Football fans in these parts have been rallying around “In Joe We Trust!” for many years now. Who could ever imagine that we are yelling it now for a different Joe—Joe Flacco, of all players. Yes, the guy we despised on the Ravens and the Browns has, in the space of six quarters and total 51 points scored, become Our Savior (For a To-Be-Determined Period of 2025).
Thanks to Flacco’s calming presence, the Bengals are now 3-4, and a season that appeared to be swirling down the toilet without Joe Burrow has been miraculously revived. Whether the 40-year old has recently been to Lourdes or the Fountain of Youth, there is no doubt he laid hands on the crippled Bengals and brought them back to life.
You’ve no doubt watched Flacco’s amazing performance in last Thursday’s 33-31 thriller over Pittsburgh a dozen or so times at least by now, so no need to go through the details here. Suffice to say the game will be long remembered regardless of how things play out from here. But will it be the “Flacco Game” or the “Ja’Marr Game?” Chase had a franchise-record 16 receptions on a staggering 23 targets, which netted 161 yards and a touchdown. He even threw in a couple of savage blocks in an all-around captain-worthy performance.
I felt a little sorry for Burrow when they cut to him on the sidelines, looking bereft at not playing ball and being paid a king’s fortune to sit idly by. If ever there was a time that Joey Franchise could benefit from a mentorship, which he hasn’t had since arriving in Cincinnati, it is now. I think back to an interview that ran before the Jacksonville game (during which Burrow got hurt), in which he brought up his football mortality and how this is “already my sixth year in the league.” No one expects him to chase Flacco-level longevity, but surely he should be taking notes on the old man’s ability to mitigate danger and work smarter, not harder. If Aaron Rodgers could win MVPs at age 37 and 38, there is no reason why Burrow can’t do likewise.
Meanwhile, he can also learn some lessons in playing differently when he returns, be it this season or next. The Bengals had 328 passing yards on Thursday (factoring in sack yardage) and ran for 142. They have now put up 325+ through the air and 140+ on the ground three times in the Burrow Era—incredibly, none of the games came with Joey B. at the helm:
Last Thursday vs. Pittsburgh: Joe Flacco
12/4/23 vs. Jacksonville: Jake Browning
12/27/20 vs. Houston: Brandon Allen (!)
That should put to rest any arguments that Zac Taylor can’t game plan or call plays or beat up Dan Campbell or whatever. When you can design an offense to put up those kind of numbers with has-beens and never-weres, you have some juice. Of course, one can argue that the lack of Burrow (and short weeks) focus the mind and lead the staff to not overthinking and just throwing it to Chase on almost half of Flacco’s dropbacks.
Why can’t they do that with Burrow? Obviously, they can roll up the air yards, but the critical “balance” that all teams shoot for is rarely evident. We’ve talked endlessly about the Bengals default setting of letting JB pass first in almost every situation. Generally speaking, this is hard to argue with but has its limitations, and you saw that against Pittsburgh when Flacco went under center or played in formations that didn’t give away the run before the snap or threw quick passes off run calls.
Few passers can sling it like Burrow, but as we know that’s come with liabilities, especially in the way the O-line operates. The unit seemed to come together against Pittsburgh’s powerful pass rush. Again, simplicity was the key. Knowing Flacco is back there means a sure knowledge that there won’t be any magical escapes. The front five wasn’t asked to protect for long periods over and over; instead, they could play with forward-facing physicality. That’s why Dalton Risner, still learning the offense, and rookie Jalen Rivers were able to hang in against J.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, and company while Chase Brown had (by far) his best outing of the season.
Next up is the NFL version of a homecoming game against the winless Jets on Sunday at Paycor Stadium, with the beloved Dave Lapham and Lemar Parrish inducted into the Bengals Ring of Honor at halftime. The J-E-T-S are B-A-D so far this year, starting Aaron Glenn’s ballyhooed return to the franchise with seven straight losses. A Cincinnati victory would get them back to .500 and, amazingly enough, keep them in the thick of the division and wild-card races. That’s if we take the win as a given.
Does anyone need a reminder of Halloween 2021? That day the Bengals, en route to the Super Bowl, took on the 1-5 and similarly hapless Jets, led by backup Mike White, who shredded Cincinnati’s defense for 405 yards and three TDs through the air in a 34-31 upset. Here we go again, with Tyrod Taylor stepping in for Justin Fields under center. The likelihood the Jets will now be able to “complete a pass,” which will make owner Woody Johnson delighted, have gone up slightly with Taylor in there—not to the degree of Flacco replacing Browning, perhaps, but it’s a slight upgrade. Only Cleveland and Tennessee have passed it with worse efficiency than the Jets so far this season.
Surprisingly enough, the Bengals have had great success when taking on winless teams this late in the season—they are 6-0 in these situations in franchise history. That collides head-on with their futility when playing after the “mini-bye” following a Thursday night game; incredibly, they’ve lost nine straight after 10 days off! The loss that ended their 8-0 start to the season against the Texans back in 2015 is a famous example—that one was on a Monday, so they had 11 days off—but it’s gone pear-shaped in multiple ways.
Taylor is 4-2 against the Bengals despite puny stats (just one TD pass in those six games), mostly with Baltimore and Buffalo. But he was also the starter on September 13, 2020, aka Joe Burrow’s debut. Taylor started while Justin Herbert took it all in from the sideline. And we all recall what happened that day, a nauseating 16-13 Bengals loss when Randy Bullock pulled the “Ow, my calf!” after blowing a game-tying chip shot.
So, no, it isn’t difficult to envision a scenario where the Bengals botch a game everyone has already chalked up as a W. That’s mainly on the defense, which is currently best described as “dire.” Cincinnati currently sits dead last in defensive DVOA, a rough start to the Al Golden Era. Other than the emergence of D.J. Turner as a top corner, nothing has been good, exemplified by the absurdly bad display on the late and long Pat Freiermuth TD that briefly put Pittsburgh ahead. “A failure at all levels” was Golden’s description, which undersells the disaster.
The Jets have been poor on D, too, but it’s a lopsided split: excellent against the run, terrible against the pass. Much like the Steelers, No. 1 receivers have crushed the Jets, and if Sauce Gardner is out (he’s in concussion protocol) then Chase may see even more targets than he did against Pittsburgh.
Given this new paradigm of Flacco’s excellence, it’s hard to believe the Bengals won’t put up points. And given New York’s atrocious offense, it should be a get-right game for Cincinnati’s bedraggled defense, especially if Trey Hendrickson returns. But take nothing for granted. Wins over Pittsburgh are nice—more than nice—but there is a lot of football to played.
And the closer we get to Halloween, the more likely Flacco turns back into a pumpkin.
Robert Weintraub heads up Bengals coverage for Cincinnati Magazine and has written for The New York Times, Grantland, Slate, and Deadspin. He guests on Mo Egger’s radio show every Thursday in the 4 p.m. hour. Follow him on X at @robwein.
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