Joe Flacco Standing By 'Brothers' on Defense Amidst Horrific Performances

CINCINNATI — Joe Flacco's historic passing performance on Sunday got outdone by even more historic defensive ineptitude on the other side of the ball, 47-42 against Chicago, but he preached patience with Cincinnati sitting at 3-6 this season.

They likely need to find seven wins after the bye week to make a playoff run.

Flacco passed for 470 yards on 31-47 passing with four touchdowns and two interceptions. The veteran leader is likely just thinking about that final stat after this loss, even though he set a career-high in yards.

"If you don't keep your head down and go to work, then it's going to be a long, miserable season for you," Flacco said about the outlook at 3-6. "You can't get distracted, you're going to be emotional after a game, but at some point, you've got to let that go. This is our profession. You know, we do this for a living, and we take pride in doing it. And I hope that you would continue to take pride in doing what you do for a living, no matter what the outcome is.

"Maybe that's easier said than done, but that's what you've got to do, because, you know, this league will eat you up, and it will not be good. I'm sure Baltimore isn't sitting there, you know, tucking their tail between their legs with the record they have (3-5). They're probably motivated and excited about the opportunity, that opportunity that they have going forward."

The Bengals don't have a very tough schedule the rest of the way, but eventually you have to stack wins together and claw back above .500 to be a playoff team. It's a long shot to win the AFC North at 8-9 this season.

Flacco is leading by example through a lopsided losing streak.

The Bengals are the first team to score 38-plus points in back-to-back games and lose both since the 1966 Giants. No defense is letting their team down more this season than the Bengals'.

"It's one team. To have that one team, you need to focus on yourself and do your job," Flacco said on how to move forward. "And I get it can get emotional, but there are times to be emotional and show people that, but usually those times are in good things and towards people you love.

"And I think if we're emotional, then we should come at it with an angle of this is my brother, as opposed to the opposite of that. I just think that's what good, hard-working people do. They don't look at other people. They look inward. And doesn't matter what the situation is, they look inward."

Cincinnati's got a division game up next on Nov. 16 at Pittsburgh.

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