Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco to make NFL history during Steelers vs. Bengals showdown on Thursday night
The NFL has rarely seen a QB matchup like this one
By
Bryan DeArdo
•
1 min read
Thursday night's game between the Steelers and Bengals will feature a unique quarterback matchup between 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers and 40-year-old Joe Flacco.
This will be only the third game in NFL history between two starting quarterbacks who are over 40 years old, according to Elias Sports (h/t Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette). The only two prior matchups included games between Tom Brady and Drew Brees that both took place during the 2020 season.
Rodgers has been playing at an exceptionally high level this season, his first with the Steelers. The four-time MVP enters Thursday night's game with 10 touchdowns (against just two interceptions) and is completing 68.8% of his passes while helping lead Pittsburgh to a 4-1 start.
While Flacco hasn't been as good, his situation this season has been vastly different. The former Super Bowl MVP was the Browns' opening day starter before being benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel after just four games. He was then dealt to the Bengals in a trade that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin referred to as "shocking" earlier this week.
Less than a week after joining the Bengals, Flacco started and threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns during Cincinnati's Week 6 loss to the Packers in Green Bay.
Tomlin's clear annoyance with the Browns dealing Flacco to Cincinnati is understandable. Instead of facing Jake Browning, Tomlin's team will instead have to face a quarterback in Flacco who has played the Steelers 25 times over his 18-year career. During their most recent encounter, Flacco came off the bench in Week 3 of the 2024 season to lead the Colts to an upset win over the previously unbeaten Steelers.
Thursday night's is a big one for both teams. For the Steelers, it's a chance to increase their stranglehold over the rest of the field in the AFC North standings. Conversely, the Bengals need a win to increase their odds of playing meaningful football deep into the 2025 season.
