The Joe Flacco-John Harbaugh era got off to a winning start when the Ravens hosted the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7, 2008. This was Flacco's coming-out party as an NFL quarterback, and he did a little bit of everything in the 17-10 win. He was able to manage the game and not throw any interceptions. He threw a key block on wide receiver Mark Clayton's 42-yard touchdown run off a reverse and he ran for a 38-yard touchdown of his own. The only thing Flacco didn't do was throw a touchdown pass.
WHAT HAPPENED: : For rabid fans searching for a leader at quarterback, Flacco did everything he could to make them happy. His touchdown jaunt led the Ravens to a 17-3 lead with 15 seconds left in the third quarter. Fellow rookie Ray Rice fumbled in the fourth quarter, and Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph returned the ball for a 65-yard touchdown to cut into the lead. But the Ravens' punishing running game essentially ran the clock out. For Harbaugh, to win his first game, and to get a rookie quarterback established, it could not have been a better start to the season.
