Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco was a limited participant in practice on Oct. 30.

This is an encouraging sign and a step in the right direction as the Bengals hope Flacco can play this weekend despite a sprain in the AC joint of his throwing shoulder. Flacco didn’t practice on Oct. 29, and head coach Zac Taylor said it was a 50-50 decision on whether he’ll play against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 2.

Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said he saw no difference in the way Flacco threw the ball in practice on Oct. 30.

“Regular, looked pretty (much) the same,” Chase said. “I didn’t know he was injured, for real.”

There are still three days before kickoff, and Flacco’s status could change. The Bengals will closely monitor how Flacco feels daily and if he’s suffering any setbacks. If Flacco can practice on Oct. 31 for a second consecutive day, it would signal things are heading in the direction of him being able to play on Nov. 2.

The Enquirer spoke to several players in the Bengals’ locker room on Oct. 30 and the sentiment around Flacco playing against the Bears was generally positive. Flacco being able to practice without his star wide receiver knowing he was injured is another reason for optimism.

At 3-5 and coming off an devastating home loss to the New York Jets, the Bengals need Flacco to lead another strong offensive performance to win. Since Flacco was traded to the Bengals on Oct. 7, he’s made the Bengals’ offense look like the unit everyone expected to see with franchise quarterback Joe Burrow.

In three starts for the Bengals, Flacco has completed 81 passes for 784 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. The team scored 33 points against Pittsburgh and 38 points against the Jets.

Taylor praised Flacco’s desire to play despite his injury earlier this week.

“He wasn’t here in the offseason; he wasn’t invested in our training camp,” Taylor said. “For him to come in it would be easy to make decision that there’s no way I’m playing. I’ve got an AC joint, we’ve got a bye week next week, so let’s just let this thing heal up. That has not been the communication he’s given to me at all. Ultimately, he may not be able to play, he may make that decision. For him just to want to put it out there for a team, himself, like he said before he’s just a football player, that’s what he does, that certainly goes a long way with me.”

If Flacco gets through the week and doesn’t believe he can play through the pain, the Bengals will start Jake Browning. The team will likely know by Oct. 31 if Flacco is going to be able to play, which means Taylor and his staff will be able to finalize the game plan with more than enough time knowing who their starting quarterback will be in a must-win game against the Bears.

Browning started three games for the Bengals before he was benched in favor of Flacco. In those three starts, Browning threw 80 passes for 757 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions.