CINCINNATI — It was Joe Flacco and Ja’Marr Chase to the rescue Thursday night when the Bengals absolutely needed it.
Evan McPherson’s fourth field goal of the night, from 36 yards with seven seconds remaining, lifted the Cincinnati Bengals past the Pittsburgh Steelers, 33-31, on Thursday night in Cincinnati. The play was set up on a perfect lob from Flacco to Tee Higgins for 28 yards from the Pittsburgh 35. Higgins slid to the Pittsburgh 7 and the Bengals were able to essentially kill the remainder of the clock before McPherson’s game-winning kick.
The Bengals (3-4) snapped a four-game losing streak and won for the first time since Joe Burrow was injured on Sept. 14. The Steelers (4-2) fell for the first time this season on the road.
Burrow’s replacement, Flacco completed 31-of-47 passes for 342 yards and threw three touchdowns while Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Pat Freiermuth, including a 68-yarder for the go-ahead score with over two minutes to go to put the Steelers up, 31-30. Rodgers finished with four touchdown passes in total, all to tight ends.
MONEY MAC PUTS US IN FRONT
📺: #PITvsCIN on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/XzV2xYMB0w
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 17, 2025
Aaron Rodgers vs. Joe Flacco didn’t disappoint in the fourth-ever matchup of 40-year-old quarterbacks.
With Cincinnati’s lead pass rusher Trey Hendrickson out with a hip injury, the 41-year-old Rodgers was able to scramble often, buying more time to find receivers downfield. Rodgers finished 22-of-32 for 244 yards two touchdowns and two interceptions. Steelers running back Jaylen Warren added 127 yards on 16 carries. The game ended when DJ Ivey batted Rodgers 60-yard heave to the end zone as time expired.
Ja’Marr Chase had a team-record 16 catches on 23 targets for 161 yards and a touchdown. Running back Chase Brown was key in Cincinnati’s first-half rally with explosive runs of 37 and 27 yards. Brown finished with 108 yards on 11 carries.
In just the fourth matchup of starting quarterbacks who were both 40 years of age or older, Rodgers drew first blood by marching the Steelers 69 yards in eight plays in just four minutes, nine seconds. The key play was a 39-yard strike down the right sideline to DK Metcalf over corner DJ Turner for a first down on third-and-11 from the Pittsburgh 30. Facing another third down, Rodgers scrambled for over eight seconds to his left and then his right before throwing a strike to tight end Jonnu Smith in the end zone for a 10-yard strike.
The Bengals were booed by their fans when they decided to punt on fourth-and-4 from their 47. The Steelers controlled most of the first half, and were threatening to add another touchdown when Jaylen Warren ran it in from 18 yards out. But Steelers lineman Zach Frazier was called for holding and then the Steelers committed a false start on a fourth-down conversion where it appeared the Steelers had the first down. The Steelers settled for a 41-yard Chris Boswell field goal that made it 10-0 midway through the second quarter.
The game began to turn for the Bengals after the Pittsburgh field goal. Flacco engineered a 10-play, 72-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown from Flacco to Chase. The touchdown came one play after an apparent touchdown connection between the two was ruled incomplete in the end zone by replay.
Jordan Battle intercepted an Aaron Rodgers deep ball for Metcalf on Pittsburgh’s next possession and Flacco drove the Bengals 76 yards, capped off by a 29-yard strike over the middle to Tee Higgins for a touchdown that put Cincinnati up, 14-10. It was Cincinnati’s first lead since a 3-0 lead on Sept. 29 at Denver.
Rodgers was intercepted again late in the first half by DJ Turner when Turner stole the ball from Metcalf as the two were falling out of bounds on the Pittsburgh sideline with 40 seconds remaining. Flacco drove the ball to the Pittsburgh 31 where Evan McPherson converted a 49-yard field goal to put Cincinnati up, 17-10, their first halftime lead since 14-10 over Cleveland in Week 1.
The Bengals used the first seven minutes of the second half to drive to the Pittsburgh 5, where they settled for a 23-yard field goal and a 20-10 lead, their first double-digit lead of the season.
FANT FINDS SIX
📺: #PITvsCIN on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/CfNuWvf0SN
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 17, 2025
Sporting a protective boot on his surgically repaired left foot, Joe Burrow was in attendance, watching warmups pregame at midfield on the Cincinnati sideline before move to the sideline and putting on a headset.
Cam Taylor-Britt was a surprising benching by the coaching staff as he was designated inactive for the first time this season due to a coaches’ decision.
