Cincinnati’s newest field general will lead the Bengals right into battle.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced Wednesday that newly acquired veteran quarterback Joe Flacco will start the team’s Week 6 matchup against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
“We’ll start him this week,” he told reporters, “so he’ll take all the reps, get ready to go.”
The Bengals (2-3) acquired the 40-year-old QB, alongside a 2026 second-round pick, from the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday in exchange for a 2026 fifth-rounder.
Cincinnati desperately needed a quarterback upgrade after Jake Browning failed to produce in three starts since replacing the injured Joe Burrow, who suffered a serious case of turf toe in Week 2 that required surgery.
Taylor believes the former Super Bowl MVP’s “style fits our style.”
Cleveland benched Flacco in favor of 24-year-old rookie Dillon Gabriel ahead of Week 5, making him expendable to their AFC North rival.
And he was demoted for a reason.
Returning to Cleveland this season after leading the Browns to the playoffs in 2023, Flacco completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 815 yards in four starts.
His two touchdown passes were offset by a whopping six interceptions — a lopsided ratio that contributed to a miserable 27.6 QBR.
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The Browns opened the season 1-3 with Flacco leading the charge, but — luckily for Cincinnati — his sole victory came against his upcoming opponent.
He first encountered the Packers in Week 3, hurling for 142 yards on the way to a 13-10 victory, handing Green Bay its only loss this season (2-1-1).
Flacco looks to do the same thing Sunday, this time in a different uniform.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
