New Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco has only been in the team’s facility a few hours, but he has already earned the moniker of QB1.
The Bengals announced Flacco would start this weekend at Lambeau Field when they go on the road to take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
The Bengals, of course, acquired Flacco from their hated rivals the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday for a fifth-round pick. Flacco, 40, is in his 18th NFL season and has spent his entire career in the AFC, while first playing 11 seasons for the Bengals’ AFC North nemeses, the Baltimore Ravens.
This year Flacco is 1-2 with a 58.1 completion percentage and two touchdowns and six interceptions in three starts. He was benched for rookie Dillon Gabriel for the Browns’ most recent game, a 21-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London.
The Bengals QB Situation Is Dire
Joe Burrow’s catastrophic toe injury started the downswing for the Bengals offense, which has scored just 37 points in three games that Jake Browning has started. Browning has five interceptions in his three starts and has been unable to get superstar wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins involved.
So a change was in order, and Bengals coach Zac Taylor broke the news that Flacco would unseat Browning as the Bengals lead QB on Wednesday before practice.
“We’ve played him a lot, watched him a lot,” Taylor said. “He brings great experience, great leadership. His style fits our style of play too, so I’m excited to get him out there.”
But for Bengals fans holding out hope for another former Browns quarterback, Jameis Winston, or Russell Wilson or anyone else via trade, ESPN’s Peter Schrager spelled out why the Bengals went out and got Flacco.
“I think they’re bringing in Flacco because he is exactly that quarterback that can [start] on no time’s preparation,” Schrager said on “Get Up” on Wednesday. “Zac Taylor and the Bengals front office told me they were not calling all these different teams — they were not calling for Russell Wilson; they were not calling for Jameis Winston. They wanted Joe Flacco specifically because he could do this on short rest and he can get thrown into the mix, and he can carry the load.
“He knows all these defenses. He actually played Green Bay earlier this season.”
Joe Flacco Has Beaten The Packers This Season
There is a caveat that Flacco did not exactly play well in his lone outing against the Packers — a 13-10 Cleveland win where the Browns rallied from down 10 to deal Green Bay its only win of the season.
He completed 21 of 36 passes for 142 yards and also had an interception. The Browns did not score in the first three quarters, and their lone touchdown drive was just one play for four yards — a Quinshon Judkins rushing touchdown.
Still, Flacco could achieve some history if he can knock of the Packers twice in two different uniforms.
“He would be the first quarterback since 1962 — Jack Kemp, Buffalo Bills — to beat the same team twice in two different uniforms,” Schrager said.
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