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Zac Taylor Announces Joe Flacco Decision as Bengals QB1 Gets New Jersey Number

Originally posted on EssentiallySports | By Utsav Jain | Last updated Oct 8, 2025 1:24 PM ET

A fresh start may have been just what the doctor ordered for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. Following his trade away from the Cleveland Browns, Flacco came to the Cincinnati Bengals to energize their offense. With franchise quarterback Joe Burrow reeling from a turf toe, it fell on backup quarterback Jake Browning to lead the fray. But that hasn’t gone as planned. And the clear answer for the Bengals is Flacco for Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers.

As NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes on X: “Joe Flacco gets the start right away for the Bengals against the Packers, per Zac Taylor. Second game against Green Bay for Flacco this season.”

Joe Flacco gets the start right away for the #Bengals against the #Packers, per Zac Taylor. Second game against Green Bay for Flacco this season.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 8, 2025

But will this second chance play out differently for Flacco in a new offense? The number on Flacco’s back is new (No. 16), so maybe the second chapter of his 2025 season will be different as well.

Stay tuned, this story is developing…

This article first appeared on EssentiallySports and was syndicated with permission.

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