Joe Flacco's struggles are yet another reason Browns should keep Kevin Stefanski

The 2024 season has been nothing short of a disaster for the Cleveland Browns. They entered this season expecting to at the very least compete in the playoffs in what was supposed to be a difficult AFC, but instead, the Browns enter their Week 10 bye with a record of 2-7. They're sitting comfortably in last place in the AFC North, and are closer to picking No. 1 overall than they are sniffing a playoff spot.

This disaster of a season has undoubtedly put head coach Kevin Stefanski on the hot seat, and despite all he has done with the Browns, it's hard to fault that. Cleveland has won just one playoff game in his five seasons with the team.

With that being said, though, Stefanski has done more good than harm with the Browns. He's won two Coach of the Year awards for a reason. It's far from his fault that the Browns are where they are standings-wise. Joe Flacco's performance with the Indianapolis Colts only proves that.

Joe Flacco's struggles show once again how great of a coach Kevin Stefanski is

Starting in place of Anthony Richardson for a second straight week, Flacco couldn't have gotten off to much of a worse start. His first play of the game after his defense got an early stop against the Buffalo Bills resulted in a pick-six, handing Buffalo an early lead. On the next drive, Flacco threw yet another interception, which would lead to a Bills field goal.

Having this kind of start immediately after the Colts managed just six points on offense the week prior shows that Flacco is having all sorts of trouble under center for the Colts in Richardson's place. Flacco struggling like this isn't something Browns fans can say they experienced during Flacco's time in Cleveland.

Replacing the injured Deshaun Watson, Flacco made five starts for the Browns down the stretch and led Cleveland to a 4-1 record, allowing them to make the playoffs. He threw his share of interceptions in those starts, but also had 13 passing touchdowns and led the Browns to 30 or more points in three of his five starts.

Flacco performing as well as he did led the Colts to make the decision to bring him aboard to mentor Anthony Richardson. Well, Richardson struggled as a starter, and Flacco has been just as bad, if not worse, as his replacement.

Stefanski's offense has struggled this season, but a lot of that has to do with the poor play of Watson when he was healthy. Their offense wasn't great in Week 9 against a tough Los Angeles Chargers defense, but had their best game of the year with Jameis Winston under center. Stefanski has gotten a lot out of subpar quarterbacks (not named Watson) at a level other coaches can't exactly compete with. Flacco looked a whole lot better with Stefanski than he has in Indianapolis.

Will the Browns fire Stefanski after this disappointing season? Potentially. Will it bring the change they're hoping for? It's easy to say no. Stefanski hasn't been perfect, but things like this prove that he's a lot better than some fans give him credit for.