By Alex Eldridge
Ladies and gentlemen, no need to check your phones for glitches.
It’s true—the Bengals have gone out and grabbed a new quarterback.
And not just any quarterback. It’s someone Cincinnati fans know all too well: Joe Flacco.
Yes, that Joe Flacco.
The Super Bowl–winning Joe Flacco.
The same Flacco who used to be the Bengals’ personal punching bag, losing to us time and time again.
Now, he’s wearing stripes. How, you ask? Let’s just say Jake Browning hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire since Joe Burrow’s injury. Sure, on Sunday he tossed three touchdowns—but he also threw three picks.
That doesn’t cut it, and it led to yet another loss, our third straight after starting 2-0.
The signs have been there for weeks.
The noise got too loud for Zac Taylor and the Blackburn/Brown family to ignore.
The front office finally acted, sending off a fifth-round pick and getting back Flacco along with a sixth.
Now, look—I know we’re not getting the Flacco of the early 2010s. But the man is a proven winner.
The real concern is age and durability. Can his body still withstand the punishment? Because let’s be honest—our offensive line has been a disaster. If they can’t block, Flacco won’t last. But if they can give him just a chance, maybe—just maybe—this is the last flicker of hope we have to stay relevant without Burrow.
For now, we wait. And we watch. What happens from here will decide if this season gets salvaged…or buried.
