QB Joe Flacco continues to showcase the strength of his arm, as he dominated the Browns' Week 16 matchup over the Texans through the air. He was also nominated for the FedEx Air Player of Week 16 for the third consecutive week.
Flacco was first up for the award in Week 14 after he threw for 311 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Jaguars. He was then tabbed a nominee in Week 15 when he led the Browns to a comeback win over the Bears with a monster fourth quarter as he threw for 212 yards and a touchdown.
Then, the Browns' Week 16 win over the Texans, Flacco kicked off the game with a 53-yard pass to WR Amari Cooper on the opening drive. He later connected with Cooper for a 75-yard touchdown pass, as well as a 7-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. He also threw a deep ball to TE David Njoku as he ran in for the touchdown in the second quarter.
He finished the game completing 27 of 42 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns. Flacco has led the Browns to three consecutive wins in his first four starts, as well as capturing their 10th win of the season with the 36-22 victory over the Texans.
Flacco also joined Josh McCown (2015) as the only Browns player to throw for 300 yards in three consecutive games, as well as the only Brown to throw for 350 yards in consecutive games. Flacco has the most touchdown passes by a Brown in their first four starts with 10 touchdowns, and the most passing yards with 1,307.
The FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Awards are in its third decade, honoring the top NFL quarterbacks and running backs during the season. Flacco was named a nominee alongside Rams QB Matthew Stafford – who completed 24 of 34 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns – and Panthers QB Bryce Young – who completed 23 of 36 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns.
Weekly winners will be selected by fans, who have the chance to vote for the top quarterback and running back each week.
This season, the FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week Awards are working with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to make donations of $2,000 in the name of the winning quarterback and running back to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country.
Over the course of the season, select HBCUs will receive grants totaling more than $100,000 to support needs-based scholarships through the 2024-2025 school year. FedEx has donated more than $200,000 to directly support needs-based scholarships to HBCU students over the past two seasons. The FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year Awards program has donated over 1 million dollars to various non-profits, charities, hospitals, and other humanitarian organizations in total.
Fans can vote for the FedEx Air Player of Week 16 here.