Inconsistent performances, limited mobility, and growing older seem like reasons enough to exclude any player from the roster. The Cleveland Browns‘ veteran quarterback Joe Flacco is under a lot of scrutiny. While the Browns’ defence is a potential Super Bowl contender, the offence of franchise has not been able to perform this season. They have scored 17 or fewer points in each game, including just 13 against the Packers. They are the worst-performing offense in the season, and Flacco hasn’t been able to change it. But is his head already on the chopping block?

The Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski, has so far stuck with Flacco as the starter, citing his experience and leadership importance for the franchise. Experts have also been advocating the same to keep Flacco as the main guy. On the 92.3 podcast, Daryl Ruiter, a 28-year-old media veteran, went on to voice his opinion alongside Ken Carman and Anthony Lima. “Once you go to Gabriel, that’s the point of no return; you’ve raised the white flag. How do you tell that to the defense, that is right now the best defense in the NFL?” he said.

Joe Flacco demonstrated that he was able to supplement the solid defense of the Browns using intelligent and collected play when it mattered. The burden was already borne by the defense that allowed the Packers a meager 230 total yards, 81 rushing, 10 points, and five sacks. They even forced two turnovers, one being a Grant Delpit interception and a blocked field goal towards the end of the game. Then, in the clutch, Flacco rose to the occasion and, with 12 seconds remaining, he found TE David Njoku for 8 yards. He spiked the ball when just two seconds left, allowing the Browns to score the game-winning field goal.

His take was clear. It is unwise to bench Flacco and bring in a rookie quarterback. When the Ravens defense completely shut the Browns’ offense in week 2, Dillon Gabriel took over at 41-10. But turning the game over at this position surely wasn’t expected. He had his chance to prove his abilities and leadership qualities, but could not do much. Though week 3 brought something for the Browns to cheer about. No, it wasn’t Flacco’s lost form, but the narrow 3-point victory against the Packers that Flacco contributed to.

Joe Flacco struggles despite first win

It wasn’t a pretty outing for Flacco, but Stefanski never considered Dillon Gabriel over him. He cleared the air by saying, “I’m just focusing on doing what I think is best for the team.” He still went with Flacco even when his performance this season has been modest. During the season opener against the Bengals, Flacco completed 31-of-45 for 290 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. His performance curve has been negative since.

During the Ravens‘ matchup, he was benched with backup duties later in the game. But things got worse during the Sunday football where he went 21-0f 36  (58.3%) for 142 yards. He could not gain a touchdown this time and went back with one interception as well. His passer rating also fell to 55.6. Flacco did not run and was even sacked twice, both times by Rashan Gary. “There’s a piece of you in there that it hurts you a little bit. You want to react to it, but you can’t. … I’m sure that affects people in not a positive way,” Flacco acknowledged that his unimpressive performance is a major concern.

Though Flacco is safe for now, he must be careful that he’s holding a competition with a rookie quarterback. If he wants to keep his job, he must win games. Otherwise, the team will be left with shifting to a younger option to spark the offense and bring some hope in the future. They need to get over the 1-2 record and be a potential Super Bowl contender with a top-tier defense.