The AFC North grabs the spotlight on Thursday Night Football as the Cincinnati Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers to get Week 7 rolling. However, they will have to do so without their star quarterback Joe Burrow.
The reason is simple, Joe Burrow is still recovering from a turf toe surgery that will sideline him until at least December. Hence, the Bengals will try to stay afloat until then to see if they can make a playoff push once Burrow is back.
As for now, they will face the Steelers without him and the Bengals have gone 0-4 since the injury happened. Cincinnati has really missed him but now it will try to find solutions with a veteran under center.
Joe Flacco will try to bring a new dynamic to the Bengals
After going 0-3 with Jake Browning, the Bengals opted to trade for Joe Flacco. In his debut, Flacco lost against the Packers, but Flacco himself didn’t play badly. He threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns.
Also, the weapons ate. Ja’Marr Chase saw massive volume with 10 catches, 94 yards and one touchdown. But also, Tee Higgins got five grabs for 62 yards. It’s important for Flacco to throw the rock to his big weapons and Higgins is one of them.
It’s veteran vs veteran on TNF
Flacco and Steelers’ QB Aaron Rodgers combine for 81 years of age. Their careers have similarities but also very different realities right now. For instance, both have a Super Bowl champion and a Super Bowl MVP.
However, Rodgers has always been a starter in the NFL while Flacco has a handful of years being one of the NFL’s most reliable backups, but he is no longer a franchise quarterback. While Rodgers still has the savvy factor, IQ and accuracy, Flacco has the arm and experience to get the troops going.