BEREA, Ohio — Nov. 4, 2018. That was the last time Joe Flacco suited up and played in a game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. His threads on that day: purple, black and gold.
After that game, played against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Flacco was sidelined with a hip injury, and the Ravens turned to rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson. Flacco never played again for the Ravens and began his journey around the league after 11 seasons and a Super Bowl with the Ravens.
Over the next nearly seven years, Flacco—who went on to play for the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles (in preseason games), the Cleveland Browns (where he returned this season), and the Indianapolis Colts—somehow never played in a game scheduled at M&T Bank Stadium.
"I got to play them a couple years ago, but going back to Baltimore is definitely a little bit different story. It is somewhat surprising, honestly, because I‘ve been gone a decent amount of time, so the fact that I haven’t had a chance to go back is a little surprising," Flacco said.
That is set to change on Sunday.
With the Browns traveling to Baltimore to face the Ravens in Week 2, Flacco will play his first game in the city he once called home for the first time since his departure.
Naturally, it's an opportunity that holds a lot of weight for the Browns' starting quarterback. Flacco will play in front of a stadium that once cheered him on, looking to upset those same fans come game day. There's no bad blood there, but there's history, and that history comes with plenty of feelings.
"We were on good terms when I left, but at the same time, it’s natural to feel a certain way when you're going against a team that you're not playing for anymore. I've been a part of other players that do that and you kind of try to act normal, but it is a big deal. You do want to go beat them and it's a little bit of a difference," Flacco said.
The emotions are expected to be high. The stakes are also raised with the importance of a win. After the Browns fell to the Bengals in their season opener, a one-point heartbreaker, Cleveland has started the season 0-1, making them 0-1 in division standings as well. Sunday's game against the Ravens is the Browns' second-straight divisional matchup, a game they'd love to win and gain some important early ground back in the AFC North.
It's just as high stakes for the Ravens, who are coming off a brutal loss to the Buffalo Bills, who came from behind and hit a game-winning field goal to send Baltimore home 0-1 to start the season as well.
The Browns believe that Flacco will be the exact quarterback that has made him so efficient over his 18 seasons in the league, the kind of quarterback that was so successful for the Ravens all those years—"Like a professional," as head coach Kevin Stefanski described it.
Or, as veteran left guard Joel Bitonio—who has grown very familiar with Flacco both in his time as a Brown and the time he spent going against him as a Raven—would describe it, he'll be "Joe Cool."
"He's just Joe cool. We're going out there and playing. So I don't think he'll make it any big—I'm sure he'll think about it. That's a long time in his career, champ there, so I'm sure he'll have emotions going into it, but for us, we want to protect him and hopefully let him have a good performance," Bitonio said.
Even if there are emotions coursing through Flacco on Sunday, don't expect it to show from him on game day.
"Even if I am not [in check emotionally], you're not going to know. I've been criticized my whole career for not being able to show any emotions, so I think that's the last thing you have to worry about with me," Flacco said, laughing.
Flacco makes his return to Baltimore for the 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday inside M&T Bank Stadium.
