CINCINNATI — Joe Flacco continues to be a beacon of hope in what has been a dark, stormy season for the Bengals.
On Wednesday, the 40-year-old quarterback shed more light on what could be for the Bengals if they can just find a way to beat the Steelers Sunday in Pittsburgh.
When the Bengals acquired him on Oct. 7, they just wanted a strong-armed quarterback who could deliver the ball to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on time and with authority after three losses under Jake Browning.
Little did they know that they would all be getting a Yoda of sorts in the quarterback room, someone who could offer calm and wisdom in the face of a chaotic season. All the while, Flacco, who had just been benched himself in Cleveland, was wondering if he was coming to the end of his 18-year career in the NFL.
“Yeah, of course. It’s hard to not distract it’s hard to distract yourself from those thoughts,” Flacco said Wednesday. “I think you’re always getting bombarded with these negative thoughts. No matter what that negative thought process, (or) what that negative thought is, it’s, how do you kind of get out of that mode and get into the positive and never playing football again is one of those thoughts. It definitely came across my mind several different times in my career, whether it was like, fear of, ‘Man, am I ever gonna play again? Or myself saying, ‘What the hell am I doing? Am I even having fun? Those thoughts have all come into my mind, and I’ve dealt with them all at some point or the, you know, at one point or another.
“So, I think I know enough now to just kind of go play and when those things do come in your head, don’t let them affect you in a negative way. It’s probably a pretty natural thought for those things to come into your head a little bit. Just kind of deal with them, get rid of them, and then go play, and do all that. And when you’re not playing, it’s harder to do, yes, but at the same time, it’s like you’re still part of a team, and you still have a task, and you find comfort in whatever that task is. And when you’re playing, it’s a lot easier, like I keep saying, but when you’re not playing, you can find something else to do to make yourself feel important, and drive you to want to be doing whatever that is the best you can.”
The Bengals’ most recent defeat was a brutal 47-42 loss to Chicago on Nov. 2, after digging out of a 41-27 hole with three minutes remaining. The Bengals lost the game when they allowed a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds remaining.
One week earlier, the Bengals blew a 38-24 fourth-quarter lead and fell to the previously winless New York Jets, 39-38, on a touchdown in the final minute.
Flacco practiced only once during the week before the Bears game due to a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. Flacco, who will again practice only once this week to protect the shoulder, has been the least of Cincinnati’s problems without Joe Burrow. Flacco threw for 470 yards and four touchdowns in the loss to the Bears has led the Bengals to 40 points in the two losses.
From his first Bengals start in Week 6 through his most recent appearance in Week 9, the 40-year-old Flacco led the league in passing attempts (173), completions (112), passing yards (1254) and TD passes (11), while being intercepted just twice in that span.
The Bengals only win in their last seven games came against Pittsburgh on Oct. 16 because Flacco was playing at an incredibly high level.
“Your goal every week is to go out there and play well and give your team a chance to win,” Flacco said. “For the most part, yeah, it feels good about going out and putting points on the board. There’s also time when you are going to go out and look at it and be critical and look at yourself on our side of the ball and what more we could have done. Listen, I’ve had a lot of fun the past few weeks just going out and playing football and being able to play with these guys and them allowing me into this locker room and be part of this team. It’s been a lot of fun. At the same time we want to win football games so it’s just finding ways to get that little bit better and kind of carry us over the edge.”
Acting the part of Yoda requires walking the fine line between being a leader and not stepping on toes, namely the left big toe of the quarterback he’s replacing until his possible return on Thanksgiving night in Baltimore.
“Listen, I think you can probably make too much about that, honestly,” Flacco said of Joe Burrow. “I mean, listen, we’re just two quarterbacks sitting in a room, and it’s not like we’re doing anything groundbreaking in there. We’re two quarterbacks in a room just like any other two quarterbacks for the most part. I think, like I said, for me, still being new in the offense, and it’s not just him, it’s also Jake (Browning). But just being able to see – I’m still at the point where you’re able to kind of see the operation of things and kind of bounce little questions like that off those guys. I think that’s still the biggest thing. And maybe with Joe, he has a way of doing it that’s a little bit different than Jake, and I have kind of a little bit of a different way but if I can kinda understand where they’re coming from, it makes it a little easier for me.”
Flacco dismissed any potential awkwardness between himself and Burrow, especially with Flacco enjoying the success he is running the Bengals offense to this point.
“No, not at all. I think I have a job to do and I’m focused on doing that job,” Flacco said. “If that comes to an end at some point, I just want to feel good about the job that I’m doing when I’m asked to do that job. So, not at all.”
The quarterback desperately needed the week of rest to heal his sprained AC joint in his right shoulder and has returned this week on the same schedule as he had before the Bears game – no throwing on Wednesday, participate on Thursday and rest again on Friday before leaving for the Steel City and getting ready to do battle at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
“I don’t think I’ve given it too much thought as to how long I’m going to play,” Flacco said. “It’s what I’ve always done. I just kind of view myself as playing. I think anytime you’re playing the game here, let’s put it this way, I think when you aren’t on the field, there’s times where it does, it’s hard, it’s harder to stay in the moment. And there’s times where it can creep into your head, like, ‘man, what am I doing? Like, this isn’t that fun. I’m not this isn’t that much fun. I’m not even playing.’ And you have to find ways to battle through that, because you love the game, and it means something to me.
“It still means something to me when I’m not playing, but it is harder to get in that like, frame of mind where you know, like you’re just loving it, and then, so I don’t think there’s like an extra reminder when you are playing, but you just get back in that mode of playing football, and you’re, you know, it’s what you love to do. So of course, you’re having fun doing it. So I’m not necessarily thinking about has it re energized me to want to play longer? But it gives you that feeling like, I belong here. This is what I want to do. This is what I belong doing. And, yeah, that’s why it is different when you’re out there. But like I said, I think overall, I try not to think about, I guess, how long I’m going to play it. It’s just what you do. And you’re definitely better off mentally when you’re out there.”
