You probably remember the narrative: The Browns were written off in mid-November when the news broke that Deshaun Watson had suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

Despite a comeback victory over the Ravens that improved Cleveland to 6-3, it was curtains for the Erie Warriors.

Veteran P.J. Walker and rookie Dorian-Thompson Robinson were the only quarterbacks left on the Browns roster. There was no way they had any shot at making the postseason. The decision was made to start the rookie Robinson at quarterback, and he led Cleveland to a home victory over the Steelers on November 19.

The Browns signed veteran Joe Flacco, 38, to their practice squad the very next day, and it wasn’t long before he was named the team’s starting quarterback. That was on December 3 in Los Angeles. The Browns lost that day, but Flacco completed 23 of 44 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He looked pretty damn good and would remain the start moving forward.

The Browns had lost their second straight to fall to 7-5. Surely, they were done, right? Wrong.

Cleveland won their next three games to improve to 10-5. Flacco passed for 311 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a 31-27 victory over the Jaguars. He then threw for 374 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in a 20-17 win over the Bears. On Christmas Eve, Flacco passed for 368 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in a 36-22 road win over the Texans.

The Browns were one victory away from their first playoff berth since 2020 and just their third postseason appearance since coming back into the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1999.

Ironically, it was Flacco who had quarterbacked the old Browns franchise, the Ravens, for 11 seasons and led them to their second Super Bowl victory in 2012.

Flacco was at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Thursday night in a game against the lowly Jets. Could he lead Cleveland to the dance? He could. Flacco completed 19 of 29 passes for 309 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, as the Browns prevailed, 37-20.

Amazing.

The NFL really is a great reality show. I mean, who could have predicted this? Yes, the Browns have a talented roster. Yes, Cleveland has arguably the best defense in the league (it actually does when it comes to yardage), but the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Without a quarterback, you have no chance.

Thankfully for the Browns, Flacco was sitting on his couch after receiving no offers in the offseason. He had been a journeyman since 2019, bouncing around the league and failing to be anything but a backup and sometimes starter.

But now Flacco is back. Not only is he back, but he’s back in the AFC North. If things fall just right for the Browns in Weeks 17 and 18, they may even win the division and capture the top seed. If they do, look out. But even if they don’t, you need to pay attention to Cleveland in the postseason.

The Browns now seem like a force to be reckoned with, complete with a proven quarterback who has been there and done that.

The Browns may not have Deshaun Watson, but they have just as good a chance as anyone of making it to and maybe even winning Super Bowl LVIII.