Jets' Joe Flacco to Start Week 1 vs. Ravens; Zach Wilson to Miss Several Games

Joe Flacco is set to serve as the New York Jets' starting quarterback for Sunday's Week 1 game against his former team, the Baltimore Ravens.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday that Jets starter Zach Wilson is "not quite ready" as he recovers from a knee injury suffered during the preseason.

Wilson will be missing the first few weeks of the campaign.

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Coach Saleh says that likely the earliest QB Zach Wilson will be available is Week 4 at Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/3buMD5xqTb

Flacco owns one of the most remarkable runs in NFL playoff history.

In 2012, he lead the Ravens past Andrew Luck's Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos and Tom Brady's New England Patriots to punch a ticket to the Super Bowl, where Baltimore scored a 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Flacco captured Super Bowl MVP honors and finished the postseason run with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions across the four games.

Besides that month of glory, the 37-year-old New Jersey native has been a mostly mediocre signal-caller as he heads into the 15th year of his career. He ranks 26th among active QBs with a 84.2 career passer rating, per Pro Football Reference.

The situation also creates the potential for a difficult situation for the Jets' coaching staff if Flacco leads the offense to consistent success inside the season's first three weeks.

New York is trying to take a step forward this year after posting a 4-13 record in 2021. The team hasn't qualified for the playoffs since 2010.

Wilson didn't light the world on fire as a rookie, finishing with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 games, but it's far too soon to make any definitive judgments about whether he can develop into a true franchise quarterback.

That said, if the Jets are 3-0 or 2-1 when the 2021 second overall pick is cleared to return, it's fair to wonder whether there could be a short-term quarterback controversy in New York.

While that storyline will develop in the coming weeks, the focus for Flacco and Co. right now is trying to score an important AFC win.

"I've been in a bunch of games where guys have played their old teams and coaches have played their past teams, and usually, the emotions are definitely crazy," Flacco told reporters in August.

The Jets and Ravens are set to face off at MetLife Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.