If there’s any team that could benefit from a win, it’s the Cincinnati Bengals. Led by 40-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco, the Bengals rallied in the final two minutes to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers to start Week 7.
Flacco threw three touchdowns in the Bengals’ 33-31 win, leading the game-winning drive that was capped by Evan McPherson’s 36-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining. This battle between the 40-yarder Flacco and the 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers was epic, as Rodgers threw for four touchdowns in the loss — including the go-ahead pass with 2:21 left.
The Bengals are back in the AFC North race at 3-4, while the Steelers fall to 4-2. This was a classic AFC North battle, it had all the elements, and a legendary performance by Flacco, who won a matchup with his sixth different team.
“Thursday Night Football” games have been exciting all season, full of overreactions to dramatic finishes. Which overreactions from the Bengals’ win over the Steelers are actually overreactions and which are real?
Joe Flacco saved the Bengals’ season
Overreaction or reality: reality
Did the Bengals need this win or what? Cincinnati was starting with a 2-4 record after the Bengals’ loss to the Packers on Sunday, with Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback. Flacco had been with the team for less than a week when he was asked to start, and needed time to get his feet wet. Even though the Bengals lost that game, they had some optimism that they could move the ball offensively with Flacco.
The Bengals didn’t just get a good performance from Flacco, they got the performance of the year. The 40-year-old Flacco went 31 of 47 for 342 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 108.6 passer rating, including 3 of 3 for 61 yards on the game-winning drive to upset the Steelers.
The Bengals looked like an offense that was finally able to get on the field with Flacco, using Ja’Marr Chase to the best of their ability (Chase had 23 targets) and Tee Higgins had excellent usage as well (10 targets).
The AFC North is certainly up for grabs with Flacco and the Bengals offense clicking like this. The sky is the limit if Flacco can get protected and the Bengals can get the ball down the field.
Joe Flacco saved Zac Taylor’s job
Overreaction or reality: reality
Taylor wasn’t supposed to be on the hot seat with Joe Burrow out, but his record without Burrow since the 2020 season is 6-12 (the year Burrow was drafted). Overall, Taylor is 8-26 without Burrow. Taylor got the Bengals job in 2019.
Without Burrow, Taylor was an easy target. The Bengals could have moved on from Taylor after the season if they continued to struggle without Burrow, though Jake Browning struggled mightily to get the offense moving.
This is why the Bengals traded for Flacco, as Taylor needed a quarterback to provide stability to their offense. Burrow was able to move the chains consistently, going 8 of 11 for 105 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions — a 132.8 passer rating. He was able to get the ball to Chase, as he had a 103.7 passer rating targeting Chase and a 125.4 passer rating targeting Higgins.
Taylor was finally able to get a quarterback who could run his offense and win some games. This victory over the Steelers took Taylor out of the hot seat, as the Bengals became formidable once again.
Joe Flacco was the Browns’ best quarterback
Overreaction or reality: reality
This is more of an indictment of the Browns as an offense than Flacco, who struggled mightily in Cleveland. Flacco has won the starting job for the Browns in training camp, with Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders all out with injuries. Brown had no choice but to ride with Flacco, but asking him to lead that offense was a difficult task.
Flacco completed just 58.1% of his passes for 815 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions for a 60.3 passer rating. While Flacco looked his age, there wasn’t much to work with in Cleveland. Gabriel is going through the same issues, and he only has two games remaining.
The Browns benched Flacco to play the rookies, but Flacco has shown when he has good pass rushers — one of whom is arguably the best receiver in football in Ja’Marr Chase — he can still play the position at a high level. If the Browns had better personnel on offense, Flacco likely would have started in Cleveland.
A loss to the Steelers would put them back in the field in the AFC North
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
If the Steelers want to escape with the AFC North, beating the Bengals will be crucial. Pittsburgh had a chance to move four games up in the division’s loss column, but couldn’t do it.
Instead, the Steelers won 4-2, and the Bengals are second in the division at 3-4. The Baltimore Ravens will get Lamar Jackson back this week, so they can see if they can make a run after the loss to Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ schedule gets tougher as well, as they face the Packers (3-1-1), Colts (5-1), and Chargers (4-2) over the next three games.
Could the Steelers get back in the mix? Sure, but Aaron Rodgers is playing well and the offense is moving the ball. The defense needs to fix some communication issues, but the Steelers could use a mini-bye to correct that.
The next three weeks will determine how good this Steelers team truly is. Is Thursday’s loss a temporary setback or a sign of things to come?
Aaron Rodgers will reconsider his retirement next season
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Rodgers stated that he believed this season would be his last in the league NFLThat’s why he signed a one-year contract with the Steelers. He has backed away from that statement – sort of – yet believes Rodgers can still move forward with his retirement.
Should he? Rodgers is playing well in his first season in Pittsburgh, completing 68.6% of his passes for 1,270 yards with 14 touchdowns to five interceptions — a 105.0 passer rating. He’s on pace to throw for 3,598 yards and 40 touchdowns. Not bad for a 41-year-old midfielder.
Rodgers has proven he can still play, but does he want to continue experiencing the fountain of youth and try to play at a high level for another season? This depends on how well he plays down the stretch and how far the Steelers can go in the playoffs, giving Rodgers another chance to win again. Super Bowl.
It’s too early to tell if Rodgers will reconsider retirement, but plans are changing.