Beloved Former Browns Starter Benched Ahead of Week 11

After making a surprise appearance in the 2023 postseason, the Cleveland Browns have been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2024 NFL campaign. Sitting at 2-7 with no hopes for the rest of the season, Browns fans are already thinking about what went wrong.

One of the main topics of discussion is the quarterback play. Deshaun Watson was a disaster when he played before he was eventually shut down for the season. Jameis Winston has been better since, but the Browns offense is nowhere near where fans hoped it would be.

This has made Browns fans reminisce about the Joe Flacco era. The veteran quarterback improbably carried Cleveland to the playoffs last season. So when the Browns didn't re-sign him in the offseason, there was a lot of disappointment among the fanbase.

Flacco signed with the Colts instead. His tenure there, however, hasn't been particularly inspiring. In fact, after four starts there, the team decided to bench him ahead of Week 11.

NFL News: Colts Bench Joe Flacco Ahead of Week 11

The Colts had made the surprising decision to bench the talented young QB Anthony Richardson after he completed 10 of 32 pass attempts against the Houston Texans in Week 8. Flacco started in his stead and things didn't look much better. In his four starts, the Colts were 1-3 with Flacco throwing for seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Richardson's 44.4% completion rate for the season is obviously concerning but the fact that he provides more upside to the offense is undeniable. The Colts finally got to that conclusion and decided to give Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick last year, another chance.

If Flacco had stayed with Cleveland, the Browns would have eventually come to the conclusion that he wasn't the answer to their problems.

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