While the Cincinnati Bengals got concerning injury updates as they prepare for the Bears, a Joe Flacco practice sighting bodes well for his injury status going into the game.
Flacco made it to the practice field, according to a post on X by James Rapien.
“Joe Flacco is dressed for practice and warming up with the quarterbacks like normal. Trey Hendrickson is here (pictured), but not practicing.”
The Bengals hurt their playoff chances with last week’s upset loss to the Jets, but they are still 3-5 in a weak overall division. The Bears enter with a record of 4-3.
Bengals QB Joe Flacco hoping to play
Still, there’s a chance Flacco won’t be able to give it a go, according to CBS Sports.
“I think right now it's 50-50 on what it will end up on Sunday,” head coach Zac Taylor said on Wednesday.
Practice reps aren’t the be-all and end-all, Taylor added.
“I've seen him show up three days with no knowledge of our offense whatsoever,” Taylor said when asked if he would be comfortable playing Flacco after a week with zero practice reps. “I think that proof is out there that we could do it if we needed to.”
Flacco has kept the Bengals' playoff hopes alive, if even only temporarily. He has completed 64.3% of his passes for 784 yards and seven touchdowns in three starts. Cincinnati traded a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Despite those good passing numbers, the Bengals have gone 1-2 with him behind center. But their chances of beating the Bears look slim if they have to turn back to mistake-prone Jake Browning. In four games, Browning threw for 757 yards with six touchdowns, but threw eight interceptions and took nine sacks.
Cincinnati stands two games behind the AFC North-leading Steelers. But they beat the Steelers in their first meeting. And the Steelers have a tough task ahead with the Colts. There's a chance the Bengals could be a game out of first place by week's end.
