A week and a half after arriving in Cincinnati, Joe Flacco has saved the Bengals’ season for now. The 40-year-old Flacco, in his second start for his sixth NFL team, threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a rollicking 33-31 win over the Steelers.
Ja’Marr Chase set a franchise record with 16 catches and finishes with 161 yards and a touchdown, but it was Tee Higgins (6 receptions, 96 receiving yards, one touchdown) who made the deciding play of the game, catching a deep pass from Flacco and sliding down instead of scoring late. After three Flacco kneel downs, Evan McPherson knocked through the game-winning 36-yard field goal.
The Bengals weren’t officially out of the woods, as Aaron Rodgers — the king of the Hail Mary — got one last shot, but D.J. Ivey knocked it down to seal the win.
The Steelers took the opening drive and went right down the field, with Aaron Rodgers capping it with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith, and the Steelers made it 10-0 early in the second quarter.
Then the Bengals flipped the script in the blink of an eye. Flacco capped the ensuing drive with a beautiful 8-yarder to Chase, Jordan Battle intercepted an ill-advised deep ball from Rodgers into double coverage, and three plays later, Flacco found Higgins for a 29-yard catch and run.
DJ Turner II then made one of the best defensive plays of the year, ripping the ball away from DK Metcalf (with help from a big Geno Stone hit) for Rodgers’ second interception of the night, and Evan McPherson knocked through a 49-yard field goal as time expired in the half.
The fireworks continued in the second half. Down 20-10, Rodgers ripped a beautiful 19-yard seam ball to Pat Freiermuth for a touchdown. Flacco answered right back with his own touchdown drive ending with a Noah Fant touchdown, but Rodgers responded with a touchdown pass of his own to Darnell Washington to make it 27-24, Cincinnati.
After a Bengals field goal, the teams exchanged punts — the only two punts of the second half — and Rodgers found Freiermuth for a 68-yard touchdown.
But Flacco, as it turned out, had the last laugh, and the Bengals have life.
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