Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) throws a pass in the third quarter of the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Oct. 16, 2025.

The highlight of the night for Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals may not be the three touchdowns or 31 completions he threw.

It might be his 13-yard rush on a quarterback keeper off a fake handoff that helped his new team defeat fellow quadragenarian Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, 33-31, on "Thursday Night Football."

Flacco may have turned on the jets in that moment, but it was his arm that stole the show. He was 31-for-47 for 342 yards passing, with 16 of his passes finding the hands of Cincinnati wideout Ja'Marr Chase.

Rodgers led the Steelers to a 10-point lead in the first half as the Bengals struggled to sustain anything offensively until they couldn't be stopped. Flacco led seven scoring drives on the Bengals' final eight possessions from the second quarter on.

That included the final drive that began with 2:21 in the fourth quarter and the Bengals trailing 31-30 after Rodgers found tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 68-yard touchdown to put Pittsburgh back in the lead. But Flacco had the final say. His floater on second-and-eight inside of two minutes perfectly hit receiver Tee Higgins in stride, and Higgins had the wherewithal to slide. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin burned his team's timeouts and Evan McPherson hit the game-winning 36-yard field goal with seven seconds on the clock.

Joe Flacco stats vs. Steelers

Completions: 31

Attempts: 47

Passing yards: 342

Passing TDs: 3

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Flacco stats from Cincinnati Bengals' win over Pittsburgh Steelers

Reporting by Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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