Joe Flacco not playing against Browns due to neck injury

Joe Flacco is out for the Denver Broncos’ Week 9 game against the Cleveland Browns due to a neck injury, and maybe longer.

Quarterback Joe Flacco isn’t off to a great start in his first year with the Denver Broncos. The team is 2-6 through Week 8 and the 34-year-old veteran quarterback has thrown just six touchdowns and five interceptions in his eight starts.

And now, according to The Athletic reporter Nicki Jhabvala, Flacco is going to miss some playing time as well.

Following Sunday’s 15-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Flacco is suffering some kind of neck issue. Head Coach Vic Fangio says that Flacco is definitely going to miss the team’s game against the Cleveland Browns in Denver, but it’s not clear how much more time he might miss. Flacco’s earliest availability would be the team’s Week 11 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

Brandon Allen will start in Joe Flacco’s place. Allen played his college football at the University of Arkansas and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 6th round in 2016. He served as the third-string quarterback for Jacksonville in 2016, behind Blake Bortles and Chad Henne, before being cut from the roster ahead of the 2017 season.

The Los Angeles Rams then claimed Allen off waivers, where he served as their third-string QB. In 2018, he was relegated to the practice squad and ahead of the 2019 season, the Rams cut Allen. He was picked up by Denver ahead of the 2019 season.

Allen will be going up against a 2-5 Browns team that has struggled in recent weeks. On Sunday, they lost 27-13 to the New England Patriots and gave up three turnovers on three consecutive offensive plays. Their last win was a 40-25 victory over their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, in Week 4.

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