After going 0-3 with Jake Browning starting in place of the injured Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals had only one choice: Find a new starting quarterback.
On Tuesday, they chose veteran Joe Flacco in a mildly historic deal with their archrivals, the Cleveland Browns. It’s the first time Ohio’s two AFC North teams consummated a deal since the Browns returned to the NFL more than a quarter of a century ago.
How Joe Flacco Fares With New Teams
Flacco’s first game in a Bengals uniform will be this Sunday in Green Bay, where Cincinnati is a 14.5-point underdog according to Fanatics Ohio Sportsbook. BetOhio wanted to know how Flacco performs in his first game with a new team, so we took to ProFootballReference.com to find his stats in his first start after being traded or signed by a new club.
| Date | Team | Outcome | Passing Stats |
| Sept. 19, 2019 | Denver Broncos | Loss, 24-16 at Oakland | 21 of 31, 268 yards, 1 TD |
| Oct. 11, 2020 | New York Jets | Loss, 30-10 vs Arizona | 18 of 33, 195 yards, 1 TD |
| Dec. 3, 2023 | Cleveland Browns | Loss, 36-19 at Los Angeles Rams | 23 of 34, 254 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Oct. 6, 2024 | Indianapolis Colts | Loss, 37-34 at Jacksonville | 33 of 44, 359 yards, 3 TDs |
| Sept. 9, 2025 | Cleveland Browns | Loss, 17-16 vs. Cincinnati | 31 of 45, 290 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs |
BetOhio.com, your home for all Ohio sports betting topics, looked at historic tendencies for Joe Flacco when he joins a new team.
The Bengals have not said if the 40-year-old will start against the Packers – the same team Flacco helped the Browns defeat in a Week 3 upset before Cleveland benched him in favor of Dillon Gabriel. If not in Green Bay, Flacco’s first field appearance in stripes could be the following Thursday when the Bengals host the Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in a matchup of quadragenerian quarterbacks.
Flacco’s First Seasons Far From Elite
| Season | Team | Record w/ Flacco Starting | Flacco Stats |
| 2019 | Denver | 2-6-0 | 171 of 262, 1,822 yards, 6 TDs, 5 INTs |
| 2020 | NY Jets | 0-4-0 | 74 of 134, 864 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs |
| 2023 | Cleveland | 4-1-0 | 123 of 204, 1,616 yards, 13 TDs, 8 INTs |
| 2024 | Indianapolis | 2-4-0 | 162 of 248, 1,761 yards, 12 TDs, 7 INTs |
| 2025 | Cleveland | 1-3-0 | 93 of 160, 815 yards, 2 TDs, 6 INTs |
The numbers above might indicate a wagering pattern for folks to watch when they use Ohio sportsbook promotions to sign up with a sports betting operator.
Turns out Flacco’s performance after his first start with a new team doesn’t get much better, with one exception.
Flacco’s first stop in Cleveland is the exception to the rule. He led the Browns on a late-season surge in 2023 that vaulted the Browns to just their second playoff appearance in 20 years. Aside from that stint, which earned him the 2023 NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award after he played just five regular-season games, Flacco is 5-17-0 in his first seasons as a starter with a new team.
Still, having seen how Browning has performed in his three starts, Ohio’s other NFL team had to make a move in hopes of salvaging Cincinnati Bengals playoff chances. Whether Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins can help Flacco regain the form he had when leading the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl in the 2012 season remains to be seen.
Oddsmakers have their doubts. At bet365 Ohio Sportsbook, the Bengals – once a top pick to win the Super Bowl – now have odds of +40000 to win it all this season.
Caesars Ohio Sportsbook lists the Bengals’ odds of winning the AFC North at +1700.
However, with the AFC playoff picture in flux – the Bengals are just a game out of the last wild card spot – Cincinnati had no choice but to make a move. We’ll find out in the weeks ahead if it was the right one.
USA Today photo by David Reginek
