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CLEVELAND -- For months, Joe Flacco waited patiently for a phone call, wondering if his NFL career was over after 15 seasons.
Nobody wanted him. Nobody needed him.
But as he stood in the middle of Cleveland's locker room celebration Sunday, surrounded by new teammates, some to whom he's barely spoken while getting acclimated the past three weeks, Flacco was overwhelmed by emotions.
The Browns have satisfied his football fix.
"I feel like a 10-year-old kid," said the 38-year-old quarterback, clutching a game ball.
Flacco has become a surprising savior in Cleveland, of all places. The Browns expected to be in the AFC playoff race when the season began, but could never have dreamed they would be doing it with Flacco -- once a Ravens rival, now a friend.
And quite a comeback story.
Signed on Nov. 20, Flacco has passed for 565 yards and five touchdowns in two starts with Cleveland, and after he threw for 311 a nd three TDs in a 31-27 win over Jacksonville, coach Kevin Stefanski didn't waste a moment in declaring the Super Bowl 47 MVP his starter for the rest of this season.
As if there was ever any question.
In only two games, Flacco has not only shown he can still complete passes in tight coverage windows, but he has given the Browns hope and steadying leadership in an injury-riddled season that still has a chance to be special.
Cleveland's offense finally looks the way Stefanski envisioned, but only got to see in small doses as Deshaun Watson dealt with rustiness last season following his NFL suspension and while battling a shoulder injury in 2023.
Flacco's not perfect, far from it. The Browns, though, aren't asking for flawlessness.
No disrespect to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but Cleveland needed a quality upgrade to prevent this season from slipping away and Flacco, the fourth QB to start and win for the Browns this season, is a perfect fit.
"Joe's a pro," Stefanski said. "He's a pro in that meeting room. He's a pro on the field. I like how he works and his teammates are getting to know him. Thrust into playing, you've got to get to know your teammates and I think that's what Joe's doing a really good job of and just being around this building and getting to know these guys."
Flacco had a first and milestone on Sunday.
After picking up his 100th career regular-season win, Flacco improved to 10-2 as a starter in Cleveland Browns Stadium, a place he has visited many times. This time, he did it wearing an orange helmet.
"It's a different perspective from the Browns sideline than I'm used to," he said. "But there is something nice about having played a bunch of games in here and be able to come back and now call it home."
KEY NUMBER
31 -- Field goals for kicker Dustin Hopkins, moving him past Phil Dawson (2008) for the most in a season for the Browns. Hopkins also improved to 8 of 8 beyond 50 yards with a 55-yarder with 3:10 remaining Sunday.