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NFL fans got their money’s worth on “Thursday Night Football.” Cincinnati Bengals ended their three-game losing streak with a thrilling 31:30 home win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bengals, who were desperate for a win after a 2-0 start to the season, are now 3-4 the Steelers fall to 4:2 year-on-year.
Even though Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco are well past their prime, they put on a show like it was the early 2010s in Cincinnati.
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Joe Flacco of the Cincinnati Bengals throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter of the game at Paycor Stadium on October 16, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
It started with Rodgers, who seems to have gotten better every week in his debut season with the Steelers. He needed just eight plays to go 69 yards for a touchdown to tight end Jonnu Smith from 10 yards out as he scrambled, surveyed and threw a strike to his man that gave him the seven-point lead.
For Flacco, success didn’t come straight away in his home debut with the Bengals, as they were forced to punt twice. But the third possession brought the drive that Bengals fans had wanted so much since Flacco was traded from the Cleveland Browns to relieve Jake Browning of his starting duties.
Flacco completed 10 plays and 72 yards, hitting Ja’Marr Chase on one of many passes, this time for an eight-yard touchdown that made it 10-7.
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Then Cincinnati’s defense immediately asserted itself as the momentum shifted to the home team. Jordan Battle intercepted Rodgers with an incredible play, ripped the ball out of DK Metcalf’s hands and stayed inbounds. Flacco took advantage of this opportunity and found Tee Higgins, who ran through several Steelers defenders for a 29-yard touchdown.
Rodgers was shut down again on the ensuing drive, and the Bengals were able to kick a field goal before the end of the first half and go into the locker room with a surprising 17-10 lead.
If the first half wasn’t wild enough, the second half blew the climax of their divisional battle into prime time. There were five straight scoring drives, including three straight touchdown drives, with Flacco finding Noah Fant and Rodgers utilizing tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington to bring the game to 27-24.
Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter of the game at Paycor Stadium on October 16, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The Bengals were able to give Evan McPherson a field goal attempt that he had thwarted to extend their lead to 30-24, but Rodgers had an opportunity 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, Rodgers escaped the pressure and his eyes lit up when he saw Freiermuth alone in the field and passed him a pass that was intercepted and it was off to the races. Freiermuth ran 68 yards to tie the game and the extra point was good to give Pittsburgh a 31-30 lead.
But was it too quick an outcome for the Steelers given how Flacco and the Bengals’ offense played? You can bet on it.
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Flacco dismantled the Steelers’ defense once again with a seven-play drive capped by a perfectly placed 28-yard pass to Higgins, who deftly slid into the red zone to waste time and give McPherson a chance for the walk-off field goal. He made it from 36 yards out and the Paycor Stadium crowd went into an uproar as they finally got back in the win column.
Looking at the box score, Chase broke his own franchise record for most receptions in a single game by catching 16 of his 23 targets from Flacco for 161 yards and his touchdown. These 23 goals were by far the most scored by a player in the NFL all season.
Higgins also added 96 yards on six catches with his touchdown, while Chase Brown finally had the rushing game he wanted with 108 yards on 11 carries after struggling in the first six games.
Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates after a touchdown during a Pittsburgh Steelers NFL football game at Paycor Stadium on October 16, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
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Flacco went an incredible 31 of 47 for 342 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. As for Rodgers, his patented Hail Mary didn’t work in the end. He was 23 of 34 for 249 yards with four touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Jaylen Warren managed 127 yards on the ground and 31 yards through the air on four catches, while Freiermuth broke out this season with 111 yards on five catches.
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