Sportsnaut
Quarterback Joe Flacco is heading back to Baltimore with plenty of history and little desire for nostalgia. When the Browns face the Ravens this Sunday, the 40-year-old quarterback will step onto the same M&T Bank Stadium field where he spent 11 memorable seasons and won a Super Bowl. It’s his first game there since the Ravens traded him in 2019, and it comes as Baltimore celebrates the 30th anniversary of Art Modell’s controversial move that took the original Browns franchise to Maryland.
Flacco became a Ravens icon after they drafted him 18th overall in 2008. He never endured a losing season in Baltimore, led six playoff runs, and captured Super Bowl XLVII MVP honors. His exit was abrupt—Lamar Jackson replaced him after Flacco injured his hip midway through the 2018 season—and the Ravens traded him to Denver the following spring.
Now, he returns as Cleveland’s starter and 2023 Comeback Player of the Year. Baltimore had long planned Sunday’s festivities to honor Modell’s relocation, but the timing gives the matchup an extra edge. Former Ravens stars will be in attendance, and the atmosphere promises to be loud. Flacco says the backstory only heightens his excitement.
“They’ll have ex-players back, more eyes on the game, and that just makes it more interesting,” he told reporters this week. “I’ve got a lot of friends and family coming down from Jersey, so it’ll be fun for them too. But for me, it’s still about preparing to play a football game.”
This is not Flacco’s first meeting with his old team—he faced them with the Jets in 2022—but it will be his first time on the visitor’s sideline in Baltimore. He admits the setting will feel different, yet insists his famously calm demeanor will hold.
Flacco noted that only a few familiar names remain on the Ravens roster, including Jackson, tight end Mark Andrews and cornerback Marlon Humphrey. But the front-office staff and stadium environment are the same ones that watched him grow from a rookie to a Super Bowl champion.
For the Browns, Sunday’s divisional clash is more than a sentimental journey. They opened the season with a 17-16 home loss to Cincinnati despite a strong defensive effort. Flacco passed for 241 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions on tipped balls and watched two critical kicks sail wide. Cleveland’s ground game managed only 49 yards.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said the team must clean up its rushing attack and red-zone execution to compete with Baltimore. The Ravens, meanwhile, are seeking to rebound from a stunning 41-40 loss to Buffalo in which they blew a 15-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
Cleveland will also monitor rookie running back Quinshon Judkins, who is awaiting final word from the NFL after a personal conduct review. His power style could help revive the running game if cleared to play. Judkins practiced on Thursday and is still a possibility to make his NFL debut Sunday.
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