The Cincinnati Bengals are in a spot no contender wants to be in. Starting QB Joe Burrow is injured and out for three months. Veteran Joe Flacco, who was brought in after backup QB Jake Browning failed to impress, is now dealing with a shoulder issue (a sprained AC joint, to be exact) and is questionable for Sunday’s game. That’s not good.
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Definitely not good for a team sitting at 3-5 and coming off a one-point loss last week. For what it’s worth, the Bengals just became the 11th team this year to lose a game by a single point. Of the previous eight teams to face that same heartbreak, every one of them lost the following week.
Bengals fans have to be feeling all sorts of frustration right now. However, when Flacco was asked about his sense of obligation to his offense heading into Sunday, his response struck a chord with a lot of those same fans.
“When you’re the guy (at quarterback), there’s always a sense of obligation to be there for your team,” Flacco said, as per AP News.
“I missed my second son’s birth because I thought it was important for the quarterback to be out there. I didn’t know I was going to miss it. It happened he came on that day. I do feel a sense of obligation being out there for the guys you play with. It’s natural when you play this game to want to be out there with anyone.”
Naturally, when Flacco’s comments surfaced online, especially the part about missing the birth of his son, many fans felt a sense of hope. They admired the QB’s determination, especially since he’s at a stage in his career where he has nothing left to prove.
“Man that is dedication right there. For a guy who has nothing to prove,” one said under Mike Petraglia’s post. “That’s my fu**in qb!!” another penned.
“If this season continues to go in the toilet because of the dreadful defence. HC and front office – the one silver lining would be that we got to meet this man,” said a third.
If this season continues to go in the toilet because of the dreadful defence. HC and frontoffice – the one silver lining would be that we got to meet this man.
— Søren K (@SrenK6) November 1, 2025
In case you’re wondering, Flacco’s second-oldest, Daniel, was born in September 2013. At that time, Flacco was playing for the Ravens, coming off a Super Bowl win. Unfortunately, that season, Baltimore missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007, the first miss of the John Harbaugh-Flacco era.
Now with the Bengals, Flacco might have to endure another year of sitting out the playoffs. However, this is also a team that has missed the postseason the past two years. They’ll host the 4-3 Bears at Paycor Stadium this week, a team that also suffered a loss last week but seems to have found its rhythm under new head coach Ben Johnson.
