ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For nearly two months Joe Flacco had to sustain the friendly ribbing of his wife, Dana, who jokingly reminded him at every chance she could that he was a backup quarterback. No longer the veteran starter who once guided the Ravens to a miracle at Mile High and a Super Bowl victory weeks later. No longer The Guy.



The No. 2.



Dana relished in the opportunity to poke fun, if anything to make the situation a little lighter than what it really was.



“They were pretty funny,” Flacco admitted, turning around to see Dana smiling. “I had to give her credit.”



Because really, those months late last year were agonizing. Benched by the Ravens after sustaining a hip injury in a Week 9 loss to Pittsburgh, Flacco watched the team he had been with for more than 10 seasons replace him with rookie Lamar Jackson.



“If I have to reflect back on that time in Baltimore, it was not very fun,” Flacco said.