Philadelphia Eagles: Joe Flacco can help Philly’s draft stock in Week 11

The New York Jets are a very bad football team.

They have a number of good, young players, some of whom could turn out to be very good, a loaded injury reserve featuring Pro Bowler Marcus Maye, and lack the remnants of a championship roster that have kept the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoff picture despite playing a consistently bad brand of football for most of the first two months of the regular season.

So naturally, when you’re a young team with a bad record, the most logical decision heading into Week 11 is to shift from a struggling 26-year-old quarterback fresh off a four-interception game to a 36-year-old journeyman reserve who hasn’t been relevant since 2017.

Seems sort of counterproductive, right? Well, tell that to the New Jersey York Jets, as they’ve just named Joe Flacco their new starting quarterback heading into a Week 11 romp against the similarly hapless Miami Dolphins.

Why, you may ask, is this relevant? Well, outside of the inherent comedy of the situation, starting Joe Flacco may actually help the New York Jets to pull out a win in Miami and, thus, keep their pick in the top-5 by stealing away a winnable game.

Joe Flacco could actually help the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, after all.

The Miami Dolphins are a very bad football team.

They have a number of good, young players, some of whom could turn out to be very good, a loaded injury reserve featuring

Pro Bowler

DeVante Parker, and lack the remnants of a championship roster that have kept the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoff picture despite playing a consistently bad brand of football for most of the first two months of the regular season.

So naturally, when you’re a young team with a bad record, the most logical decision heading into Week 11 is to reinsert your healthy young former first-round pick quarterback back into the starting lineup, instead of handing more meaningless snaps to a 28-year-old journeyman reserve who hasn’t been relevant since 2019.

Seems sort of counterproductive, right? Well, tell that to the Miami Dolphins, as they’ve just named Tua Tagovailoa their new starting quarterback heading into a Week 11 romp against the similarly hapless New York Jets.

Of the two situations, I’d rather be the Dolphins… unless I want to secure a seemingly meaningless W in the middle of November to maybe, just maybe, avoid being a one and done head coach, a situation Robert Saleh may very well find himself in if his team continues to look as clueless as they do.

If that’s the situation I found myself in, I’d probably trot Joe Flacco out at quarterback too, as he probably gives the Jets their best chance to defeat the Dolphins, even if that’s easier said than done considering their secondary’s current state.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like Tagovailoa more than most. I get he’s small, a lefty, and maybe not the second coming of John Elway, but I still watched him light it up at Alabama and appreciate the talents he brings to the table. With that being said, Tagovailoa hasn’t looked great as a pro, is without three of his offensive weapons, and is still recovering from a broken finger.

Even if he’ll be facing off against a store brand defensive backfield headlined by second-year, second-round safety Ashtyn Davis, Tagovailoa currently ranks 26th overall league-wide in yards per attempt and completion and may struggle to air it out without both DeVante Parker and Will Fuller.

Flacco, by contrast, will be throwing on a secondary featuring two of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the nation, and… he’s never had a four-interception game in his career? Make no mistake about it, this isn’t an easy win for the Jets by any means, but if Zach Wilson is still out, Flacco does give the team a better chance to win over Mike White, even if it goes from 30 percent to 35.

For fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, who want to see as few Dolphins wins as possible in order to keep their pick in the top-5, that little bit is worth it, especially since we don’t collectively have to watch the game, which probably won’t be very good.

When the Philadelphia Eagles signed Joe Flacco, it was to serve as an aid to Jalen Hurts and potentially help them win a game or two if he ever saw the field. In a weird twist of fate, that latter part may actually come to fruition in Week 11, and believe you me, an eighth Miami Dolphins loss would be far more valuable than the sixth-round pick Howie Roseman got back from Joe Douglas for Flacco last month.