Upcoming Patriots opponents swing quarterback trade

New England Patriots fans looking ahead at the schedule will have two quarterback situations to reevaluate. On Tuesday two of their upcoming opponents - the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals - pulled of a rare in-division QB trade that is sending 18-year veteran Joe Flacco to Cincy.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's a pick-swap trade. The Browns will send Flacco and a sixth-round pick to the Bengals, and get a fifth-round pick back.

Of the two teams, the Patriots will face the Browns first, in three weeks at Gillette Stadium for their Week 8 matchup. Flacco starting the year under center for Cleveland, but struggled. He completed 58.1% of his passes and threw just two touchdowns to six interceptions over the first four games. This past week he was benched for third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, who completed 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start.

Flacco was still the backup in that game, but now that job will go to fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders. Pending another signing, the Browns are left with an all-rookie quarterback room, plus former Patriot Bailey Zappe on their practice squad.

Not only does this set the Patriots up to face back-to-back rookie quarterbacks as they visit Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans the week before hosting the Browns, they also very well may end up facing back-to-back lefty quarterbacks, in Gabriel and then Michael Penix the next week with the Atlanta Falcons.

It'll be a little wile longer until the Patriots take on the Bengals, visiting Cincinnati in Week 12. They're still expected to be missing starter Joe Burrow at that point. Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2, with most reports having him out until into the month of December (this game is on Nov. 23).

With Burrow out the Bengals had turned to Jake Browning. However he lost his first three starts after winning the game he replaced Burrow in, stepping in early in that one in Week 2. In those four games, he's thrown for just 189.3 yards per game and has six touchdowns to eight interceptions.

Browning didn't get much help from his offensive line, which has had a pressure rate of 44% over the past four weeks. It will now be up to the veteran Flacco to navigate that. Browning will still likely be his backup, with Brett Rypien also on the active roster and Mike White and Sean Clifford on the practice squad.