Joe Flacco beats Aaron Rodgers as Bengals beat Steelers in dramatic fashion

NFL fans got a real treat on “Thursday Night Football,” as the Cincinnati Bengals ended a three-game losing streak with a thrilling 31-30 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at home.

The Bengals, who were desperate for a win after starting the season 2-0, are now 3-4, while the Steelers fall to 4-2 on the year.

And even though they are well past their prime, Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco put on a show like they did in early 2010 in Cincinnati.

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It started with Rodgers, who seemingly improved by the week with the Steelers in his debut season. He needed just eight plays to go 69 yards for a touchdown to tight end Jonnu Smith from 10 yards out, while scrambling, sweeping and delivering a hit to his man for a seven-point lead.

For Flacco, success didn’t come immediately in his home debut for the Bengals, as they had to punt twice. But the third possession saw the motivation Bengals fans have been desperate for since Flacco was traded from the Cleveland Browns to relieve Jake Browning of his starting duties.

Flacco went 10 plays and 72 yards as he found Ja’Marr Chase on one of several passes, this one for an eight-yard touchdown to make it 10-7.

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Then, Cincinnati’s defense came right out as the momentum shifted to the home team. Jordan Battle intercepted Rodgers in a stunning play, snatching the ball out of DK Metcalf’s hands and staying inside while doing so. Flacco took advantage and found Tee Higgins, who ran through multiple Steelers defenders for 29 yards.

Rodgers would again be selected in the next round, and the Bengals were able to kick a field goal before halftime to head into the locker room with a surprising 17-10 lead.

If the first half wasn’t wild enough, the second half blew the doors off a prime-time divisional matchup. There were five straight scoring drives, including three straight touchdown drives, as Flacco found Noah Fant and Rodgers used his tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington to make the game 27-24.

The Bengals were able to give Evan McPherson a field goal attempt, which he buried to push their lead to 30-24, but Rodgers had a chance late in the fourth quarter to give his team a chance at the lead they had been chasing since the first quarter.

With 2:21 left on the clock, Rodgers escaped the pressure and his eyes lit up when he saw Freiermuth alone on the field and sent a pass to him that was picked off and he was off to the races. Freiermuth went 68 yards to tie the game, and the extra point was good to give Pittsburgh a 31-30 lead.

But was the result too quick for the Steelers given the way Flacco and the Bengals’ offense was playing? You bet.

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Flacco once again dissected the Steelers’ defense with a seven-play scoring drive that capped off a 28-yard pass to Higgins, who smartly slid into the red zone to run down the clock and allow McPherson a field goal opportunity. He nailed it from 36 yards and the Paycor Stadium crowd were in a frenzy when they finally got back into the win column.

Looking at the box score, Chase broke his own franchise record for the most receptions in a single game, catching 16 of his 23 targets from Flacco for 161 yards and a touchdown. Those 23 goals were the most scored by a player all season in the NFL by a mile.

Higgins also added 96 yards with a touchdown on six catches, while Chase Brown finally got the rushing game he wanted with 108 yards on 11 carries after struggling through the first six games.

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Flacco finished 31 of 47 for 342 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. As for Rodgers, his patent for the “Hail Mary” ultimately didn’t work out. He was 23 of 34 for 249 yards with four touchdown passes and two interceptions.

Jaylen Warren totaled 127 yards on the ground as well as 31 air yards on four catches, while Freiermuth had his breakout game of the season with 111 yards on five receptions.

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