OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Joe Flacco can't remember if he'd ever missed a practice for the Baltimore Ravens before Wednesday.

But the seventh-year starting quarterback didn't have a choice. He was essentially quarantined.

"I feel better. It was a little virus," said Flacco, who returned to practice Thursday. "I didn't want to get the whole team sick and get something running through here."

Flacco caught the stomach bug from his oldest son, who just started preschool. While Flacco acknowledged it was "definitely different" not practicing, he doesn't believe missing a day will affect his preparation for Sunday's game at the Cleveland Browns.

He participated in the team's extra practice Tuesday, which was held because they had a mini-bye from playing their last game on a Thursday night.

"It kind of worked out nicely," Flacco said. "Obviously, I would've liked to be out there on the practice field. But I was able to be in the meetings."

Said offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak: "We're really not missing anything from a preparation standpoint when it's all said and done of what he normally would get."

Kubiak said there are some benefits of Flacco sitting out a practice.

"The good news is that it's probably good to get put in situations like Tyrod [Taylor, backup quarterback] to have to run the football team for a day," Kubiak said. "Things like that happen in practice and you got to respond on Sundays sometimes that way when something happens."