Flacco to miss Week 9 with neck injury, could be placed on IR
Denver Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco will not play in Week 9 due to a herniated disc in his neck, head coach Vic Fangio announced.
Fangio later added that placing the 34-year-old on injured reserve was a possibility, but that the team will gather more information before making a final decision, according to DNVR's Andrew Mason.
Fourth-year quarterback Brandon Allen will ultimately replace Flacco. Allen, a 2016 sixth-round pick, will get his first start and taste of pro football at home against the Cleveland Browns.
Flacco's injury comes on the heels of another close loss for the Broncos. Following the defeat, the quarterback did not shy away from voicing his displeasure with the conservative play-calling on offense.
A frustrated Joe Flacco after the loss: "We're now a 2-6 football team and we're afraid to go for it in a two minute drill... I just felt like, what do we have to lose? Why can't we be aggressive in some of these situations." pic.twitter.com/SYfqGPKqFE
— Lindsay Joy (@LindsayJoyTV) October 27, 2019
Flacco has not met expectations in his first season in Denver, leading the team to a 2-6 mark while throwing for 1,822 yards and six touchdowns against eight total turnovers.
Rookie second-round pick Drew Lock is nearing a return from the injured reserve, but Fangio indicated he is not quite ready for game action.