'Quarterback' Ep. 5 Review: Pain Dominates Show, But a Funny, Viral Moment for Flacco, Bengals Gets a Lot of Run

Episode 5 of the new season of Netflix’s “Quarterback” is a painful one – not just for the quarterbacks featured on the show, but for Cincinnati Bengals fans.

Titled “Running Out of Time,” it opens with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ season-ending elbow injury. It also touches on Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield’s knee, while Tennessee rookie Cam Ward talks about getting the f—k beat out of him.

And then there’s the Bengals’ Joe Flacco, who once again dominates the screen time in this episode.

Early on, the show focuses on Flacco going home to New Jersey for the mini bye after the Thursday night win against the Steelers.

He gets to go to his sons’ football game and just get away for a bit.

Upon his return, a lot of time is given to his hilarious quote leading up to the Week 8 game against the Jets when he talks about how he used to feel sorry for the person eating all alone in a restaurant but now realizes “that dude is in heaven.”

Flacco is shown eating alone at the counter at Guardia, a pizza shop near Mt. Lookout, which became his Friday go-to spot.

Head coach Zac Taylor and center Ted Karras weigh in on Flacco’s quote and the enticing idea of getting 30 minutes of peace and quiet to eat.

There’s also a montage of media members relating to it as it went viral and therefor reached Flacco’s wife, Dana, back in New Jersey.

She’s good natured about it in an interview with producers.

“I know you’re living your best life while we scrounge for whatever we can get in between sports,” she says. “To go to the bar and sit there by yourself, who wouldn’t want that. I would want that. So enjoy it while you can.”

Episode 1 Review: Flacco's wife and son benched him after loss to Bengals
Episode 2 Review: Flacco rips 'swaggy' QBs as Shedeur Sanders stands next to him
Episode 3 Review: Flacco's wife, kids take center stage as he's traded to Bengals
Episode 4 Review: Show goes inside helmet to detail Flacco's baptism by fire with Bengals

There are clips of Flacco sitting alone, talking to workers and customers as the show plays the theme from “Cheers” – “Where everybody knows your name…”

It all leads into the Week 8 game against the Jets, when Flacco suffered a right shoulder injury.

That was also the first of back-to-back games the Bengals thought they had won before the defense blew it and converted them to losses.

“When you do allow yourself to get decently high with that victory in sight, the comedown can be pretty hard,” Flacco admits.

They show Flacco trying to throw on the sideline after the injury and asking doctors how quickly a shot of cortisone would kick in. They tell him five minutes, so they sprint to the locker room with a 38-32 lead and return facing a 39-38 deficit.

Flacco and the Bengals fail to move into field goal range and suffer what the show calls “a killer loss.”

That segues into the Thursday practice before the Bears game. Flacco got another shot before practice, and Taylor approaches him on the field.

“This is the last time I’m gonna ask you,” Taylor says. “I’m just gonna have to trust you to tell me if it’s too much.”

Flacco says he won’t know until he says how he feels that night.

A Taylor interview with producers follows, with the coaching saying, “It’s the worst-case scenario for a quarterback to hurt his right shoulder. It’s a true testament to his character that he wants to play for a bunch of guys he just met.”

The show cuts to shorter segments on Mayfield and Daniels before returning to Cincinnati for the Bears game.

The first highlight is Flacco’s 44-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins. Flacco comes to the sideline and says, “Holy s—t! What?!”

“That easy, huh?” Charlie Jones says.

Flacco and backup Jake Browning are shown on the bench laughing about the absurdity of it as the crowd loudly sings the “Who Dey” chant.

Flacco’s disbelief in Higgins’ catch and score was similar to what we saw in Episode 4 with the Ja’Marr Chase touchdown.

By the final minute of the game, it was Flacco’s teammates in disbelief after he threw for a career-high 470 yards.

Injured defensive end Trey Hendrickson is the first to approach.

“Just a career game with no shoulder,” he says.

Director of rehab Nick Cosgray chimes in with “You’re a really tough son on a bitch, man.”

Taylor comes over to congratulate him, then Joe Burrow asks, “Was that your first 400-yard game?” When Flacco says it was, Burrow gives him a fist bump and says, “Good job.”

But a Flacco voiceover also plays him saying “I said ‘not yet.’ You never know.’”

The Bengals defense proved him right by blowing the lead – and the game – in an instant.

The segment ends with Flacco talking about the demoralizing nature of the back-to-back losses, and the episode moves on to a final segment with Mayfield.

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