Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco didn't practice Friday and is listed as questionable, but all signs point to him taking Sunday's first snap (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) against the Bears at Paycor Stadium.
Flacco taking questions from the podium after practice is the first sign. The second sign is he said his limited practice on Thursday, "went well. I was happy with how it went." The third sign is even head coach Zac Taylor sounded optimistic despite making it clear he felt 48 hours out from a game is too long to say anything definitive about any kind of injury.
"I thought he did a nice job out there," Taylor said of Thursday's practice. "I saw what we would hope to see for a guy to be able to play on Sunday. Now we'll just work through the next few days to see where it ends up."
Hendrickson Doubtful
Taylor didn't list All-Pro sacker Trey Hendrickson (hip) as optimistically and called him "doubtful," when he missed every practice this week after re-aggravating a hip injury last week against the Jets and left after 23 snaps.
The same with linebacker Logan Wilson (calf) also doubtful after three straight DNPs this week.
Ditto for backup cornerback Marco Wilson (hamstring.)
Fort Flacco
Flacco opened his career making 122 straight starts for the Ravens. Which means he didn't miss a game until midway through his eighth season. No wonder he said, "I've never really talked about injuries before, so I don't know what to say. I feel good."
Flacco says the toughest injury he's had to work through in his 18 years was a season-long hip issue that he had to deal with for most of the 2010 season. When the Ravens went to New England for the Wild Card game, Flacco had to throw only 10 passes because the Ravens picked Tom Brady three times while rushing for 234 yards in a 33-14 win at Foxboro.
"I make sure I put a pad on my hips these days ever since then because I had something on my hip that just kept blowing up. By the end of the year, my whole left leg was just destroyed," Flacco said.
"I was not moving well at all. That was an issue. It was something that you felt like was getting better. And then all of a sudden you land on it again, playing on turf or whatever, it was just the length that I had to deal with that. And the fact that it was annoying because you felt like it was getting better, and then it would get worse again."
And Flacco wouldn't have played on Sept. 15, 2013 in a 14-6 win over the Browns in Baltimore if he knew his second son would be born that day.
"We made the decision that that's how it was going to be," Flacco said. "I didn't actually think it would happen, but it did."
Big Impression
After making only three Bengals starts, Flacco has left a lifetime of memories for his new coaches. Taylor continues to be amazed at Flacco's desire to fight through this thing at age 40 on a team he hardly knows. It would be Flacco's 199th start, a special one in Taylor's eyes.
"His willingness to even attempt to practice during the week coming off an injury tells you everything you need to know about his personal and football character," Taylor said. "He probably can't even name three-fourths of these guys in the locker room, so for him to try to do that speaks volumes for him."
Flacco's reaction gives you a clue why coaches everywhere he's played have loved him. For Flacco, it's just part of the trade.
"I didn't really give it much thought," Flacco said. "You try to play. You're the quarterback. You take it from there. My instinct is whatever we can do to get there and adjust."
Just In Case
Given Flacco's status, it wasn't exactly a surprise the Bengals signed practice squad quarterback Sean Clifford to the roster. It's the first time the St. Xavier High School product has been active for a game since he joined the hometown club at the beginning of the season.
In case they need him in an emergency behind Flacco and Jake Browning. Clifford, a second-year player, has played in two NFL games and completed his one pass for 37 yards.
"(Browning) took all the reps Wednesday and Friday. He's ready," Taylor said. "He's mentally ready to go. Both of those guys have done a great job. It's tricky how you balance it and when I'm talking in the QB room, I'm starring down the middle of both of them. They know that, total transparency, everyone is ready to roll."
Challenge Accepted
After Sunday's game, Taylor called for the defensive players to step up in leadership roles, and from what he can see in practice, they heard.
"I don't know who they heard, if it was each other, but I think so," Taylor said. "I hate the way you lose, but it does reveal a lot of guys and we've had a lot of guys step up. And so for me, it's really encouraging to see who views themself as a leader on defense to step up and try to do everything they can in their power.
"Those guys out there practicing the last three days, it has been tremendous. The energy. The attention to detail. You don't see a team come off the loss we just came off of and the heartbreak. You see a team that's hungry and trying to do everything right to win the game. That's been awesome to see. That's all we can control during practice."
Taylor has been particularly impressed with starting cornerback DJ Turner II.
"He's confident in his abilities right now, and that's a big thing. You can see that earned confidence in somebody. And he's a direct communicator," Taylor said. "When he's out on the field, he's a direct communicator. I can't speak to what it's always in the meeting and all that, but he's a guy that has the respect of his teammates.
"When he does speak, and he's not afraid to do it, in terms of just communication within a call, he does a great job. 'Who cares about stepping on toes? Let's get this thing accomplished. Get it done.' And I've been pleased."
Slants and Screens
Second-year edge Cedric Johnson (calf) has been added to the roster after being activated from injured reserve Friday. Johnson, a 2024 sixth-rounder from Ole Miss, got hurt in the first days of this past training camp and looks set to make his 2025 debut.
After getting one hit on Jets quarterback Justin Fields last week, the Bengals hope Johnson picks up where he left off his rookie year, when he had three hits and a sack in the final two games …
Backup linebacker Oren Burks, who injured his groin Thursday, went limited Friday and is questionable …
Backup left guard Dalton Risner (illness) missed the first two days this week but returned limited Friday and is questionable …
