It’s been a surprisingly busy year for Joe Flacco.
To start the season, Flacco was named the starter for the Browns, but a midseason injury to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow prompted a rare intra-division trade, allowing Cleveland to get a look at their rookies and ideally giving Cincinnati a chance to continue fighting for a playoff berth.
While Flacco wasn’t able to keep the Bengals’ season afloat, he performed admirably for a 40-year-old thrust into a new system with less than a week’s notice. Eventually, Burrow was healthy enough to return to the field, pushing Flacco back to the sidelines for the final weeks of the season.
But on Sunday, Cincinnati made sure to get Flacco one more snap on the field. While the Bengals lined up for a QB sneak, Burrow hopped off the field in favor of Flacco, who deftly dove through the line to pick up the first down.
As he left the field, Bengals fans offered a beaming Flacco a hearty cheer for his service.
The Bengals secret QB sneak weapon is... Joe Flacco??? pic.twitter.com/oaHNGmykB9
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 4, 2026
While it is extremely odd to sub your 29-year-old QB off the field in favor of your 40-year-old QB so he can dive into a pile of 300-pound linemen, there was some reason behind Cincinnati’s decision.
First, Burrow has spent too much time injured, and getting him hurt on a QB sneak in a largely meaningless game was a path best avoided. Additionally, it’s likely that Sunday was Flacco’s final game with the Bengals, and possibly his final NFL game, and the play allowed him to see the field one last time in case this is indeed the end.
While Flacco has indicated that he hopes to land another starting job and keep playing in 2026, nothing in certain in the NFL, especially when players hit 40. Regardless of Flacco’s future, Sunday’s sneak allowed for a nice moment of appreciation from the Cincinnati crowd.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joe Flacco Got Delightful Ovation From Cincinnati Crowd After Subbing in for QB Sneak.
