Cleveland — The players on the practice squad, the veterans, the highly compensated players, and the newcomers all continue to produce. And on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns opened a wild and uncharted chapter in their winding 2023 season, despite the fact that their non-discriminatory all-heroes welcome policy has long been shown to be effective.

With the oldest player, quarterback Joe Flacco, having thrown three interceptions in the first three quarters, and a decimated offensive line taking a hammering, they were behind 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Chicago Bears defense was acting as the bully, neither offense could muster anything, and there were many reasons to think the hobbling Browns might simply have to wait for another day. They gained just one first down and ten yards on five possessions throughout the third quarter. Five, indeed.

But the fourth quarter was a different story. Flacco got hot. Super hot. And Amari Cooper got free along the sideline, David Njoku kept getting open, and after the Browns went from dead in the water to the verge of an improbable victory, the Bears had their last-chance Hail Mary by Justin Fields get deflected right into the hands of wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who somehow had it slip away and into the hands of Browns safety D’Anthony Bell for an interception.

Cleveland 20, Chicago 17. The Browns are survivors. They’re 9-5, 7-1 at home, and with one more victory, it will be almost a playoff lock.

Flacco threw for 374 yards, the most by any Cleveland quarterback since 2020. He threw for 212 yards in the fourth quarter while bringing the Browns back, most notably the 51-yard touchdown to Cooper to tie the game and the 63 yards the Browns got on their final drive to position kicker Dustin Hopkins for what became the 34-yard game winner. Flacco was still in his uniform pants when he came to the postgame podium and delivered what might be the most important thank you/compliment of the day.

Through multiple quarterback changes and lineup adjustments, it’s become a case of all hands (and Hopkins’ right foot), from all points of the roster, pushing the Browns toward the playoffs. For two months now, the defense has seemed determined to drag Cleveland to the postseason, if that’s what it would take, and it delivered another masterpiece on Sunday. The Bears only scored because of their defense — they returned Flacco’s second interception 45 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, and on a short field after the first pick. It took the Bears four plays to get 1 yard and go up 7-0.

The Browns defense, which was playing without four injured starters, continued to contribute even when the Bears appeared to be in complete control early in the second half. Chicago’s pass rush was mauling Flacco, but the Cleveland defense continued to give the offense opportunities. Midway through the third quarter, the Bears led 17–7 on a field goal; in the five possessions that followed, they gained just 41 yards and two first downs.

In the contest, the Bears managed just four plays of greater than fifteen yards. In just the fourth quarter, Flacco produced four completions of thirty yards or more, adding even more magic to an otherwise dismal offensive day.

The way this team has chosen the individuals to be on the roster and in the locker room, I believe (the comeback just tells you a lot, said Flacco. It’s also one of those things, in my opinion, that is perhaps difficult to quantify. However, as I mentioned before, not every case where you need to have resilience would call for hard workers, tough folks, and all that will turn out.

Thus, while events like today undoubtedly contain some element of chance, I believe it merely illustrates the qualities of the men present. And you have to give the organization credit, in my opinion, as they most likely did that on purpose.

He is accurate. The Browns have a well-paid, seasoned roster and are a well-coached squad. However, they also used four offensive linemen who weren’t starting in September for the majority of the game, starting at safety with an undrafted rookie and an undrafted second-year player. Flacco, who was cut from the team four weeks prior, was also throwing to Marquise Goodwin, who had not caught a pass before Sunday and had missed a month due to a concussion. Prior to Sunday, Bell had only participated in 45 defensive snaps for the season. Bell made the game-winning interception.

The Browns became the first team in eight years and only the second in this century to have four different starting quarterbacks win a game in a single season when Flacco completed a 311-yard pass for three touchdowns against Jacksonville last week.

Our team has gone through four quarterbacks. Myles Garrett, a defensive end for the Browns, said. We’ve practically gone through everything with injuries and everything else, so being down 10 (in the fourth) won’t shake us. Thus, this represents merely an additional phase of our expedition, a chance for us to inscribe an incredibly unique yet remarkable heritage.

Attacking is what Garrett and his defensive partners do most effectively and frequently. The Browns are aggressive and ready to accept the repercussions of playing against teams that can run slow-developing plays and keep their quarterbacks upright. After believing he had Fields beat on multiple occasions, Garrett watched the evasive quarterback from Chicago get away. The Browns typically sent additional defenders to block running lanes and big-play opportunities.

Michael Dunn joined a line that includes backup center Nick Harris, left tackle Geron Christian, who signed with the practice squad on October 31, and right tackle James Hudson, who has spent the majority of his three seasons as a backup. Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio sustained a back injury in the first half. The Browns used rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson for a fourth-down play during their lone scoring drive of the first half. The Bears were duped by a fast pass to Jerome Ford for a conversion when they expected a Thompson-Robinson keeper.

I simply value having that locker room. Kevin Stefanski, the Browns’ coach, said. There are quite a few combatants there. It isn’t always attractive. Not perfect, never was going to be flawless. However, we had to endure those people fighting for sixty minutes in order to go through. That is a strong group of guys there, playing through injuries, being sidelined, and filling in. Extremely proud of them. I’m glad I got that one.

Then we are aware of our location. Next week in the AFC (in Houston), there will be another big one. But once again, I’m just proud of the effort. Can clean up about a thousand things, but I’m somewhat proud of that crew for winning in that manner.

Both the quarterback and the head coach correctly saw that the Browns needed everyone on a day when Flacco went from wobbly to great. And after this one, everyone deserves a bow: the assistant coaches, the people who assembled the roster, the person who oversaw and approved the trade for Hopkins, and the men who lay out the bulky raincoats on a day of bad weather. The list is endless.

The Browns have invested about $294 million in this team, per the cash expenditure tracker maintained by Over the Cap. Everyone can afford game balls, and they ought to keep an extra set on hand in case they pull off another victory and punch their ticket to the playoffs.