What to Expect from the Bengals New QB Against the Green Bay Packers
In the wake of Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury that will leave him sidelined until at least mid-December, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Mike White and Sean Clifford to help fill out the quarterback room that already had Brett Rypien and Jake Browning. Browning has been the Bengals' starting quarterback since Burrow went down with the injury at the end of the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Browning hasn’t looked good; Cincinnati has lost in all three of Browning’s starts by a combined score of 113- 37. After a third straight loss, the Bengals opted to trade for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who started against the Bengals in Week One for the Cleveland Browns.
Flacco was recently benched for rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel after starting the season with a 1-3 record, including an upset win over the Green Bay Packers. The Bengals travel to Lambeau this week to take on the Green Bay Packers, allowing him to be the first quarterback in NFL history to beat a team twice while being a starter for two different teams in one season. In his game against the Packers this season, Flacco passed 36 times, completing 21 of them for 142 yards and an interception. Not his best game of the season, but better than fans have seen from Browning thus far.
In the season, Flacco has passed for 815 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions, taking a step back from when he was last on the Browns in 2023-24. If Flacco gets the start in Week Six, expect him to get rid of the ball early, along with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown to be running a lot of quick option routes. The Packers' pass rush is likely to create issues for the Bengals' offensive line, so getting rid of the ball early is a huge key to success. The Bengals don’t have the defense that the Browns had to elevate them over the Packers, but they have something that could work just as well. The Green Bay Packers haven’t played an offense as pass-heavy as the Bengals this season, and it could cause some problems early in the game, even if the Packers are coming off a bye week.
