3 Takeaways from Browns' Week 14 Win vs. Jaguars

After going 0-2 on their latest road trip, the Cleveland Browns returned home to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14. They also returned to the win column after a wild 31-27 contest.

Leading up to the game, there was uncertainty about Trevor Lawrence's status for Jacksonville. The Jaguars quarterback suffered a high ankle sprain on Monday but made the start and gave Cleveland's defense its fair share of problems.

However, the Browns also picked off the Clemson product three times, forced four turnovers and got enough from their much-maligned offense to knock off a playoff-caliber opponent.

Cleveland moved to 8-5 with the victory and took another step toward cementing itself as a wild-card team. The Browns again appear poised to be playoff threats.

Here's what else we learned during their Week 14 win over the Jaguars.

Penalties, Turnovers Continue to Be a Problem

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Browns WR Amari Cooper fumbles against the Jaguars

Let's start with the negative. While the Browns had one of their best offensive performances of the season in Joe Flacco's second start, the same issues that have plagued them all season were present.

Cleveland turned it over three times on Sunday. Flacco had his second interception in as many games—a timing slant intended for Cedric Tillman, who was knocked off his route—and both he and Amari Cooper fumbled deep in Browns territory.

After each of the fumbles, Jacksonville responded with a touchdown. Without them, this game might not have been as close because the Jags struggled to move the ball consistently for much of the afternoon.

Penalties, especially those of the pre-snap variety, were also an issue once again. Cleveland was flagged eight times for 75 yards.

The Browns have to do a better job of protecting the football and avoiding mental mistakes if they hope to make any serious noise in the postseason—or even get there.

Cleveland will have a difficult time knocking off the suddenly dangerous Chicago Bears next week if it continues playing a sloppy brand of football.

Browns Have Seen Enough of Joe Flacco

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Joe Flacco

Flacco made his second consecutive start, even though rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson cleared the concussion protocol in time for Sunday's game.

Flacco also became the fourth Browns starter to record a win in 2023.

Barring another injury, it seems the 38-year-old will be Cleveland's last starting quarterback of the season.

"Browns [head coach Kevin} Stefanski said Joe Flacco is his starter the rest of the season," Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It appears the Browns have seen enough to declare Flacco their quarterback of the present. He was mostly sharp last week against the Los Angeles Rams before throwing a costly fourth-quarter interception. He wasn't perfect against Jacksonville, but he finished 26-of-45 for 311 yards, three touchdowns and the interception.

While the numbers are impressive, it's worth noting Flacco's two touchdowns to David Njoku appeared to come against blown coverage. His touchdown pass to David Bell came when the defender fell down on the play.

The big takeaway is that Flacco seems to have a great grasp of the offense, is getting the ball out quickly and has added a downfield element to the passing attack that Thompson-Robinson does not yet possess.

The Browns feel that they can win with Flacco under center, and that's exactly what they'll try to do the rest of the way.

Young Cornerbacks Come Up Big

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Browns CB Martin Emerson Jr. runs with the ball following an interception against Jacksonville

If there's one thing we learned about the Browns defense during their road trip, it's that the secondary isn't as formidable with Denzel Ward out of the lineup.

"Anytime you don't have him on the field, obviously, it's not the same," linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. said, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

While Ward (shoulder) did return to practice this week, he ultimately didn't suit up to face the Jaguars. If the Browns hoped to contain Lawrence, they needed their other cornerbacks to hold up in coverage. Youngsters Martin Emerson Jr. and Greg Newsome II delivered.

Emerson, a 2022 third-round selection, picked off Lawrence twice. Newsome, a 2021 first-round pick, gabbed an interception of his own. While Lawrence did pass for 257 yards and three touchdowns, those three takeaways changed the course of the game.

Emerson's second interception came with the Jags in scoring range. Newsome's pick helped set up Bell's touchdown.

Hopefully, defensive backs like Emerson and Newsome can continue making plays, and ideally, they'll keep doing it with Ward back in the lineup sooner than later.