Jets vs. Browns final score, results: Joe Flacco fires Cleveland to playoffs with blowout win over New York

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The Browns are headed to the postseason. And the man leading them there is a soon-to-be 39-year-old who was out of the league just a few months ago.

Joe Flacco strung together another sparkling display as Cleveland punched its ticket to the playoffs with a 37-17 win over the Jets on "Thursday Night Football."

Flacco, the Browns' elder statesman, continued to shine on the big stage, completing 19-of-29 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

He was far from the only Clevelander to step it up, however. David Njoku and Jerome Ford were ever-presents, racing through the heart of New York's esteemed defense to the tune of 134 and 125 yards (64 rushing, 61 receiving), respectively.

The Browns (11-5) made their presence felt from the game's opening moment, embarking on a seven-play, 75-yard drive to open the scoring. It set the stage for an explosive first-half showcase; Flacco poured in 297 passing yards on his lonesome, while Ford, Kareem Hunt and even former Ohio State star Ronnie Hickman found the end zone.

The second half wasn't quite as prolific. But it didn't need to be. Cleveland had already vanquished its demons. Now, a playoff berth beckons.

MORE: NFL picks, predictions against the spread Week 17

The Sporting News tracked updates and highlights from Thursday night's clash between Cleveland and New York. Follow all the action as it happened from Browns Stadium below.

Jets vs. Browns final score

  1 2 3 4 F
Jets 7 10 0 3 20
Browns 20 14 0 3 37

Jets vs. Browns results, highlights from 'Thursday Night Football'

(All times Eastern)

End of fourth quarter: Browns 37, Jets 20

11:14 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Patterson hits from short range.

Browns 37, Jets 17

11:09 p.m.: TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Siemian tries his best to run beyond the marker. It didn't work out. Browns have the ball back deep in Jets territory.

10:58 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Zuerlein splits the uprights from 44. Cleveland's lead is down to two scores.

10:51 p.m.: New York got stuffed on fourth-and-short. However, a 12 men on the field penalty, called after a refereeing review, sees the Jets somehow keep their chances at a rally alive.

10:48 p.m.: FUMBLE! Quinnen Williams sends the ball tumbling after ripping it away from Pierre Strong. Johnson recovers the lucky dog, hauling it in to secure New York's third turnover of the night. Even when the Jets' defense is bad, it's good.

10:41 p.m.: Another near interception for Cleveland, which almost nets its third takeaway of the game after Siemian tosses one right into the jaws of the Browns defense. Perhaps it could have been a pass interference. But such is life when you're fighting near the cellar of the AFC. Thomas Morstead will make another appearance as the Jets deliver yet another effort into the night sky.

End of third quarter: Browns 34, Jets 17

10:17 p.m.: The call is reversed! That will certainly be a controversial one, especially if New York can mount a comeback of some sort.

10:14 p.m.: Tight call here, as Jordan Whitehead looked to have ripped the ball out of Ford's hands as he fell toward the turf. Ruling on the field is a fumble. Will need to go to a review, but it looks like it'll be hard to find conclusive evidence to overturn the call. At least not in my eyes.

10:09 p.m.: BLOCKED! Zuerlein's effort finds Cleveland hands! The Jets leave points on the board once more. Ugh.

10:05 p.m.: Siemian places a dime straight onto Jason Brownlee's plate for 26 yards. New York is inside the 10-yard line for the first time what feels like ages.

10:02 p.m.: New York opens its first drive of the second half with some decent theatrics. Hall races through the mire for 17 yards to set the Jets on their way.

End of second quarter: Browns 34, Jets 17

9:46 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Two-minute drill proves profitable for New York, as Zuerlein hits the target from 46 yards out.

Browns 34, Jets 17

9:41 p.m.: Save for that unfortunate interception, Flacco has been faultless. He's up to 297 yards passing in the first half alone. In case you were wondering, that's a career-best total through two quarters. He's on pace for nearly 600 yards passing! Crazy performance so far!

9:38 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Flacco pulls out another magic trick, veering to the left side of the field before whipping a dart to Ford. Ford does the rest, racing some 50 yards to the promised land. This one is getting out of hand.

Browns 34, Jets 14

9:35 p.m.: Moore takes a big shot after racing past his marker for 22 yards. Looked like he hit his head on the turf as he went down. He's up and walking now, but it certainly was a scary sight.

9:29 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Flacco attempts to find Njoku on the screen play. Instead, he hits Jermaine Johnson, who flicks the ball up into the air and plucks it from the heavens. He takes the ball to the house to give New York a much-needed reprieve from Cleveland's offensive fireworks. Maybe that will thrust some life into this weary Jets team.

Browns 27, Jets 14

9:17 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Flacco delivers an effortless dime to Moore as Cleveland adds to the Jets' misery. This is quickly turning into a stinker.

