Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry could not have been happier on Christmas Eve. The 36-year-old giggled like a school girl as his team went up by 27 against the Houston Texans.
It was one of the most wholesome moments of the entire NFL season thus far.
Kareem Hunt punched in his first touchdown of the afternoon on a goal-line carry to take a 34-7 lead. Meanwhile, up in a suite at NRG Stadium in Texas, Berry was smiling from ear to ear.
Santa is considered to be the most jolly person on earth around this time of year. Not on Sunday.
That title belongs to Berry.
With the win over Houston, Cleveland all-but secured a playoff birth. It is virtually impossible for the Browns not to get in at this point. However, they are the Browns so literally anything could happen.
Berry is not going to think about what could go wrong. Everything has gone right over the last few weeks and his team cannot stop winning.
Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. Deshaun Watson was lost for the year due to an injury in Week 10. Much of the air was sucked out of Ohio’s third or fourth best city. The fanbase thought that there was no hope.
Not so fast! Dorian Thompson-Robinson went 1-1 in his two starts.
And then Flacco — an elite quarterback — arrived.
The oldest player in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass is 3-1 in his first four starts for the sixth team of his 16-year career. He looked awesome on the road on the afternoon before Christmas.
Joe Flacco threw for more than 350 yards with three touchdowns on a completion percentage greater than 60%. Amari Cooper is finally unlocked in Cleveland and went for more than 250 yards on 10 catches with two scores.
The 38-year-old quarterback is to thank! His presence in an offense that was built by Berry has made the Browns a team that nobody wants to face as the playoffs approach.
If Flacco keeps playing like he did in each of the last few weeks, Berry will continue to giggle. He has every reason to do so! Life is good right now. Merry Christmas!