The Cincinnati Bengals kept their chances of making the playoffs alive with a thrilling 33-31 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco beat 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers in a thrilling battle of the NFL’s oldest players.
Flacco Shines in Second Start for the Bengals
Flacco, who is 40 years old and making his second start since being traded from the Cleveland Browns, had a great game. He threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns to Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Noah Fant. The Super Bowl XLVII winner led a drive that ended in a game-winning field goal in the last few minutes. This brought Cincinnati’s record to 3-4.
Flacco said after the win, “This is what we do it for: games like that.” He praised his offensive line for keeping him safe and the team’s ability to play well for a full 60 minutes.
The drive that won the game sealed the win
Flacco stayed calm under pressure even after Pittsburgh took a 31-30 lead. This was with just over two minutes left on a spectacular 68-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to tight end Pat Freiermuth. The experienced quarterback led an eight-play, 52-yard drive that took up most of the clock. It set up Evan McPherson’s 36-yard field goal that won the game with only seven seconds left.
Star Receivers Rule
The Bengals’ star-studded group of receivers came to life in the win. Ja’Marr Chase caught 16 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, which was a career high. Tee Higgins caught six passes for a season-high 96 yards. Chase Brown ran for 108 yards on 11 carries, which was his first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Rodgers Makes History in Loss
Rodgers threw four touchdown passes. Even though they lost, he passed Pittsburgh legend Ben Roethlisberger for fifth place on the all-time career passing yards leaderboard. The 41-year-old quarterback finished his career with 64,222 passing yards. However, that wasn’t enough to keep the Steelers from losing 4-2.
The Bengals keep their season alive
“Very good. “Outstanding. Outstanding,” said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor about Flacco’s play. He pointed out that the team scored on seven of their last eight possessions. This was Cincinnati’s first win since Joe Burrow hurt his toe badly on September 14.
The Steelers are still in first place in the AFC North. In Week 8, they will play the Green Bay Packers in a big Sunday Night Football game.
