When Kirk Cousins went down with a season-ending Achilles injury last year at the end of a win over the Packers that improved the Vikings to 4-4, a segment of Minnesota fandom hoped the team would explore signing veteran free agent Joe Flacco.
Instead, the Vikings traded for Josh Dobbs. After a brief love affair with the “Passtronaut,” Vikings fans quickly learned of his limitations. Minnesota finished the year 7-10, earning the No. 11 pick in the draft. Cleveland scooped up Flacco in November and rode his hot hand into the playoffs.
Fast-forward to 2024. The Colts signed Flacco to serve as Anthony Richardson’s backup. He again sparkled in limited duty and was given the starting assignment against the Vikings on Sunday. I warned Vikings fans that this was “not good news” for Minnesota’s prospects of winning.
Wrong. As it turns out, Flacco was perfect for the Vikings — as Patrick Reusse and I talked about on Monday’s Daily Delivery podcast.
Minnesota harassed and confused Flacco repeatedly. The former was expected given that Flacco, 39, was never a mobile quarterback and is even less so now. The latter was very surprising given Flacco’s veteran status and his reputation as the type of QB who could make quick throws and carve up Brian Flores’ defense in much the same way Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford did the previous two weeks.
Flacco never looked comfortable in the pocket. He looked even less comfortable on the sidelines. Anytime a camera found him between Colts offensive series, he looked like someone in the lobby waiting for a job interview for a position he hoped he wouldn’t get.
Me, the starting quarterback? I’m your top candidate? Are you sure?
The Colts scored just six points on offense. The Vikings gave them seven more on a Sam Darnold strip sack, and Darnold’s two interceptions helped keep the game close. But Darnold also ripped a bunch of big-time throws on the way to nearly 300 yards passing and three touchdowns.
