Joe Flacco steps in, leading a high-flying Bengals offense against a struggling Bears defense. Expect fireworks as the veteran quarterback aims for a key victory.
The Chicago Bears will have their hands full on Sunday, as it appears that the Cincinnati Bengals will be starting Joe Flacco after all.
Flacco appeared on the Bengals' Friday injury report as questionable after dealing with an injury to his AC Joint in his throwing shoulder.
He didn't start the year with the Bengals, as he was traded from the Cleveland Browns after Jake Browning struggled earlier this season with turnovers. Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury since Week 2 and hasn't seen the field since, putting Browning in position to play.
However, Browning threw for 757 passing yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Flacco came in and has played out of his mind so far, throwing for 787 passing yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the news about Flacco's status on Saturday, stating that the veteran will play barring something unforeseen with the injury.
The Bengals appeared that they were going to start a different quarterback, by moving up Sean Clifford from the practice squad, but things aren't looking that way anymore.
It hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows since Flacco joined the team, despite his impressive stat line in his three starts.
Cincinnati has still gone 1-2 in those games and most recently lost a heartbreaker to the New York Jets 39-38. New York hadn't won a game this season up until last Sunday.
His first start for Cincinnati this season was against the Green Bay Packers, where he finished with 219 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 27-18 loss.
Then came the battle of 40-year-old quarterbacks, when he played against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers. Flacco is 40, while Rodgers is the old age of 41 in the NFL. Flacco out-dueled Rodgers, ending with 342 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 33-31 win.
One constant throughout Flacco's starts is the Bengals defense's inability to stop anyone. Cincinnati leads the league in points allowed (31.6) and rushing yards allowed (151.8), while also being fourth in passing yards allowed per game (263.3).
This is great news for a Bears' offense that has struggled to finish drives with touchdowns. In the last four games, Chicago has scored five touchdowns on its last 16 red zone trips. In the 30-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Bears scored one touchdown on three red zone appearances.
With Flacco starting, it will definitely not be an easy task for Chicago. Still, fortunately, turnovers have been frequent under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, as the Bears lead the league with 16 heading into Week 9.