CINCINNATI — Joe Flacco faces one of his former teams on Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals host the New York Jets. During Flacco’s three-season stint with the Jets from 2020-22, he posted a 1-8 record as a starting quarterback and spent most of his tenure as a backup.
“I don’t know if I necessarily enjoyed how everything went on the field there, but I’m super grateful for my time there,” Flacco said. “It’s just one of those times in my career that you had to fight through some things and kind of get to the next step. A lot of great guys on that team and a lot of great memories with them.”
While Flacco only had one win in three years with the Jets, he already has a dramatic win over a first-place team in his two weeks with the Bengals. Ten days after he joined the team, Flacco threw for 342 yards in a 33-31 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Flacco has had to go through a crash course of the Bengals’ offense, and this has been his first normal week to get ready for a game with Cincinnati.
“That will be really helpful,” coach Zac Taylor said. “It will really slow down, and we can hone in on what he continues to do best and keep featuring that.”
Flacco was acquired in a trade with Cleveland to help the Bengals stay afloat until Joe Burrow can return from toe surgery.
Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said he has already learned a few important lessons from working with Flacco. Pitcher, who's 38 years old, said he probably won’t get another chance to coach a quarterback who’s older than him.
Flacco is 40, and his bank of knowledge has really stood out.
“He has just been unflappable,” Pitcher said. “He’s walked in here and it is almost like he walked in here and has known us for a decade. I think that is just the experience and having been in the biggest moments and lived so many highs and so many lows and a life in football. He has started a season’s worth of playoff football games. He’s seen it all, done it all. I think you just feel that from him.”
Now that Flacco has more time around the Bengals’ coaches, he’s getting more comfortable with Cincinnati's system. While he may not throw for 350 yards every week, Flacco expects to see continued improvement.
For example, against the Steelers, there were examples where the play call from Taylor through Flacco to the entire offense in the huddle didn’t go according to plan. That resulted in plays where not everyone was on the same page.
“I’m still learning and trying to pick up everything and just play as fast and smooth as I can,” Flacco said. “I’m going to try to keep my process the same and use these walk-throughs and the practice to get used to calling it and seeing it. Just try to keep it at a basic level and keep going from there.”
As the Bengals’ coaches learn more about Flacco’s strengths and weaknesses and how they mesh with Cincinnati’s offense, they can tailor game plans more specifically around the veteran quarterback.
“Obviously, we have a new player that we’re just having our chance to now work our third game with,” Pitcher said. “So we’d be foolish not to see if there are things that his skill set affords us the opportunity to do that maybe we hadn’t planned on doing. I think that’s part of the fun that comes with coaching, having the openness to reinvent yourself.”
