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John Harbaugh Discusses Joe Flacco's Return to Ravens in Week 2 Matchup With Browns

Flacco spent 11 seasons with the Ravens and won a Super Bowl with the team.

Madison Williams

Joe Flacco will return to Baltimore in Week 2 with the Browns.
Joe Flacco will return to Baltimore in Week 2 with the Browns. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Joe Flacco was officially named the Browns' starting quarterback for the start of the 2025 season on Monday after a long quarterback competition this offseason in Cleveland.

While Flacco's first game as QB1 will be against AFC North rival the Bengals in Week 1, he will likely have Cleveland's Week 2 game circled for divisional reasons and personal reasons. Flacco will face his former team, the Ravens, with whom he won a Super Bowl title during the 2012 season. This will be a big matchup for him, and his former coach John Harbaugh.

Harbaugh was asked for his reaction on the Browns naming Flacco their QB1 on Monday, and he noted that the homecoming game for Flacco will be huge. It’s just Flacco’s second time going up against the Ravens, having started for the Jets in a 24–9 loss to Baltimore in 2022.

"Lot of respect for Joe," Harbaugh said. "Obviously his homecoming back here will be a big story. We'll try to focus on playing the best game that we can, but we know Joe can sling it."

Flacco spent the first 11 seasons of his NFL career in Baltimore as the Ravens' starting quarterback in that entire span. He definitely holds a big legacy in the city of Baltimore.

Since his tenure with the Ravens, Flacco has served mostly in backup roles or as a parachute for teams when they have quarterback troubles. When he initially joined Cleveland back in 2023, he ended up winning the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award for his play. We'll see how he fares with Cleveland this time around, especially as an NFL team's starter once again.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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