Bengals better not flop in Week 1 again after Browns name underwhelming starter at QB

A familiar AFC North adversary will officially be under center in Week 1 to face the Cincinnati Bengals when they visit the Cleveland Browns in the latest Battle of Ohio.

As the Bengals made headlines of their own by opening up business for a Trey Hendrickson trade, the Browns announced on Monday that Joe Flacco will open the 2025 season as their starting quarterback. The 40-year-old vet who delivered a Super Bowl for the Ravens once upon a time is back in the division to try to hand Cincinnati yet another bad start to a season.

Not having Hendrickson on the defensive line would be disastrous for Cincinnati. Flacco isn't the most fleet of foot, but if given enough time in the pocket, he still has the arm talent and savvy to pick apart opposing secondaries.

That said, Flacco's brief renaissance in 2023 as a member of the Browns was quite a while ago. He regressed last year when he got a shot to play in Indianapolis after Anthony Richardson got benched. This is an opportunity to start 1-0 and get up early in the North that the Bengals can't let slip.

Browns rolling with Joe Flacco over Shedeur Sanders is Bengals' gain

In the aftermath of Shedeur Sanders' impressive preseason debut, it felt like there was a chance the Browns could roll with him to begin the 2025 campaign. Alas, Shedeur suffered an oblique injury before the second preseason game, which extinguished any chance he had to unseat Flacco atop the depth chart.

Not only would it behoove Cleveland to see what it has in Shedeur as soon as possible, but he'd move the needle in a way Flacco no longer can. Look no further than the box office draw he was for an exhibition game, when that Panthers-Browns showdown drew over 2.2 million viewers.

Starting Shedeur would actually simplify the Browns' offense. They'd lean more on their rushing attack, driven by an experienced o-line, rather than letting Flacco air it out 35+ times.

For all the success Flacco had in leading Cleveland to its last playoff appearance, he did put the ball in harm's way often, throwing 10 interceptions across six starts. While Shedeur is expected to make rookie mistakes whenever he hits the field, one of his strong suits in college was not committing turnover-worthy plays.

I'm personally relieved that Shedeur isn't starting. An already-hostile Dawg Pound environment would've been exponentially tougher if the Browns had him in the lineup. They'd do all they could to shorten the game, trying their best to exploit a suspect Bengals run defense. I think that type of game plan is far less likely with Flacco at the controls.

Again, Flacco might have his way and sling it all over the yard if Hendrickson isn't there to apply pressure. My thinking, though, is that Cincinnati will finally come to its senses and pay him before the regular season begins.

We'll see if Flacco's experience gives the Browns an inside track to a big upset as a home underdog. Whomever was going to start at QB for Cleveland, though, was always going to have a massive deficit in a duel with Bengals superstar Joe Burrow.

The issue is, Burrow and the offense may have to score 30+ every week just to make up for the defense's deficiencies — especially in the event that Hendrickson sits out or is traded.

I get Cleveland's logic that Flacco has the steadier hand. At the same time, The Shedeur Sanders Experience and the intangible X-factor he would've brought to Week 1 as the Browns' starter has me thinking the Bengals have an optimal chance to vanquish the early-season blunders of yesteryear. They had better capitalize, or else it's going to be a long lead-up to Week 2's home opener against the Jaguars.

Not that history has any genuine bearing on this year, but Flacco has struggled against the Bengals in his career. Let us Who Dey Nation folk pray that those struggles continue.

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