The Patriots have been blessed with the easiest schedule in football this season, but that doesn't mean each game won't come with its own set of challenges. In Week 8, on the 26th of October, the Patriots will face a familiar foe of the organization, former Ravens quarterback turned Brown Joe Flacco.
Flacco played in Baltimore for a decade, winning a Super Bowl and being named the MVP in that same game. He recorded more than 38,000 passing yards with the Ravens, along with 212 touchdowns to 136 interceptions in his 163 games. Following his time in the state of Maryland, he became a journeyman backup and spot starter, making stops in Denver, Philadelphia, and with the Jets twice. He spent 2024 with the Colts.
Recently, his name has come back to relevancy following his 2023 season with the Browns that saw him named Comeback Player of the Year. He moved on to the Colts as mentioned in 2024, and over the past two seasons, he's had a respectable 25 touchdowns to 15 interceptions.
It looks like the Cleveland Browns will go with a trusted veteran at quarterback in 2025
The Browns have some notoriety given their camp QB competition. Veteran Flacco is the most experienced, but the team also added Kenny Pickett in a trade involving Dorian Thompson-Robinson this offseason. In the draft, they selected Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the third and fifth rounds, respectively.
While one might think the bias might go towards a younger player, Flacco has made his ability known, according to Bleacher Report's Adam Wells. Wells cites a report from The Athletic that Flacco is now the "strong favorite" over the others for the QB1 job.
The Patriots will face the Browns in Week 8, and if Flacco is still the starter, it will be an interesting headline. The former Delaware Blue Hen has reasonable but not wowing stats in his six games against the Patriots: 296 yards per game, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions. His record, however, tells a different story: he's just 1-5, his last win coming in 2012.
Most recently, he threw for a trio of touchdowns against the Cam Newton-led Patriots in 2020, a game that ended in a Patriots win after a Nick Folk walk-off field goal.
By the time Week 8 rolls around, the Browns will already have played the Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Steelers, all of whom had winning records last year. Therefore, they could be in a position where the best course of action is starting a rookie instead. Should Flacco play, however, the Patriots should be wary of his experience: don't let his 1-5 record fool you, he's still a capable signal caller.
Week 8 will be a crucial tone setter before the trade deadline, and one that should be further examined, given the Patriots' dislike for the 2000s Ravens.