Bengals in catbird seat with Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson sidelined, Flacco in Cincy

The Cincinnati Bengals have a great opportunity to pull away from the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens as those two teams navigate precarious quarterback situations. 

Entering the season, the Bengals already had one of the best quarterback situations in the NFL, and the best in the AFC North. Now, that is even more evident as a couple of their divisional foes make their way through their QB depth chart, and beyond. 

Nonetheless, Cincinnati must capitalize on its rivals' misfortune by continuing to win as they struggle over the next couple of games with backups and recent acquisitions. 

Ravens' QB crisis forces Cardinal import

Last week, Lamar Jackson made his return to Baltimore's starting lineup after missing three games. 

But on the first offensive snap, Jackson dislocated his thumb on a Buffalo Bills helmet, possibly ending his season and his Ravens career if you believe the hyperbolic reactions of some talking heads. 

The Ravens also lost their QB2, Tyler Huntley, for the rest of the season after his fourth offensive snap against the Bills, when he suffered a turf toe injury. That left undrafted rookie free agent Joe Fagnano to finish the game and start on Thursday Night Football against the stingy Jacksonville Jaguars' defense. 

It also forced the Ravens to look elsewhere for Fagnano's backup and a starter as they move forward this season. Baltimore landed on signing Austin Reed to their practice squad and Kedon Slovis to their active roster. 

It has also been reported that the Ravens are trading for Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett to save a season teetering on the brink of collapse.  

While the Ravens are signing quarterbacks left and right, that won't help their defense much. Baltimore is the league's 28th-ranked scoring defense and the worst in their division. 

Nevertheless, the Ravens went from what they believed was the best quarterback situation heading into the season to possibly the end of the Jackson era and scrambling to find someone who can play QB for the rest of the 2026 season, at least. 

Shedeur Sanders gets the call, QB debate gets hotter

Seemingly out of nowhere, like a  Randy Orton RKO, the Browns announced that starting QB Deshaun Watson was in concussion protocol and that Shedeur Sanders would be starting on Sunday. 

Watson had the Browns in first place in the AFC North through Week 7. However, after losing to the Steelers last week, they have fallen to third place. 

Still, Cleveland has a 5-3 record, though their -34 point differential is surprisingly low for a winning team, suggesting their record could be a mirage. With that Mysterio-esque facade that the magic of a winning record is covering up, there is room for a quarterback controversy to ensue on the banks of Lake Erie. 

Now, the Browns head into New Orleans to take on the Saints with their backup QB as they try to keep pace with the Bengals and Steelers. If Sanders can come away with a victory, the calls for him to be the starter could become deafening. And he knows it, even as he attempts to suppress his thoughts about facing the Saints with a smile (via Ari Meirov on X). 

"Yeah, I've seen a lot. When I smile, just know that means something. (laughs) I'm maturing, you know what I'm saying? I'm maturing. Like, I could have gave that a decent answer, but now I'm just going to smile."

But at least they're moving forward with a quarterback some thought should have been the starter to begin with. The Ravens, on the other hand, are on their third-string, undrafted rookie and are trading for a veteran not named Joe Flacco. 

Joe Flacco was right there

Ironically, the Browns and Ravens are two teams that Bengals backup Joe Flacco previously played for. Both franchises could have pursued him this past offseason. Both declined, fortunately for Cincinnati, which brought back its QB2 for another year. 

The Ravens and Browns could have offered the Bengals his services. For now, neither has, with the Ravens opting for Brissett and the Browns keeping it copacetic, expecting Watson to return at some point. 

Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, which would make for an awesome TV show title, the Bengals still have one of, if not the best, QB situations in the NFL (knock on wood). 

Perhaps a desperate franchise will propose a Godfather-esque deal for Flacco that the front office can't refuse. But with the trade deadline coming on Tuesday, teams had better move quickly. However, we would put the odds of such an offer at 1% at the highest. 

Bengals can’t exhale against Falcons in Madrid, with Steelers looming

The Bengals have the second-longest winning streak within the division at three. They must extend it as the Browns and Ravens search for suitable answers. Furthermore, the Bengals are still looking up at the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose 41-year-old QB, Aaron Rodgers, has his team sitting in first place. 

With the Steelers on a bye, they can watch the proverbial potential train-wreck QB situations in Cleveland and Baltimore play out from the comfort of their homes as they wait to take on the Bengals on Sunday Night Football in Week 10. 

The Bengals can't afford to exhale even a little bit when watching the QB goings-on in Baltimore and Cleveland.  

Their AFC North rivals' quarterback situations mean little if the Bengals cannot come back from Madrid with a win in the ledger. 

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