Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco will likely start for the New York Jets Week 1 against his former Baltimore Ravens squad with Zach Wilson sidelined to injury.
It’s one of the reasons Flacco took part in the Jets’ preseason fnale against the New York Giants on Sunday. Head coach Robert Saleh and Co. wanted to get him into a flow despite the fact that the Giants were primarily playing their backup defenders.
Flacco’s stint did not go swimmingly. The Super Bowl winner completed 7-of-12 passes for 76 yards with an interception. It’s the one mistake that had everyone talking. That included Flacco throwing a pick-six into the hands of Giants reserve linebacker Austin Calitro. It might be one of the ugliest passes we have seen in years.
Flacco, 37, has thrown north of 6,100 regular-season passes throughout his career. He has accumulated 41,269 passing yards and 227 touchdowns. Despite this, the veteran made a rookie mistake.
You can’t throw late and to the outside when rolling out. Regardless of the level of competition, it is not going to work. As an aside, we’re also not sure how Flacco didn’t see Calitro in coverage. Those watching the game had their opinions on Joe Flacco and his performance.
Related: New York Jets schedule and game-by-game predictions
New York Jets are in trouble with Joe Flacco starting
Jets starting quarterback Zach Wilson suffered a torn meniscus in his knee during their preseason opener a few weeks back. At least initially, there was optimism that Wilson would be able to return for Week 1. Right now, that doesn’t seem to be likely despite New York’s brass saying it won’t make a decision until the week of the regular-season opener.
“I feel like we can wait until the week of [the Ravens game). We’ll have all those discussions. You guys should know me by now, we’re going to run our stuff so being transparent in those situations won’t matter.”
New York Jets’ Robert Saleh on Zach Wilson’s Week 1 status
It stands to reason that New York will sit its young quarterback until he’s 100% healthy. If so, it’s Flacco’s job for at least the first week against his former Ravens team.
Joe Flacco has started a mere 24 games over the past four seasons. In two years with the Jets, he’s 0-5 as a starter. Sunday’s outing is concerning in that a veteran of his ilk simply shouldn’t be making mistakes like that.
Whether this leads to New York looking for an outside option depends heavily on Wilson’s status. But there’s a certain former Super Bowl quarterback who could be had.