Whew. Have you recovered from that one yet?
“The Unc Bowl” is in the books, and both quarterbacks played phenomenally on Thursday night. However, Joe Flacco avoided mistakes, and the Bengals came out victorious.
Here are the best and worst from the Bengals’ 33-31 win over the Steelers in primetime.
The Good
Flacco delivers under pressure
In just his second start in Cincinnati, Joe Flacco went 31-of-47 for 342 yards and three touchdowns, calmly engineering the final drive and out-dueling 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers to seal the win. That kind of poise gives this team a much-needed spark with Burrow sidelined.
Flacco delivered on many different throws, was on time, and hit receivers routinely in stride. His experience, poise, arm strength, and leadership played a huge role in the crucial win against the Steelers.
Ja’Marr Chase is in his bag
Chase absolutely stole the show. He set a Bengals single-game record with 16 catches, while adding 161 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted all over the field — over the middle, on screens, downfield — and repeatedly made contested catches that kept drives alive.
Running game finally shows life
Through six games, the run game had been a non-factor. But Thursday night, Cincinnati racked up 142 rushing yards (6.2 yards per carry) and got real production from Chase Brown, whose runs of 27 and 37 yards wiped out earlier dormancy.
That balance made life harder on Pittsburgh’s defense and ended up eating clock. While Flacco, Chase, Tee Higgins, and Noah Fant headlined the night with the high-flying attack, Cincinnati also bullied the Steelers on the ground. Additional kudos go to the offensive line for an all-around effective performance.
Clutch kicking
Evan McPherson rose to the occasion, connecting on four field goals and three extra points to boot. His final 36-yard kick with just 7 seconds left was the dagger that clinched it. Might he actually be a sneaky MVP candidate in this game?
Big defensive moments (even if spotty)
DJ Turner II came up with a timely and highlight-reel interception. The Bengals’ defense forced a few key stops along the way and turnovers to keep Pittsburgh from truly pulling away after an early 10-0 Steelers lead.
Jordan Battle also had a key interception on a deep ball, aiding the Bengals’ offense. Cincinnati capitalized on these turnovers with 10 points on offense, which was a huge difference in the game.
The Bad
Inconsistent defense & blown coverages
The defense — especially in the secondary — had plenty of lapses. The Steelers exploited them, particularly late: Rodgers hit a 68-yard touchdown to Pat Freiermuth with 2:21 left in the game to take the lead.
Coverage breakdowns like that can’t happen and still expect to win close games. In this one, Cincinnati’s defense allowed explosive plays on situations ranging from a 3rd-and-11, 3rd-and-19, and a 2nd-and-20. This is simply not sustainable, and the Bengals’ defense needs to shore up things when they have the opposing offense on the ropes.
Over-reliance on passing
Even with a better running game, the offense still leaned heavily on Flacco throwing the ball. While Flacco was on point with accuracy and timing, there are only six quarters of film of him with the Bengals, and some concern could stem from future predictability.
Could hyper-aggressive defenses and/or other quality teams begin to find trends and jump routes? Are things too predictable going forward, or is it simply a matter of the Bengals currently keeping things simple for a quarterback who has been in Cincinnati for 11 days and has played two games in that span?
Margin for error is thin
A few mistakes — a defensive lapse here, a penalty there, or a missed assignment — could have turned this loss. For a team still trying to find its identity, risk tolerance is low.
Thankfully, McPherson was perfect on the evening, and Cincinnati traded blows with the Steelers throughout the evening. Still, one critical mishap by any unit in a timely fashion, and we’re talking 2026 Mock Drafts here.
Absentee pass rush
With Trey Hendrickson out (hip injury), pressure wasn’t as consistent. The Steelers had time to throw, which allowed Rodgers to stretch the field late. First-round pick Shemar Stewart returned to the lineup, but it didn’t make much of a difference, as the Bengals somehow won without a single quarterback sack (in fact, the biggest hit was from his own offensive lineman, Broderick Jones).
Without an elite pass rush, elite QBs can tee off. Rodgers, even at 41 years old, looked spry and hit many open guys against a Bengals secondary that looked downright confused at times.
The Ugly
Giving up that 68-yard bomb
There’s something visceral about yielding that kind of big play in a critical moment. The defenders got beaten badly, and Pittsburgh capitalized. That’s a blemish that’ll stick.
However, it’s not just a late big play to Pat Freiermuth in crunch time that stings. It’s the fact that the Bengals knew what the Pittsburgh offense was going to throw at them and still allowed four touchdowns to Steelers tight ends in this one. The 68-yard would-be dagger at the end of the game was a microcosm of defensive issues by Cincinnati.
Dependence on last-second heroics
This win came down to Flacco’s drive and McPherson’s kick with seconds remaining. You can’t lean on that every week.
Cincinnati had opportunities to put the Steelers away for good. After dominating the second quarter into the beginning of the fourth, the Bengals’ offense’s last possessions made things tenuous, while the defense allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Defensive failure to Close the Door
Late in the game, the defense showed cracks: missed assignments, slow reactions, and allowed chunk plays. If the Bengals want to sustain a playoff run under Flacco, the defense needs to be sharper in crunch time.
Additionally, tackling was a major issue throughout the game. Al Golden attempted to rotate Logan Wilson and Oren Burks back into the lineup to try and negate the many missed tackles by an inexperienced defensive unit, which came with mixed results. To reiterate a point above, Cincinnati’s defense needs to capitalize when they put the opposition in a precarious yards-to-go situation, not allow huge plays in that scenario.
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