The Cincinnati Bengals already lost star quarterback Joe Burrow for most of the regular season after he needed surgery on his foot earlier this year. Now, it sounds like the team might have lost another quarterback for this week’s game.
When Burrow went down with his injury last month, the team initially turned to backup Jake Browning. After Browning struggled during his first three starts in place of Burrow, the team acquired veteran Joe Flacco through a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
Flacco provided an instant boost to the Cincinnati offense, leading the team to a narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers, a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a loss to the New York Jets, in which the offense scored 38 points. Now, however, it sounds like Flacco might be sidelined, too.
Joe Flacco Injured
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On Wednesday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Flacco’s status is “up in the air” for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears due to an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder.
“Bengals QB Joe Flacco is dealing with an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder & his status is up in the air for Sunday vs the #Bears, sources say,” Rapaport wrote [in a post on X](https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1983545470774374526).
“Flacco left the loss to the #Jets, then came back late. Coach Zac Taylor called him day-to-day. Jake Browning is the backup,” he added.
Back to Browning?
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While Browning had some success the last time he had to replace Burrow when he suffered a hand injury during the 2023 season, he has not performed quite as well this season.
In four game appearances this season, Browning is completing just 64.5 percent of his passes for 757 yards and six touchdowns, along with eight interceptions.
We’ll have to see how he performs this week if he is thrust back into the starting lineup.