Bengals Joe Flacco (16) enters the field before their game against the Bears at Paycor Stadium on Sunday November 2, 2025. Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Zac Taylor reveals just how legendary Joe Flacco's Week 9 performance was

Originally posted on Stripe Hype | By Matt Fitzgerald | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 5:21 PM ET

The Cincinnati Bengals continue finding ways to lose and squander yet another legendary Joe Flacco renaissance. That sure was the case in Sunday's 47-42 loss to the Chicago Bears, which all but ends the Bengals' 2025 season.

Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor is sure to take a lot of heat for his team falling to 3-6 on the season. However, it wasn't Taylor's fault that the Bengals' defense couldn't stop a nosebleed at Paycor Stadium, and Taylor more than delivered in helping Flacco throw for 470 yards and four TDs.

Taylor has managed to keep Cincinnati among the league's elite passing attacks in spite of whatever adversity the lack of a run game or defense brings along.

It turns out, Week 9's offensive explosion from Flacco was even gutsier than it appeared on the surface.

Zac Taylor says Joe Flacco 'could barely lift his arm' before 470-yard passing day vs. Bears

Zac Taylor said he was "sick" about the way the Bengals lost (h/t The Cincinnati Enquirer). This latest debacle came right on the heels of a 39-38 defeat the previous week against what was a 0-7 New York Jets team. But what Taylor said about Joe Flacco was even more revealing.

"What Joe Flacco did for us this week, you'll never forget... he could barely lift his arm this week... He's a football player. That's what he does for a living, put himself on the line." Zac Taylor
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) November 2, 2025

Flacco was playing through Week 9 with a sprained AC join in his right throwing shoulder. He's 40 years old. With the bye looming, nobody could've blamed Flacco for sitting out and giving himself more time to recover. Instead, he had arguably the greatest game of his storied career — and we're talking about a quarterback who went on an all-time playoff run in Baltimore en route to a Super Bowl MVP.

Joe Cool could barely lift his arm through the week of practice. Flacco lived up to that moniker leading up to Sunday, when he didn't really divulge just how much pain he was attempting to fight through.

Just the fact that Flacco still has enough juice in his arm to play at an elite level at age 40 is impressive in and of itself. For him to do what he did in shredding Chicago's secondary with that much of a bum throwing shoulder? Borderline unbelievable. Folk hero type stuff.

You know your defense is bad, and that your offensive play-calling head coach isn't to blame when you put up the line Flacco did, recover and onside kick, and get an opening kickoff for a touchdown, and still lose.

What a shame that Flacco's all-time great showing whilst dealing with a severe injury won't go down as a win in the record books.

All it proves is that the Cincinnati's defense, front office, and organization need a massive overhaul this offseason. Not holding my breath that it'll happen. If this isn't a wake-up call, what is?

This article first appeared on Stripe Hype and was syndicated with permission.

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