Bengals' Zac Taylor announces Joe Flacco as the starter for Week 6

Matt Sullivan

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Bengals' Zac Taylor announces Joe Flacco as the starter for Week 6 image

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals, at 2-3, aren't far off from the Pittsburgh Steelers at 3-1 for the division lead. With Joe Burrow sidelined until much later this season, the Bengals needed to find an alternative to Jake Browning, who was struggling mightily in weeks 3-5.

Fortunately, the in-division rival Cleveland Browns had a veteran quarterback at the ready in Joe Flacco. The two rivals swapped draft picks, which allowed the Bengals to bring in a new quarterback.

During Zac Taylor's press conference ahead of week six, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic shared the major announcement that Flacco, less than a week after being acquired, is the Bengals' starting quarterback for their week six matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Zac Taylor announces Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback for week 6

For Flacco's first start with the Bengals, Cincinnati travels to face Green Bay in a tough matchup. The Packers are coming off their bye week and will have the rest advantage.

They've also already played Flacco this season, and in a stunning outcome, Flacco and the Browns beat Green Bay in a 13-10 win on a last-second field goal.

Taylor has confidence in Flacco, as he said that "his style fits our style." Not only is Flacco getting the start, but he's going to take all of the snaps for the Bengals' week six matchup.

While the Bengals' defense isn't nearly as good as the Browns, they have a quarterback who's handed the Packers their only loss of the season as their starter for the week six matchup against Green Bay.

This season, Flacco has 815 passing yards in four starts for the Browns with two passing touchdowns and six interceptions. He's a 40-year-old veteran quarterback who's been in the NFL for a long time.

More: Cincinnati Bengals acquiring Joe Flacco in trade with Cleveland Browns

His experience will be a nice addition to the Bengals' offense. With Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown on offense, the Bengals offense should be a lot better than it's looked the last few weeks with Browning under center.

While Flacco's numbers aren't very inspiring, they are slightly better than Brown's totals this season. Browning has 757 passing yards with six touchdowns, but in just three and a half games, he's had eight interceptions.

Cincinnati needs a quarterback who can take care of the ball and get it to their playmakers. Flacco, a savvy veteran quarterback, is a solid option for the Bengals to use as a stopgap until Burrow returns later this season.

As Taylor announced in his press conference ahead of week six, the Bengals have made the quarterback switch to Flacco, as he takes over for a struggling Browning less than a week after joining the Bengals in a trade from the Browns.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.