A New Franchise Legend is Born in Joe Flacco.
Think back to November 18, 2018. On that day, the Cincinnati Bengals lost a 24-21 game to the Baltimore Ravens. You may think, “Well Jacob, the Bengals have lost to the Ravens lots of times, why is this one important?”. That game would mark the end of Joe Flacco’s tenure as the Ravens starting QB, as Lamar Jackson started and never looked back.
Fast forward nearly seven years later, Flacco is the starting QB for the Bengals, and the man who may help save their season, as the Bengals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-31 on Thursday night. Flacco orchestrated the upset throwing for 342 yards and 3 TDs in a classic shootout., Not only did this stop a horrific losing streak for the Bengals, but this also shrunk the Steelers’ division lead to one and a half games and sent the Bengals AFC North record to 2-0. With chants of, “Thank you Cleveland” and another directed towards the Steelers that I will not repeat, the crowd serenaded the unlikely hero on the postgame show. For a guy, and a team, left for dead just a couple of weeks ago, things sure are looking up for Flacco and the Bengals.
Now, it was not all great last night. The Bengals’ defense gave up multiple big plays and seemingly lost the ability to tackle at times, and the pass rush was non-existent. However, DJ Turner has developed into a legit CB1 (and pulled off one of the wildest INTs you will see this year) and the defense continued to be ballhawks. Lots to worry about, but those are problems for later.
Offensively, the team finally looks like they got it going. Ja’Marr Chase, as you all have surely seen, continued to be the best WR in football, setting a franchise record for receptions with 16 for 161 yards and a TD. Tee Higgins chipped in with 96 yards, a touchdown, and the smart football move to take a dive at the end of the game so the team could run down the clock. Even the much-maligned offensive line, replacing Dylan Fairchild with Dalton Risner, held up well, allowing only two sacks.
Then there was the run game. Oh man, it is back. The Bengals had easily their best rushing output of the season, with Chase Brown breaking off multiple big runs en route to 108 yards rushing. Even Flacco pulled a zone read for 12 yards and a first down late in the game. If the team can keep this up, it will absolutely breathe new life into the season.
Hey, even Zac called a decent game. Things may be looking up.
Even if it is for one week, fans have a reason to believe again. With two mid to lower tier teams upcoming on the schedule, the Bengals have a chance to go on a mini run before the bye week and a rematch with the Steelers in Pittsburgh, so buckle up. We may already have Joe Brrr, but let me introduce you to Joe Icy Hot.
