The Green Bay Packers finally know which quarterback they will meet in Week 6.
For a moment, it looked like the Cincinnati Bengals might roll with former Packers backup Sean Clifford, but they have now made a shocking trade with their division rivals to land Joe Flacco. Green Bay's defense dominated against Flacco in Week 3, and it could get even worse for the veteran quarterback this week.
The Bengals have lost three games in a row with Jake Browning under center, but they shouldn't expect Flacco to turn things around at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
Packers are perfectly built to shut down Bengals' offense led by Joe Flacco
Green Bay's pass rush is causing havoc for opponents this season. Now, Jeff Hafley's defense gets to tee off against a Bengals offense that ranks dead last in pass block win rate, per ESPN.
Flacco won't have enough time to build chemistry with his receivers or learn the playbook, and that's before a Micah Parsons-led defense throws off his timing even more.
In Week 3, Flacco managed only 142 passing yards with an interception against this defense. Per Pro Football Focus, the Packers pressured him 24 times, sacked him twice, and registered nine hits.
One way to cool a fierce pass rush is to run the ball, especially if the quarterback is comfortable rolling out of the pocket and extending plays. The Dallas Cowboys used this approach early and often, with Dak Prescott firing the ball out fast and using his legs to blunt the Packers' pass rush.
That's less of a concern with Flacco.
Pressure him, and it's game over. Per PFF, when pressured this season, Flacco has completed only 24 of 62 passes (38.7 percent) for 278 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions, earning him a disastrous passer rating of 31.5.
He can expect more of the same behind a Bengals offensive line that has already allowed 75 pressures, 11 sacks, and 11 hits through five games.
While the Bengals have an elite wide receiver corps, which is concerning against the Packers' struggling secondary, none of that will matter if the pass rush can do its job. Flacco is being thrown into the fire with under a week to prepare and build chemistry with his teammates.
The Packers, meanwhile, have spent their bye week preparing for how they want to attack the Bengals' offensive line.
Flacco may soon wish he were still in Cleveland.