Joe Flacco turned back the clock Thursday night and sent Cleveland sports radio into meltdown mode.
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The 40-year-old quarterback lit up the Steelers in a Bengals uniform, completing 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in Cincinnati's 33-31 win.
It was just 10 days after the Bengals traded for him, and the performance immediately reignited questions about why the Browns ever let him go — especially to a division rival.
Longtime ESPN Cleveland host Tony Rizzo didn't hold back on his Friday show, ripping the Browns' front office in a fiery rant that quickly went viral.
"Why on earth did you feel the need to trade this guy to a division opponent for a fifth-round draft pick? Fireable offense! That is a fireable offense!" Rizzo shouted. "I want to know how much longer the owner's gonna watch this crap, because the fans have had it! We deserve better!"
He kept going, turning his frustration toward ownership.
"You're worried more about your stadium than you are your football team. That's the perception, Jimmy. You allow these people to do this," Rizzo said, addressing Browns owner Jimmy Haslam directly. "You have the worst offense in the league. Your GM screwed this quarterback thing up like I've never seen! In my life, I've never seen anything like it!
"Kids that play Madden could have done a better job, truly. That's not hyperbole. It's a joke. This franchise has become a joke and I'm sick of it."
"I WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER THE OWNER IS GOING TO WATCH THIS CRAP, BECAUSE THE FANS HAVE HAD IT, WE DESERVE BETTER," - Rizz is OVER it after last night. pic.twitter.com/rZkA6Xs2ME
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) October 17, 2025
Even Steelers coach Mike Tomlin questioned why Cleveland helped a division rival. And after watching Flacco carve up Pittsburgh like it was 2012 again, most Browns fans couldn't disagree.
Bengals fans capped the night with a stinging chant that summed it all up: "Thank you, Cleveland."
