Oct 16, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

It was a night to remember on Thursday in Cincinnati. Not only did Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco become only the second-ever matchup between 40-plus-year-old starting quarterbacks in NFL history, but they also put their names in the history books in a gunslinger duel between your favorite football uncles.

Flacco emerged as the winner, saving the Bengals' season with a 342-yard performance and three touchdowns, along with a game-ending drive to give Cincy their first win in a month. It was a game the Bengals needed to win to stay alive in the AFC North division, as the Steelers were just a win away from pulling clear of any resistance within the normally tight field.

Now a journeyman crossing the nation to save ailing franchises everywhere, Flacco had one of the premier performances of his entire career on Thursday, showing why he won a Super Bowl over a decade ago with the Baltimore Ravens in one of the most incredible runs in postseason history. He surpassed not only legend Fran Tarkenton but also fellow league old timer Russell Wilson to rise into the No. 14 spot all-time with 47,073 yards. While Warren Moon feels a bit out of reach at 49,325 yards, it's silly to be against Flacco, who roams from town to town putting up a few games a year before settling in a new city.

In defeat, Rodgers also had a night that put his already Hall of Fame career into a new stratosphere, ironically surpassing Pittsburgh legend Ben Roethlisberger to take over No. 5 in passing yards. This spot is where Rodgers will most likely stand for the rest of his career, trailing Brett Favre at the No. 4 position by over 7,000 yards. Rodgers put up good numbers as well on Thursday night in a game that could have all but sealed the division for the Steelers, yet a couple of interceptions let Flacco and a hamstrung Bengals team fight long enough to win out in the end.

It was a game between two of the most memorable quarterbacks of a generation. Rodgers, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, whose poise and presence in the pocket will be taught for centuries at the quarterback position. At his peak, one of the finest players in NFL history, and who has a claim to be the outright greatest player to ever step on the football field in terms of peak. When Rodgers was at his best in Green Bay, he was unstoppable, delivering daggers across the field with the secondary and pass rush no chance of touching him with his delivery time and precision.

On the other hand, Flacco, whose career has been like a rollercoaster, will sit in the Hall of Very Good. A player that had one of the most exciting runs to a title of any sport in history, who ultimately was a hotrod for talk shows and newspapers dissecting if he was ever elite or just someone who was a flash in the pan. When others would have retired at this point in their career with a championship under his belt, Joe Flacco has persevered, happily taking backup roles throughout the league to show why he's special when given a chance to start.

Rodgers is a quarterback whom future generations will still emulate and model their play after. Flacco, hopping from uniform to uniform, masking as a backup only to turn hero once the spotlight turns on him, will be different. They might not teach the story of Joe Flacco when it's all said and done, but his presence will endure like folklore. The maverick opportunist who befuddled Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers throughout their era, never the main character but always the jestful foil.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Flacco, Rodgers Make History in Rare 40-Plus QB Showdown

Reporting by Touchdown Wire / Touchdown Wire

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