“What a loser”: Joe Flacco makes blunt admission on Bengals QB sneak moment after Joe Burrow said no

Jul 15, 2026, 10:30 AM CUT

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 28: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco 16 stands on the sideline before the game against the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 28, 2025, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA DEC 28 Cardinals at Bengals EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon251228085

In Season 3, Episode 7 of Netflix's Quarterback, Joe Flacco opened up about a moment from Cincinnati's 2025 regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns. Needing just one yard, the 41-year-old veteran was subbed in to execute a quarterback sneak.

Flacco revealed his immediate internal reaction to hearing a massive ovation from the home crowd while running the play in place of starter Joe Burrow.

“It’s kind of corny,” Flacco said in episode 7 titled "Don't Stop," per Sports Illustrated. “I’m getting cheered for a QB sneak. If I was watching, I would hate me. Like look at this guy. What a loser. But whatever. It is what it is.”

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 28: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco 16 looks to pass during the second half of the game against the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 28, 2025, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA DEC 28 Cardinals at Bengals EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon251228188

The whole play started when quarterback coach Brad Kragthorpe asked Joe Burrow if he wanted to run the sneak.

"If I was him, I'd say 'no way.' And of course, Joe said, 'No.' I had it in the back of my mind, they're gonna ask me to do it, aren't they?" Flacco said on the episode, according to Sports Illustrated.

Flacco began the 2025 season as Cleveland's starting quarterback. After struggling with the Browns, he was traded to Cincinnati after Burrow went down with turf toe.

On third-and-1 at the Cleveland 30, Zac Taylor sent the 41-year-old into the game. Flacco picked up two yards and converted the first down before handing back to the sideline to a loud ovation.

“You just have to do it,” Flacco added. “It’s what your role is right now. And don’t mess it up. Get the snap and get the first down.”

The Bengals later brought Flacco back on a one-year, $6 million deal, keeping him as Burrow's backup for the 2026 season.

The sneak was one of Flacco's lighter moments in Cincinnati. His injury situation soon brought a different challenge.

What was Joe Flacco really dealing with during his Bengals run?

Episode 6, titled "Toughness Is a Choice," focused on Flacco's shoulder injury and his final start of the season.

After suffering an AC joint sprain against the New York Jets, Flacco returned to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, a hard landing on his only sack of the game made the injury worse, according to the Roundtable.

“It didn’t feel good,” Flacco said in episode 6, per Sports Illustrated. “But that’s football. That’s the Steelers defense.”

Flacco's final start came against the New England Patriots in Week 12 last year. With Joe Burrow preparing to return, he knew his time as the starter was coming to an end.

“It’s hard in the sense that you want to be the guy,” Flacco added. “I love playing the game. I want to be out there. But it was easy to wrap my head around because he’s obviously the guy there.”

Flacco's 2025 season showed how much he was willing to give the Bengals, even as his role changed and Burrow prepared to take back the reins.

What do you make of Joe Flacco's brutally honest admission? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Written by

Debanjali Rakshit

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore