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At 40 years old, quarterback Joe Flacco helped save the Cincinnati Bengals' season for at least a couple of weeks by guiding the club to a thrilling 33-31 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers that improved the Bengals to 3-4 on Oct. 16. While speaking with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated for a piece published Monday, Flacco admitted that he realizes his job is to keep the Bengals in the playoff hunt until starter Joe Burrow can return from the serious toe injury that left Burrow needing surgery. Joe Flacco hopes Joe Burrow will play again this season "I’m not necessarily looking that far ahead — but, sure," Flacco said about stepping aside when Burrow is cleared to resume playing. "Is that my job? Is that my task? Well, then I’m gonna do that (expletive) task as best as I possibly can. I sure hope that’s the case, yes." Flacco was referencing that the Bengals almost certainly will shut Burrow down for the campaign if it becomes clear at some point they have no realistic chance of qualifying for the postseason. A recent report indicated that Burrow may be ready to face live defenses in meaningful games by the time "mid-December" comes around. Such a timeline means Flacco could start six or seven more contests in Burrow's place. How Joe Burrow helped Joe Flacco learn the Bengals offense Flacco joined the Bengals via a trade from the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 7 and then tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the second half of Cincinnati's 27-18 loss at the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 12. Four days later, he completed 31-of-47 pass attempts for 342 yards and three touchdowns before he led the Cincinnati offense down the field for what became a game-winning field goal against Pittsburgh. It turns out that Burrow joined Flacco and center Ted Karras for film sessions following the Oct. 7 transaction. "When Ted and I met, Joe [Burrow] went up there and sat with us, and just chimed in," Flacco told Breer. "'Here’s how I would do that. Here’s what I would tell the guys.' And it was one of those things where I could say, 'OK, I’m not gonna worry about that,' or, 'OK, that’s helpful.' You can tell [Burrow] is invested." Burrow understands he needs Flacco to turn the clock back on more than one occasion if the Bengals are going to accomplish anything of note before the halfway point of December arrives. Cincinnati next hosts the New York Jets (0-7) on Oct. 26. As of Monday afternoon, ESPN BET had the Bengals as 6.5-point favorites over the woeful Jets.
