Joe Flacco's strong second half in Cincinnati debut gives slumping Bengals reason for hope

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Joe Flacco rallied the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half. That was enough to provide some hope for his new teammates.

Just five days after he was acquired in a trade with Cleveland, Flacco passed for 219 yards and two touchdowns in his Cincinnati debut. The Bengals lost 27-18 at Green Bay on Sunday, but they pushed the Packers all the way to the very end.

“He’s just so poised,” All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase said of Flacco.

Cincinnati (2-4) has been outscored 140-55 during a four-game losing streak. The slide started a week after Joe Burrow departed a 31-27 victory over Jacksonville on Sept. 14 with a toe injury.

After Jake Browning started at quarterback in the first three games in the current streak, the Bengals acquired the 40-year-old Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Browns on Tuesday for a fifth-round selection.

There wasn't a noticeable difference for Cincinnati at first.

The Bengals trailed 10-0 after getting outgained 240-65 in the first half. It was the fourth straight game in which they failed to score a touchdown before halftime. Flacco was 8 of 15 for 40 yards at the break, and Cincinnati totaled one first down in its first four possessions.

“Usually playing a good football team, playing one good half isn’t going to be good enough,” Flacco said. “But we gave ourselves a chance down at the end, and we did some good things but just not enough.”

The breakthrough began on the opening possession of the second half.

Flacco orchestrated a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive lasting 10 minutes, 14 seconds. Flacco capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Hudson on fourth-and-goal.

That set the tone for the rest of Flacco's outing.

Flacco went 21 of 30 for 179 yards in the second half. The Bengals scored two touchdowns and a field goal on their first three second-half drives before their final possession ended with a missed field-goal attempt.

The veteran quarterback was at his best in the fourth quarter. With the Bengals trailing 24-10 and facing fourth-and-5, Flacco threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Chase in the right corner of the end zone. He then connected with Chase Brown on a 2-point conversion that made it 24-18 with 4:11 left.

“I certainly thought that he had a lot of confidence and got into a rhythm," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “There are times when you get in those games where you are having to throw the ball there at the end to get back in it, it is not all stuff that is on the call sheet. We were having to ad-lib a little bit as you explore how they are playing our guys. You have to adjust as the game goes, and I thought he did an unbelievable job of handling that.”

Flacco faced Green Bay again just three weeks after helping the Browns beat the Packers 13-10. He became the eighth quarterback since at least 1950 to start against the same opponent twice in a season while playing for two different teams.

The only quarterback to win both games under those circumstances was Jack Kemp, who led the AFL’s Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers past the New York Titans in 1962.

Flacco couldn't quite join Kemp, but he did give the Bengals some reason for optimism as they prepare to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

“At the end of the day, Joe did good with communicating with the receivers and talking to the receivers about what we like, what we see,” Chase said.

Flacco is looking forward to playing alongside his new teammates again.

“They talk about learning how to win, good football teams know how to do that,” Flacco said. "That’s because they always believe that they can. Listen, I’ve only been here for a week, but I think these guys in the locker room got a good head on their shoulders, and I’m excited to get to work with them.”

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Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Flacco speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Flacco speaks with Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love after an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Flacco speaks with Green Bay Packers head coach Matt Lafleur after an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Flacco (16) passes against the Green Bay Packers in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Flacco (16) passes in the pocket against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen won the Australian Open for his first major professional title Sunday when his scrambled par on the final hole crushed the hopes of hometown favorite Cam Smith who was chasing his first win in more than two years.

Smith and Neergaard-Peterson came to the 72nd hole tied at 15-under after a thrilling contest over the last nine holes. Neergaard Petersen shanked his drive into difficult rough on the right with a bunker between his ball and the green.

Smith found the green with his second but with a long, sloping putt to the hole. Matter of fact as he has been throughout the week, Neergaard got up and down for par while Smith missed his difficult putt for birdie, then a 1.5 meter return putt to force a playoff.

The 26-year-old Danish player won by a single shot at 15-under 269 after rounds of 67, 66, 66 and 70. Smith started the last round two shots behind the leader, drew level by the turn and led outright after sinking a three meter put for birdie on the 10th hole.

After a birdie at the 11th, Smith bogeyed the 12th and was level with Neergaard-Petersen at 13 under. The pair stayed locked together until the final hole when Smith's missed par putt handled his opponent a career-changing victory.

“It’s hard. I’m really at a loss for words. It’s been a battle all day,” Neergaard said. “Even from the outside, you can look calm but it was a storm inside (for me) all day.

“But I managed to keep battling and to get it up and down to make that putt on the last. I don’t know what to say, to be honest.”.

Smith, the 2022 British Open champion who ended his streak of missing seven consecutive cuts this year on Friday, shot 66 Saturday and was tied for second, two strokes off the lead.

After all his missed cuts, Smith, said that it was “nice being in contention” entering the final round.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had this feeling to be honest,” he said. “I love that it’s the Australian Open. I couldn’t think of a better place to get back into form. It would shut a few people up.”

Smith has won the Australian PGA twice but has yet to win the Stonehaven Cup as the champion of his national open.

His last tournament victory came at the LIV tournament in Bedminster, England in August 2022 and his previous top-10 finish was in July.

Rory McIlroy's 11 bogeys over four days, including an unfortunate encounter with a banana peel on Saturday, kept him out of contention. On Sunday, the Northern Irishman had a final round 69, with five birdies and three bogeys, to finish in a tie for 10th.

McIlroy, the Race to Dubai winner and who completed his career Grand Slam when he won the Masters this year, was naking his first appearance at the Australian Open since 2015. He won it in 2013.

Speaking after his final round Sunday, the world No. 2 called for a more favorable schedule to attract more of the game's top players.

While he thought the sandbelt courses held massive appeal, the scheduling didn’t help the tournament attract the top overseas players.

“I obviously would love to have a few more players come down and play, but it’s hard with three tournaments going on in the schedule this week,” said McIlroy referring to the schedule clash with Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas and the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.

"There need to be conversations had with people much more important than me that set the schedules, and hopefully the Australian Open can find a date that accommodates everyone and everyone can at least have the option to come down.”

“People seeing the scenes here on TV…it’ll definitely pique their interest,” he said.

The winner of the Australian Open, which is the second event on the European tour’s new schedule of tournaments for late this year and 2026, receives a Masters exemption next year. And the top three finishers not already exempt — Michael Hollick, Adam Scott and Si Woo Kim — have qualified for the British Open in 2026 at Royal Birkdale.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, left, speaks to Matt McCarty of the U.S., right, during the fourth round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Australia's Cameron Smith watched his putt on the 14th during the final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, left, plays from the rough on the 18th green as his caddy Brian Nilsson watches during the final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen celebrates after sinking his putt on the 18th during the final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen holds the Stonehaven Cup after winning the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)