco set the tone, stating, “It’s hard when you start off the season the way we have. There’s a lot of tests that you face in this league and it’s very easy to put your head down tuck your tail between your legs and run off. And I just don’t see that in the guys in that locker room.” Does that mean they are not going to win in the future? Well, this wasn’t a group making excuses; it was one staring directly at a 0-2 start, their most discouraging opening under Kevin Stefanski, and vowing not to blink.

The Browns’ defense actually played a stellar game, holding the Ravens’ potent rushing attack to a measly 45 yards, their lowest total since Lamar Jackson became the starter. But the game swung on a trio of catastrophic errors. A blocked punt gifted Baltimore a short field for their first TD. Then, with the Browns down 13-3 and fighting to stay in the game, Flacco’s fateful decision on the run led to a game-altering interception.

As Daniel Oyefusi noted, Flacco dissected the play: “I thought I had a chance there” as he saw David Njoku turn upward. “I thought if anything, it would be incomplete … even if you feel pressured to make something happen, you can’t let that happen.” Corner Nate Wiggins didn’t just pick it; he returned it 61 yards to the five-yard line, leading to another Ravens score. The final nail was a strip sack that Roquan Smith scooped and returned 63 yards for a touchdown, turning a gritty divisional struggle into a laugher on the Ravens’ birthday.

Flacco’s stat sheet stings, but his leadership remains the Browns’ anchor

The stat line was ugly: 25-for-45 for 199 yards, one TD, one pick, and a back-breaking fumble returned for a score. The Ravens’ defense, opportunistic and fierce, turned Flacco’s two turnovers into 14 immediate points, the difference between a grind and a blowout. “We gave them 21 points via a blocked punt, a fumble recovery and an interception. It’s just hard to win,” Stefanski stated, shouldering the blame collectively. But in the eye of this storm, the head coach made his decision crystal clear: there would be no quarterback controversy. The job still belongs to Flacco.

For the 39-year-old signal-caller, the external noise is just static. His focus is singular. Oyefusi’s tweet captured this mindset perfectly, quoting Flacco: “I can’t worry about that stuff anyway. It’s honestly not on my mind. I gotta go out there and just play my game, play the way I know how to lead this team the best I can.”

Yet, beneath the frustration of a brutal loss lies an unwavering commitment. This isn’t the same young QB who brought a title to Baltimore; this is a grizzled leader who has found a new home and a new cause.

His postgame words, as Scott Petrak relayed, weren’t those of a nostalgic former hero but of a fully invested Cleveland Brown: “I’m a part of this locker room right now. And I’m on team with those guys. And I have relationships with this city, with the guys in that locker room. But man, I’m a Cleveland Brown right now. And I’m glad to be one.”

He doubled down, leaving no room for ambiguity about where his allegiance lies: “So grateful to be where I am in those guys and glad to go to battle with the side that I was on today.” The journey back from 0-2 (is it gonna be 0-6 as predicted?) is a daunting one, but in Cleveland, they’re betting on the resilience of a quarterback who has seen it all, even if, for one Sunday, he had to see it from the visitor’s sideline.