It looked like it was it for Joe Flacco when the Browns pulled the plug a week ago. But not so: the well-traveled 40-year-old was just moving on up in the AFC North, going from its last-place team (1-4 Cleveland) to 2nd (2-3 Cincinnati).
Back in the Summer, I was intrigued by Flacco as a starter in Cleveland, thinking -- based on the way he played the last two seasons -- that he'd be a huge upgrade for the passing game. In 12 starts for the Browns and Colts the last two years, Flacco averaged 293 passing yards and 2 TDs per game. That seemed really promising for Jerry Jeudy and company, and if that's the guy the Bengals just traded for -- having given up on struggling Jake Browning -- it will be really nice for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Fingers crossed. Because Flacco looked pretty washed in Cleveland, struggling through four games before being unceremoniously benched for a third-round rookie. Looking at all quarterbacks who've attempted at least 100 passes this season, Flacco and Browning have not been too dissimilar.
Table shows those quarterbacks, sorted by passer rating. (If I'd started by most interceptions or fewest touchdown passes, Flacco would still be at the bottom.)
| QUARTERBACK PASSING, WEEKS 1-5 (MINIMUM 100 ATTEMPTS) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Yards | TD | Int | Y/G | Rate |
| Jared Goff | 1187 | 12 | 2 | 237.4 | 120.7 |
| Sam Darnold | 1246 | 9 | 3 | 249.2 | 114.8 |
| Jordan Love | 1000 | 8 | 1 | 250.0 | 113.0 |
| Josh Allen | 1217 | 9 | 2 | 243.4 | 108.4 |
| Drake Maye | 1261 | 7 | 2 | 252.2 | 107.8 |
| Matthew Stafford | 1503 | 11 | 2 | 300.6 | 107.3 |
| Daniel Jones | 1290 | 6 | 2 | 258.0 | 105.1 |
| Baker Mayfield | 1283 | 10 | 1 | 256.6 | 104.4 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 786 | 8 | 3 | 196.5 | 102.6 |
| C.J. Stroud | 1076 | 8 | 3 | 215.2 | 102.1 |
| Jalen Hurts | 889 | 7 | 0 | 177.8 | 101.3 |
| Dak Prescott | 1356 | 10 | 3 | 271.2 | 101.1 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | 1008 | 10 | 4 | 201.6 | 100.1 |
| Justin Fields | 754 | 4 | 0 | 188.5 | 100.1 |
| Carson Wentz | 759 | 5 | 2 | 253.0 | 99.5 |
| Mac Jones | 905 | 6 | 1 | 301.7 | 99.1 |
| Caleb Williams | 927 | 8 | 2 | 231.8 | 97.8 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 1257 | 8 | 2 | 251.4 | 93.5 |
| Justin Herbert | 1229 | 8 | 4 | 245.8 | 91.2 |
| Spencer Rattler | 990 | 6 | 1 | 198.0 | 90.4 |
| Kyler Murray | 962 | 6 | 3 | 192.4 | 88.6 |
| Bo Nix | 1103 | 8 | 4 | 220.6 | 87.9 |
| Michael Penix | 918 | 3 | 3 | 229.5 | 82.7 |
| Bryce Young | 951 | 7 | 4 | 190.2 | 79.5 |
| Russell Wilson | 786 | 3 | 3 | 196.5 | 78.9 |
| Trevor Lawrence | 1066 | 6 | 5 | 213.2 | 78.2 |
| Geno Smith | 1176 | 6 | 9 | 235.2 | 75.6 |
| Jake Browning | 757 | 6 | 8 | 189.3 | 70.5 |
| Cam Ward | 879 | 2 | 3 | 175.8 | 64.0 |
| Joe Flacco | 815 | 2 | 6 | 203.8 | 60.3 |
Nonetheless, I'm going to call this a good move by the Bengals. Flacco at least has the confidence and experience to aggressively sling it around to his targets, which Browning did not. There will be some interceptions (big thumbs up on the Green Bay defense this week), but Cincinnati was getting that anyway, without any of the positives most weeks.
I doubt this will be a move that puts Cincinnati on a playoff course, but at least it should help Chase et al.
--Andy Richardson