Joe Flacco to the rescue once again.
The 39-year-old quarterback made his season debut on Sunday after Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered an injury in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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So, Flacco returned to the field against the team he spent many seasons battling as the longtime quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens.
Richardson got up limping after taking a hard hit from Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on a running play. He was replaced by Flacco for two plays before returning. The Colts inexplicably called a running play for Richardson, who took another hard hit as he was going to the ground.
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Richardson left the field, went to the locker room and was soon ruled out for the game with a hip injury. Flacco, in his first play back after Richardson's second departure, threw a four-yard touchdown to Josh Downs to increase the Colts' lead to 14-0. He completed 9 of 14 passes for 84 yards in the first half.
The Colts signed Flacco to a one-year deal in March to serve as a veteran backup to Richardson, the fourth pick in the 2023 draft who missed 13 games during his rookie season due to a shoulder injury.
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Flacco, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2013, was a savior last season for the Cleveland Browns. He joined the Browns' practice squad in November after quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Flacco got the start for the Browns two weeks later and went on to become the first quarterback in league history to throw for more than 250 yards and multiple touchdowns in his first five games with a new team.
He guided the Browns to the playoffs, where they lost int he first round to the Houston Texans, and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Flacco, the second oldest quarterback in the league behind 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers, has now potentially been thrust back into a starting role. Here's how social media reacted...
