Flacco finds vintage form as Bengals win battle of 40-something QBs

CINCINNATI — Thursday night time proved that something can occur within the AFC North.

And meaning the Cincinnati Bengals would possibly nonetheless be within the combine for a possible playoff berth. Cincinnati took down the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers in a 33-31 victory Thursday night time at Paycor Stadium.

Coming into the prime-time showdown, Cincinnati had misplaced 4 straight video games, and the Steelers, who misplaced simply as soon as this season, had been threatening to open a commanding lead within the division.

As a substitute, the Bengals closed the hole. Behind a monstrous effort from large receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who completed with 16 catches for 161 yards and a landing, Cincinnati’s offense had its finest exhibiting of the season. The win additionally confirmed why the Bengals traded for quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns within the win, with starter Joe Burrow on injured reserve due to turf toe.

The commerce — and Thursday night time’s win — did simply sufficient to provide one thing Cincinnati hasn’t felt in weeks — hope.

Cincinnati Bengals

Most shocking efficiency: Except for Flacco’s big night time, Cincinnati’s working sport had been woefully ineffective for the majority of the primary six weeks, with Chase Brown not dwelling as much as the preseason expectations. Towards Pittsburgh, Brown had a sport that might jump-start his 12 months and actually assist the offense. He had 11 carries for 108 yards. However most significantly, he reeled off a few massive runs, which helped open Cincinnati’s passing assault.

Stat to know: Chase crossed 6,000 receiving yards in his profession in his 69th sport. He’s the fifth-fastest participant to hit that threshold, with Vikings large receiver Justin Jefferson, his former LSU teammate, additionally in that group.

Troubling pattern: For the second straight week, the Bengals struggled with tackling. After the group’s loss to the Detroit Lions, the teaching employees mentioned that side of the protection wasn’t adequate. Cincinnati had points with that in opposition to the Steelers. Rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. was subbed out after a missed deal with within the fourth quarter and changed by veteran Oren Burks.

Subsequent sport: vs. New York Jets (1 p.m. ET, Oct. 26)

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers spent their offseason assembling a secondary particularly for matchups in opposition to groups just like the Cincinnati Bengals. With a trio of Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr., the Steelers’ secondary was presupposed to match up with anybody — together with Bengals receiving tandem Chase and Tee Higgins.

However catching dimes from Flacco on Thursday night time, Chase and Higgins beat the Steelers in man-to-man and zone, besting the Steelers and their revamped protection to propel the Bengals to an unbelievable upset. The Steelers’ protection, which seemed to be on the rise 4 days earlier in a win in opposition to the Browns, not solely could not shut down the pair of receivers, but it surely additionally let Brown run wild for a season excessive — within the first half.

The deflating defensive efficiency overshadowed a near-vintage efficiency from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who threw 4 landing passes, all to his tight ends, together with a 68-yard catch-and-run rating to Pat Freiermuth with 2:31 to go to take a one-point lead.

QB evaluation: Rodgers was outdueled by Flacco in a battle of the 40-something quarterbacks, partially due to Rodgers’ poor choice to power the ball deep to DK Metcalf, who was double-covered, within the first half. Jordan Battle picked off Rodgers’ move, the primary of the Steelers’ third sequence, and the Bengals marched to the tip zone in three performs for his or her second landing and first lead of the night. Earlier than that interception, Rodgers’ first of two within the first half, the quarterback was transferring like a classic model of himself. He held on to the ball for 8.6 seconds earlier than discovering tight finish Jonnu Smith for a scramble drill landing to cap the primary drive of the sport. It marked Rodgers’ longest time he needed to throw a landing move since at the very least 2016, in accordance with Subsequent Gen Stats. Rodgers completed with three TDs on passes exterior the pocket, tied for probably the most in his profession (he had carried out it two different occasions, most just lately on this season’s opener on the Jets).

Shocking efficiency: The Steelers’ move rush. The Steelers had six sacks in every of the previous two video games and 17 up to now three, but they struggled to generate a lot stress on Flacco, who was taking part in behind a much-maligned Bengals offensive line. The Steelers recorded two sacks, however went three quarters between them. T.J. Watt, who had three quarterback hits and half a sack final week, did not file a sack or deal with via three quarters. Watt did not present up on the stat sheet till his sack late within the fourth with Pittsburgh down by six. Flacco, in the meantime, seemed calm and picked up all through a lot of the night time and continuously discovered his receivers in rhythm, largely as a result of he wasn’t beneath duress.

Stat to know: The Steelers have allowed 30-plus factors in a sport for the third time this season, marking the primary time since 2003 that the Steelers have allowed at the very least 30 factors thrice inside their first six video games of the season, in accordance with ESPN Analysis. Permitting 30 factors in opposition to the Bengals is particularly egregious as a result of, not like the primary two occasions the Steelers gave up at the very least 30 factors within the first two weeks of the season, the entire group’s defensive starters had been wholesome, and the protection had been trending in the correct route the earlier three weeks.

Subsequent sport: vs. Green Bay Packers (8:20 p.m. ET, Oct. 26)