Thursday night didn't go as planned for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fans expected to see the usual: Pittsburgh beating down on their division rivals Cincinnati Bengals. With Cincinnati struggling in the last four week and Pittsburgh on a roll, the latter team was the clear favorites to win.
Instead, Steelers fans were treated to a different vintage experience: the Joe Flacco experience. The Bengals quarterback went toe-to-toe with Aaron Rodgers in the oldest QB matchup in NFL history. In the end, Flacco's Bengals came up on top, as Pittsburgh lost for only the second time this season.
Despite the loss, Rodgers isn't too worried. The Steelers quarterback knows all too well that divisional games are unpredictable, and that they won't get carried away by just one loss.
“”We had a chance to really open up some space, but we're 4-2, still 1st in division, got home games coming up, another Sunday night opportunity against my former team,” Rodgers said, per Brooke Pryor. “I'm not going to ride the rollercoaster, and I know Mike isn't. Hopefully you guys follow suit.”
Rodgers played out of his mind in the Bengals-Steelers' matchup that fans lovingly called “Icy Hot Bowl”. The veteran quarterback completed 23 of his 31 passing attempting, throwing for 249 yards on the night. Rodgers threw four touchdowns and two interceptions, both interceptions coming in the second quarter of the game.
The Steelers also had an efficient game on the ground, with lead running back Jaylen Warren getting 127 rushing yards. Why did the Steelers lose, then? Well, their defense simply couldn't stop Flacco and the Bengals. The Pittsburgh defense allowed a combined 142 rushing yards from Chase Brown and Samaje Perine. Their pass defense was much worse: Ja'Marr Chase had 16 completions for 161 yards, while Tee Higgins had 96 yards on 6 catches.
Overall, Flacco finished the game with 31 completions on 47 attempts, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. After a completion to Higgins set the Bengals up for the go-ahead field goal, Rodgers attempted a vintage Hail Mary to save the Steelers. The pass reached the endzone, but was batted down by a Bengals defender.
Now, the Steelers have a long week before facing off against a familiar foe for Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers are visiting Pittsburgh for Week 8 of the season. Rodgers and the Steelers will look to reset to prepare for that game.
