Joe Flacco to start against Packers: Bengals’ Zac Taylor explains why veteran QB is best fit for Cincinnati

Less than a day after the Cincinnati Bengals traded for him, Joe Flacco has been formally named the starter for Cincinnati’s Week 5 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. 

Coach Zac Taylor said that he went over the game plan over the phone with Flacco during his drive from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Flacco — who will take all the first-team reps during this week’s practices — then met with Taylor at the Bengals’ facility shortly upon arriving in Cincinnati. 

“I’ve played him, I don’t don’t know how many times, a lot of times,” Taylor said. “And so very comfortable with his style. Concepts, he’s been good at things that fit us, that we do. A lot of the terminology, there’s a bunch of carryover, more so than I would have anticipated. So feel like we can get him up to speed quickly.” 

Taylor kept things simple when asked why he and the Bengals decided to trade for Flacco, a 40-year-old former Super Bowl MVP. 

“He’s a great passer,” Taylor said. “He’s a great passer. And again, we’ve got to expand all areas of our offense to be better, to be able to be efficiency, and run the football, protect all that kind of stuff. But the number one trait you’re looking for is a guy that can operate your system and throw the football. And Joe’s always been a tremendous passer in this league. I’ve seen it. And so now we got tremendous weapons that he can he can play around. And so I’m excited to watch him do it.”

Taylor also alluded to the fact that Flacco already played the Packers earlier this season. In Week 3, Flacco went 21 of 36 for 142 yards with a touchdown and a pick in Cleveland’s 13-10 upset win over Green Bay. 

“He watched tape [of Green Bay’s defense] for a week. He’s played this game,” Taylor said. “He’ll still need to do the same thing, because they’ve played two games since then, but at the same time, it’s at least there in the back of his mind.” 

After a 2-0 start, the Bengals are trying to salvage their season after dropping each of their last three games. In Flacco, Taylor believes that he gives Cincinnati the best chance in terms of making the playoffs and making a run once they’re there. 

“That is 100% our focus, regardless of who our quarterback is,” Taylor said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Flacco is in Cincinnati for two reasons: Joe Burrow’s foot injury that is slated to sideline him until at least mid December, and Jake Browning’s ineffectiveness since taking over for Burrow in Week 2. Regarding Burrow, Taylor said he doesn’t have an update on his recovery or a possible timetable for his return. 

“I think his play style has been his play style for a long time. And and I’m perfectly fine with that,” Taylor said. “Obviously, we’ve got to do great job around him in the run game and protection and all that kind of stuff. But he understands our concepts already. It’s a lot of things he’s done, some things he’s called the same. So again, we’ll do what suits him best. 

“Ultimately, at the end of the week, what are you not comfortable with? There’s some things we’ve called during the week that, you know, we should put on the shelf, which is never an issue. We’ve got plenty [of play options]. So we’ll have those conversations through the weekend.”