Joe Flacco relishes Bengals victory after sitting on the bench
CINCINNATI — Ten days ago, Joe Flacco didn’t know if he would ever again experience what he felt Thursday night.
Last week, Flacco was a quarterback who was benched in his 18th NFL season. And on Thursday night, he celebrated another AFC North win.
Nine days after his trade to the Cincinnati Bengals, he led his new club to a 33-31 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Baycor Stadium. Needing points on the final drive to win, Flacco pushed the offense down the field, scoring kicker Evan McPherson’s 36-yard field goal with seven seconds left to seal the victory.
Flacco acknowledged the uncertainty he felt about returning to the position he was in Thursday night.
“To be honest with you, I felt like I might not be honest,” Flacco said. “It’s very special.”
In the second game following his trade from the Cleveland Browns, the 40-year-old helped Cincinnati snap a four-game losing streak. He was 31 of 47 passing for 342 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the first win for the Bengals (3-4) since quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury in Week 2.
Burrow watched from the sideline with a walking boot on his left foot as Flacco played in the final minutes to prevent Cincinnati from a devastating collapse. The Bengals trailed by one point after leading for much of the contest when Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers with 2:21 remaining.
But in his 23rd regular season game against the Steelers (4-2), Flacco made it happen. With Cincinnati on the cusp of field goal range, wide receiver Tee Higgins hit a 28-yard completion down the left sideline that made McPherson’s kick relatively easy.
McPherson is among those who have enjoyed having the veteran midfielder on their team.
“I like his attitude and what he brings to the team,” said McPherson, who has now recorded eight game-tying or go-ahead kicks in the final two minutes of regular-season contests. “He did a really good job of communicating with the players in a very short time.”
Flacco made most of his contact with Higgins and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase against the Steelers. Chase set a franchise record with 16 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. It was his ninth game with 150-plus receiving yards, passing Jerry Rice for second place in the first five seasons of an NFL career.
Chase again praised the franchise’s decision to acquire Flacco as their starting quarterback.
“It’s honestly good to have him here for us,” Chase said. “The organization had a big jump on him. We believed in him. We got him. He came in and did his job and bragged for us.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Flacco’s experience was crucial in a game “Cincinnati needed.” The veteran almost made it look easy.
“It’s easy for him,” Taylor said. “And it’s not, because he puts in the work. He’s got a lot of experience in that position. You gain a lot of confidence from that because he goes out there.” [and] It’s not very big.”
Last week, Flacco was walking down Interstate 75, talking to Taylor on the phone as the coach began explaining as much of the playbook as quickly as possible. Despite his experience, Flacco wanted to make sure he didn’t miss any opportunities.
And on Thursday night, Flacco spoke about the relief his family may have felt to see him complete another game. In his post-match press conference, Flacco said he was keen to hear how that relief turned into excitement.
“I can’t wait to talk to my wife tonight and hear it in her voice and all that stuff,” Flacco said. “Talk to [family] It reminds you how special this is.”