CLEVELAND (AP) — For Myles Garrett, there is no explanation for the Browns’ strange season.
It was crazy and crazy and wild and weird.
“Who could have written this story?” Cleveland’s star defensive end asked: “Not even Dr. Seuss. It doesn’t seem any more abstract than what we went through.”
Joe Flacco passed for 374 yards — 212 in the fourth quarter — and set up Dustin Hopkins’ 34-yard field goal with 32 seconds left before the Browns The Hail Mary survived the final play To defeat the Chicago Bears 20-17 on Sunday.
In his third start since signing with Cleveland last month, the 38-year-old Flacco overcame three interceptions and made several impressive throws in the final minutes to pull the Browns (9-5) back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Cleveland has won six games by four points or fewer.
Political cartoon
The Browns got the ball back with 1:50 left in the game and Flacco, Cleveland’s fourth starter this season, completed two passes. to tight end David Njoku for 65 yards To set up the go-ahead kick for Hopkins.
The Bears (5-8), which blew a 17-7 lead, almost achieved a stunning result.
With no time remaining, Chicago quarterback Justin Fields sent a pass from the 45-yard line into the end zone to a group of players. Two Browns defenders knocked the ball down, but it went straight to Bears receiver Darnell Mooney, who was lying on his back.
The ball bounced in and out of Mooney’s hands and he kicked it into the air, allowing Browns safety Dantoni Bell to intercept it and avoid a disastrous ending for Cleveland.
“It’s hard and crazy,” Mooney said. “How often do you see a Hail Mary working and actually be able to pick it up?”
The play was a blur for Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.
“I fainted,” he said.
Garrett had a vision right after chasing Fields out of the pocket.
“He just kind of looked at me, made sure I was far enough away and then threw it.” Garrett said. “I thought, ‘Please, Lord, don’t let us be one of these YouTube groups.’”
For a moment, Fields thought the Bears had her out.
“I heard some celebration on the sideline, and then it was like, ‘Oooh.’ Then I saw the guy catch the pass,” he said.
The Browns remain in fifth place in the AFC playoffs. It’s a remarkable accomplishment considering they’re without quarterback Deshaun Watson and star cornerback Nick Chubb, and they lost five starters to season-ending injuries just this week.
“We went through four quarterbacks,” Garrett said. “This is not going to shake us because we’ve been through literally everything from injuries and everything else. So this is just another step in our journey, another opportunity for us to write a very strange but great legacy.”
Flacco quickly became a hero in Cleveland, his longtime rival when he played for Baltimore. The 15-year veteran has thrown for 939 yards in three games.
Flacco showed resilience after his picks, one of which Redirected by Tremaine Edmonds For a 45-yard touchdown on Cleveland’s first play of the second half to put the Bears ahead 14-7.
“Trust me, part of you wants to crawl into a hole somewhere and hide from everyone, but you can’t do that,” Flacco said. “Especially someone like me. I’ve been in this league a long time and I’ve seen a lot of what happens.
“You just have to keep your eyes on what’s next. You have to keep looking forward and keep believing that your teammates are going to put themselves in the right positions so you can get the ball to them.
Garrett refused to say anything negative about the officiating, one day after he was fined $25,000 by the NFL for his comments following last week’s game.
“Ask Roger,” he said, referring to Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was in attendance at Sunday’s game. “I didn’t talk to him. But you watch the movie and ask Roger.”
Garrett feels he doesn’t get enough calls. He went without a sack for the fourth straight game.
Njoku had a career-high 10 catches for 104 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Cooper had four receptions for 109 yards.
Offensive tackles Jedrick Wells Jr. (knee) and Dawand Jones (knee), safety Grant Delpit (groin), defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (pectoral) and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst (pectoral) did not play for Cleveland.
Things got worse as All-Pro left guard Joel Bitonio went out in the first quarter with a back injury.
Bitonio said: “My back is damaged. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I don’t feel good.”
Bears: LG Teven Jenkins (concussion) was taken to the locker room in the second quarter.
Browns: LB Anthony Walker Jr. (knee) was inactive after suffering the injury in practice this week. It came in doubt. … CB Mike Ford Jr. (illness) went to the locker room in the first quarter.
Bears: Host Arizona on Dec. 24.
Browns: Visit Houston on Dec. 24.
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In a thrilling matchup, quarterback Joe Flacco led the Cleveland Browns to a stunning 20-17 win over the Chicago Bears, marking a standout performance with 374 passing yards. The game was a testament to Flacco’s exceptional leadership and skill, as he rallied the Browns to an impressive victory after a hard-fought battle on the field. With his stellar performance, Flacco proved to be a formidable force, driving the Browns to secure a memorable win against a tough opponent.