Elsa/Getty Images Joe Flacco of the New York Jets throws against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on October 01, 2020 .
On Thursday, for the first time since signing with the New York Jets in May, former Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco was active for a game.
While he was there to serve as backup to Jets starter Sam Darnold, it didn’t take long for Flacco to get into the game against the Broncos, for whom he started eight games last season.
After an apparent right shoulder injury to Sam Darnold, the Joe Flacco Era in NY has begun… #TakeFlight
Darnold suffered a right shoulder injury with less than two minutes to go in the first quarter when he was sacked by Broncos linebacker Alexander Johnson.
Flacco came in to direct the Jets for five plays over the course of two short drives. He completed two of two passes for 16 yards before Darnold was able to return to the game. Yet their combined efforts weren’t enough, as the Jets (0-4) lost to the previously winless Broncos 37-28 at MetLife Stadium.
Most of New York’s offense revolved around Darnold, who completed 23 of 42 passes for 230 yards.
Darnold was also New York’s leading rusher, carrying the ball six times for 84 yards, including a 46-yard scamper for a touchdown. The next most successful rusher on the Jets was Frank Gore, who had 13 carries for 30 yards.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell did not play, as he’s on injured reserve with a hamstring injury after getting hurt in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. Bell is eligible to return beginning with New York’s next game, on Sunday October 11 versus the Arizona Cardinals, assuming he’s healthy enough to play.
Joe Flacco as a Member of the Denver Broncos, Jets
Flacco passed for 1,822 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions for the Broncos in 2019 before a neck injury ended his season in Week Eight.
The 35-year-old QB had neck surgery in April and was activated off the Jets’ physically unable to perform list on September 5.
Joe Flacco as a Member of the Baltimore Ravens
Joe Flacco was the first-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2008 NFL Draft (University of Delaware). He started 163 games for the Ravens over the course of 11 seasons, posting a record of 96 wins and 67 losses. During those 163 games he completed 3,499 of 5,670 passes with 212 touchdown passes and 136 interceptions for a total passer rating of 84.1.
He moved on to Denver last year after the Ravens traded him to the Broncos. Naturally, the writing was on the wall, so to speak, when the Ravens drafted quarterback Lamar Jackson (Louisville) in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
There are now six winless NFL teams: In addition to the 0-4 Jets, the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans are 0-3. The Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles are both 0-2-1.
The Steelers have played the Broncos and two 0-3 teams, the Giants and Texans. Pittsburgh’s next scheduled game is against the Eagles at Heinz Field on October 11. This weekend’s tilt against the Tennessee Titans has been postponed. A new date and time for the Steelers-Titans game is expected within the next few days.
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