Joe Flacco Reportedly Has Shoulder Injury, Status in Question for Bengals vs. Bears

The shoulder injury Joe Flacco suffered in Sunday's loss to the New York Jets could keep him out for at least one game.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Flacco has an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder and his status for the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 9 game against the Chicago Bears is uncertain.

It's unclear exactly when Flacco suffered the injury, but it appeared to occur in the fourth quarter. He was sacked by Jets defensive end Will McDonald IV on third-and-10 with just under eight minutes remaining.

Flacco briefly went to the Bengals locker room on the Jets ensuing offensive possession before returning to the sidelines by the time they got the ball back with 1:54 remaining.

Jake Browning, who has started three games this season, was warming up before Flacco got back to the sidelines.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Flacco said he "wasn't feeling 100 percent" and was "trying to make sure I was right" before trying to return to the field.

The Bengals were trailing 39-38 when they got the ball back. Flacco went 1-of-4 on the final drive, with his final incompletion coming on a fourth-and-9 attempt to Andrei Iosivas that effectively ended the game.

Head coach Zac Taylor told reporters on Monday that Flacco was officially day-to-day due to a shoulder injury.

Flacco was acquired by Cincinnati on Oct. 7 in an attempt to stabilize the offense after it struggled with Browning as the starter. The 40-year-old has played well, throwing for 784 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions in three games.

The Bengals fell to 3-5 this season after losing to the Jets, but they are only two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the loss column for first place in the AFC North.

After Sunday's game against the Bears, Cincinnati has a bye in Week 10 before returning to play the Steelers on Nov. 16.

Browning would be in line to get the start this week if Flacco is unable to go. He has thrown for 757 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions in four games this season. The Bengals are 0-3 in his three starts.