The 2024 Indianapolis Colts had a rather hopeless quarterback situation. Anthony Richardson proved he might not play hurt, and that he wasn't going to take a second-year leap in head coach Shane Steichen's good offensive system. He wasn't trending toward being a first-round draft bust; he was already there.
Indy looked to veteran Joe Flacco to help get the team somewhat close to the postseason. While the quarterback play wasn't great, the rest of the roster was solid enough to make sure Indy didn't take a dive. Flacco, at least, wasn't awful.
He started six games, threw 12 touchdown passes to seven interceptions, and had a quarterback rating of a solid 90.5. His skill set was definitely not the perfect mesh with Steichen's scheme, but he was a savvy vet who could learn a playbook quickly and be a short-term starter.
Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco having high-end success with the Cincinnati Bengals
This past offseason, however, general manager Chris Ballard decided he didn't want to take another chance on the Richardson and Flacco combination, as Flacco was turning 40 years old. Instead, Indy signed Daniel Jones and kept AR5, and the move has turned out brilliantly.
Flacco was left to sign anywhere that would take him, and the Cleveland Browns did. Cleveland is terrible, though, and had three too many quarterbacks. While Flacco made the roster and was named the starter for Week 1, his time was limited. After Joe Burrow was injured for the Cincinnati Bengals, Flacco was traded south from Cleveland to Cincy. Lucky for Flacco.
While he hasn't had a good win-loss record for the Bengals, the fault is not his. Cincinnati has a terrible defense. Flacco has started four games for the Bengals and has only gone 1-3, but his offense is averaging 32.8 points a game, normally plenty of points to have a good record.
The former Colts quarterback has thrown for 11 touchdowns and just two picks, and a fantastic 313 yards per game. While he does have excellent wide receivers, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, to throw to, he's also made the most of his opportunity.
So has Daniel Jones of the Indianapolis Colts. So, while Indy fans are rightfully going to root for Danny Dimes, it is also nice to see Joe Flacco do good things with the Cincinnati Bengals. The best part? Indy and Cincy are not scheduled to play each other this season.