Joe Flacco faces relentless Packers defense as Browns offense struggles

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Joe Flacco can't escape from pressure, whether it is speculation about how much longer he will remain as the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback or facing another difficult defense. After struggling in his return to Baltimore last week, things don't get any easier for Flacco or the sputtering Browns offense this week. They face a Green Bay defense on Sunday that has brought plenty of pressure to opposing quarterbacks the first two weeks. The Packers — off to their first 2-0 start since 2020 — are second in the league in sacks (eight) but lead in hurries (21) and quarterback hits (18). All-Pro defensive end Micah Parsons has already made his presence felt with the Packers after being acquired from Dallas on Aug. 27. He is tied for fourth in the league with 9 1/2 hurries along with 1 1/2 sacks and 3 1/2 quarterback hits. Flacco has thrown three interceptions and completed just 16 of 33 passes when under pressure. His 23.5 passer rating under pressure is second lowest in the league among QBs that have played two games. That is a huge drop-off from his 63.5 average passer rating the past seven seasons when being pressured. "I think when you go through your progressions and your reads, it's always built to get the ball out in certain timing. So, I think you just got to kind of rely on your training and going through your progressions and listening to your feet. I think the rest will take care of itself," Flacco said. Cleveland's offense has also struggled generating a downfield passing game as it is 0-2 for the first time in eight seasons. Flacco has only one completion on a deep pass thrown 20 yards or more and is 11 of 19 on intermediate throws of 10-19 air yards. Making matters difficult is Flacco is facing a Green Bay defense that is among the top four teams in the league in using zone coverage. Flacco's 73.8 passer rating against zone is sixth lowest in the league. "I think every week is a different challenge from a coverage standpoint, from a rush protection standpoint. And you have to find the schemes and obviously put the players in positions," coach Kevin Stefanski said. "There's also times when you're going to call those plays or try to get to those plays and the defense won't allow you to." One thing that would help Flacco is if the run game can get up to speed. Quinshon Judkins had 61 yards on 10 carries, including a 31-yard run in the fourth quarter, in his NFL debut last week. Judkins is listed as the lead running back on the depth chart the Browns put out this week. "The exciting thing this week is that he's going to get to sit in every single meeting, go out and do walk-throughs, every single walk-through, go out and practice, get the reps," Flacco said about Judkins. "I think he's got a lot of talent, so that's what's exciting for us, is just to get an explosive guy some touches and see what he can do with it." Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Flacco is one of the purest throwers he has seen on tape, and that his defense is going to have to be dialed in on pass coverage, as well as continuing to bring pressure. "There's nothing that he hasn't seen. I think a big key is just going to be able to try to get him off the spot, get pressure to him," LaFleur said. "I always tell our guys, whether it's our quarterback or anybody else, it's hard to throw from your back. So I think that's going to be critical, but he can make every throw. He's super intelligent. He throws on time. The ball's going to come out of his hand."