Joe Flacco has given the Cincinnati Bengals a jolt of confidence after one start.
Next up on the to-do list is getting the Bengals (2-4) back on the winning track.
Flacco passed for 219 yards and two touchdowns in Cincinnati's 27-18 loss at Green Bay on Sunday. Most of Flacco's production came after the Bengals fell behind 10-0 at halftime.
The Bengals have been outscored 79-9 in the first half during their four-game skid and are one of three teams to not have a first- or second-quarter touchdown during that span.
“We want to win. We’re hungry for it. We got to do a better job from start to finish getting that done, but there’s a lot here,” coach Zac Taylor said Monday.
Making his first start after the Bengals got him in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, Flacco quickly established connections with star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase had 10 receptions for 94 yards and a TD, while Higgins added five catches for 62 yards.
Flacco led the Bengals to two touchdowns and a field goal on the first three drives of the second half. The 40-year-old completed 21 of 30 passes for 179 yards after halftime.
The Bengals and Flacco also benefit from his first two opponents. He faced Green Bay three weeks earlier, when he was with Cleveland, and Thursday night will be his 25th career start against the Pittsburgh Steelers, including the playoffs.
Flacco came off the bench for the Indianapolis Colts last season and completed 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-24 win over the Steelers. Now he'll try to salvage the Bengals' season while Joe Burrow recovers from toe surgery.
“I know it’s easy to be down on yourself in hard times, but you know, playing with confidence shows. So, we got to find a way to kind of get some of that back, but I think we do have the ability to do that,” Flacco said after Sunday's game. “We got a big week coming up, and these division games are always good matchups and going in and playing a good game this upcoming week could help a lot with that.”
Keeping penalties to a minimum. After being flagged 17 times for 95 yards the past two games, the Bengals were penalized only three times for a season-low 17 yards against the Packers.
Stopping quick passes. Cincinnati has allowed 73 completions on passes thrown under 2.5 seconds, the fifth most in the league, and 118 yards per game, which is second most. Green Bay's Jordan Love was 9 of 9 on quick passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.
LB Barrett Carter. The fourth-round pick got the start and led the team with 10 tackles. He also wore the green dot on his helmet, which meant he was getting the plays from the sideline and getting the defense in the right formation. Carter was in for all 61 snaps while Logan Wilson was in for only 12 plays.
WR Andrei Iosivas dropped three passes and had only one catch for 5 yards.
TE Mike Gesicki (pectoral) is expected to miss multiple games while DE Trey Hendrickson (back bruise) is questionable. TE Tanner Hudson is in the concussion protocol.
3 — Quarterbacks who have started for at least three teams in a calendar year since 1950 — Flacco, Baker Mayfield (2022) and Joshua Dobbs (2023).
50 — Touchdown catches for Chase. He reached the milestone in 68 games, the fourth-fastest among players in the Super Bowl era (1966-present).
The Bengals' grueling five-game stretch against teams that made the playoffs last season concludes with a Thursday night matchup against AFC North leader Pittsburgh (4-1).
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Flacco sits on the bench before an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Flacco throws under pressure by the Green Bay Packers in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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)
PARIS (AP) — Ukraine on Monday signed a letter of intent to buy up to 100 Rafale warplanes from France, the Ukrainian Embassy and the French president’s office said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron signed the document stating that Ukraine is considering the possibility of buying French defense equipment, including Rafale jet fighters, Macron’s office said. It did not provide further details.
Zelenskyy was on his ninth visit to Paris since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. His talks are meant to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses as the country enters another winter under Russian bombardment of its energy infrastructure and other targets.
On Monday morning, Macron and Zelenskyy visited an air base in the Paris outskirts, before heading to the headquarters of a multinational force, dubbed the “coalition of the willing,” that France and Britain have been preparing with more than 30 other nations to police an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.
French officials say the force could be deployed immediately after a ceasefire and would be stationed away from the front lines in an effort to help dissuade renewed Russian attacks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far rejected calls for a ceasefire as his troops make creeping gains on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy wrote on X on Sunday that he looked forward to a “historic deal with France in Paris to strengthen our combat aviation and air defense." He made a stop to Greece on his way to France to sign an agreement to supply Ukraine with U.S. liquefied natural gas.
Last month, Ukraine and Sweden signed an agreement exploring the possibility of Ukraine buying up to 150 Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets over the next decade or more. Ukraine has already received American-made F-16s and French Mirages.
France is among major suppliers of defense assistance to Ukraine, including air defense systems and fighter jets.
The chief of the French defense staff, Air Force Gen. Fabien Mandon, this month told French senators that Ukraine needs immediate additional air defenses because Russia is on average targeting the country with about 1,700 drones per week and also hitting it with missiles.
He said that European-made SAMP/T ground-to-air systems that France provided are proving more effective than U.S.-made Patriot batteries against hard-to-hit Russian missiles.
“We helped Ukraine by deploying missile and drone interception systems called the SAMP/T system. The Russians adapted the flight profiles of their most advanced missiles because they realized they were being intercepted by Ukrainian defenses. Today, the Patriot system is struggling to intercept them, but the SAMP/T is intercepting them,” Mandon said.
Associated Press writer John Leicester contributed to the report.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 before a joint press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, visit the offices of the future international force known as the coalition of the willing, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Mont Valerien in Suresnes, outside Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands after signing an agreement Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sign an agreement Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hug after signing an agreement Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
A Rafale jet fighter is seen before the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
A Rafale jet fighter, drones and ammunitions are seen before the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
A Rafale jet fighter is seen before the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
