Joe Flacco Turns Key From Villain to Hero Following Trade to Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — Joe Flacco led the Bengals to a 33-31 win over the Steelers on Thursday night. Not only did they snap a four-game losing streak, but they gained valuable ground in the AFC North standings.

Once upon a time Joe Flacco was a villain for Bengals fans. The veteran quarterback has made 22 starts against Cincinnati, posting a 9-13 record in the process. He started against the Bengals in Week 1 with the Browns and has had countless battles with Cincinnati when he was in Baltimore for the first 11 seasons of his career.

Just nine days after the Browns traded Flacco to Cincinnati, Bengals fans chanted "Let's Go Flacco!" before he led the offense downfield for Evan McPherson's game winning field goal against the Steelers.

“You’re in it. I feel like that's what fans do. They want their football team to win, and it just so happens that I'm the guy right now that's behind the center," Flacco said after the game. "(It’s) the same thing with players. Yeah, you’re loyal to the guys that you're in the locker room with and you're loyal to the game of football. And you really enjoy playing in these cities. I feel so fortunate to have been able to now play in so many different cities and just see the different people and how they react. It gives you a new appreciation for these fans."

Flacco completed 31-of-47 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh. He's given the offense new life without Joe Burrow. In two starts he's completed 60-of-92 (65.2%) passes for 561 yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers.

"I honestly never really loved coming here [to Cincinnati] and playing. That was unbelievable tonight," Flacco said. "(In the past), Cincinnati would kind of put it on us, I feel like, most of my career — especially when we came here (Flacco is 3-7 against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium). I didn’t necessarily love here, but now I get to have a new perspective, at least for tonight. And the fans — even just around town, they’ve been great, saying, ‘What’s up,’ or whatever. So, they’re obviously very quick to forget and happy that we're going through this, and so am I.

The Bengals are clearly all-in on Flacco, which is why they traded for him and started him against the Packers five days later. Their offense has scored 51 points in two games with Flacco after scoring 37 in three games with Jake Browning at quarterback.

The belief in Flacco is real and it's given the 2025 Bengals hope that they can turn this season around.

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