Browns 27, Jets 7

9:13 p.m.: Flacco has the Browns flying. Just picked up 52 yards via tosses to Elijah Moore and backup tight end Jordan Akins. He's 12-of-16 for 207 yards and a score so far. Cooking with serious gas early.

9:09 p.m.: The Jets' ensuing drive ends in a three-and-out. Because of course it does. Ball headed back to the Dawgs.

9:05 p.m.: FUMBLE! Njoku erupts for more yardage after outpacing Mosley. However, the veteran linebacker gets back into the play and sends the ball spiraling! It ends up going the way of the Jets. A little sign of life from New York! Finally!

End of first quarter: Browns 20, Jets 7

8:59 p.m.: The struggles continue for New York, which sees another drive end in ashes via punt. Not great.

8:51 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Cleveland adds to its lead with a pick-six! Ronnie Hickman snatches Siemian's errant attempt from the sky and takes it the distance. Cleveland is putting on a show.

Browns 20, Jets 7

8:47 p.m.: TURNOVER ON DOWNS! The Browns opt to go for it on fourth after Williams swept up Hunt on third-and-short. But Flacco's pass goes wide of the target! The Jets defense holds!

8:44 p.m.: FUMBLE! New York's nightmare continues! Matthew Adams jars the ball loose from Israel Abanikanda on the ensuing kickoff. The ball goes tumbling down the field before finding the wanting hands of Mike Ford. Another red zone trip looms for Cleveland, who very well could add to its lead here.

8:40 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Kareem Hunt joins the party, racing through the storm to score.  Riley Patterson sees his extra point attempt stray wide. But the Browns offense is firmly in rhythm early.

Browns 13, Jets 7

8:39 p.m.: What is Njoku cooking with? Just added another 43 yards after bypassing Mosley in the flat. He's already up to 113 yards through two drives.

8:37 p.m.: Cleveland's first drive was defined by Njoku. This second one has been all Ford. Already has picked up 27 yards today.

8:36 p.m.: Miscommunication between Flacco and Harrison Bryant, coupled with pressure from Quinnen Williams, nearly results in an interception. The ball falls harmlessly to the turf in the end.

8:32 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Hall shines once more, fielding Siemian's toss in the flat and trotting 21 yards to the house. For a game touted to be a defensive showcase, there's been plenty of offensive fireworks thus far.

Browns 7, Jets 7

8:30 p.m.: Strong showing by Trevor Siemian and the Jets thus far. Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall explode for 22 and 25 yards, respectively, as New York nears the red zone.

8:24 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Cleveland opens the scoring in style, with Flacco hitting Jerome Ford for the seven-yard score. The Browns had no problem getting past that vaunted Jets defense on their first drive.

Browns 7, Jets 0

8:23 p.m.: Njoku again! Finds space behind the linebackers and leaps high to grab Flacco's whipped effort. That's another 28 yards for the Cleveland star. And that's got Cleveland on the cusp of an early score.

8:20 p.m.: Jets play shallow coverage on third-and-long. Cleveland takes advantage, with Flacco connecting with David Njoku ahead of the first down marker. The Browns tight end proceeds to ramble 36 yards down the turf, breaching into Jets' territory for the first time today.

8:17 p.m.: Nick Chubb smashes the ceremonial guitar to signal the start of tonight's game. And away we go! Browns will start this one with the ball!

8:05 p.m.: Both teams headed out onto the field. It's about to get fun here at Browns Stadium.

7:35 p.m.: David Njoku is a better man than me. Because I would be shivering me timbers something vicious.

7:10 p.m.: Speaking of injuries, here's the inactive list for both sides ahead of tonight's clash:

7:00 p.m.: Cleveland will be without its leading receiver on Thursday night. Amari Cooper, producer of the greatest single-game receiving performance in Browns history last week, will miss out on the action with a heel injury.

6:40 p.m.: Old friends meet once more, with Joe Flacco returning to the fore to face his former team, the Jets, on Saturday. Looks like the two parties remain on good terms with one another regardless of the way things.

Jets vs. Browns start time

  • Date: Thursday, Dec. 28
  • Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET

Thursday night's game between the Jets and the Browns will kick off in prime time at 8:15 p.m. ET from Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland.

What channel is Jets vs. Browns on today?

  • Game: New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns
  • Date: Thursday, Dec. 28
  • TV channel (New York): Fox 5
  • TV channel (Cleveland): WJW
  • Live stream: Amazon Prime Video | DAZN (in Canada)

Thursday's clash between the Jets and the Browns will air exclusively on Amazon Prime outside of the New York and Cleveland local markets. Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (color analyst) will be on the call from Acrisure Stadium, while Kaylee Hartung will offer her musings as a sideline reporter.

Viewers in New York and Cleveland can catch the game on Fox 5 and WJW, respectively. 

Audience members in Canada can stream it on DAZN, which carries every NFL game of the season.

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David Suggs

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News.

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