CINCINNATI —The curse of Thursday Night Football lives on, as the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 0-9 in divisional road games on Thursday night, and once again lost to a team they were supposed to beat in a 33-31 upset by the Cincinnati Bengals .
The Steelers' highest-paid defense was carved up by 40-year old quarterback Joe Flacco , less than two weeks after he was acquired by Cincinnati, and receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins .
Flacco completed 31 of 47 for 342 yards and three touchdowns, while Chase had 16 catches for 161 yards as the Pittsburgh defense could do nothing but flail in the wake of No. 1 in black and white.
The Pittsburgh offense mostly held serve, but turned the ball over twice. Still, they clawed back into the game late to take the lead with 2:21 to play on a 68-yard touchdown from Aaron Rodgers to Pat Freiermuth .
But the defense melted once again, as Flacco threw two passes to Chase and one pass to Higgins to get back into field goal range so quickly they had to kneel down to burn some clock before Evan McPherson 's game-winning field goal.
The first quarter was nothing like the rest of the game. In the opening 15 minutes, the teams punted three times and the Steelers dominated on both sides of the ball. Pittsburgh out-gained Cincinnati, 122-44 and scored a touchdown in the first half and kicked a field goal on the opening drive of the second quarter.
From there, things unraveled quickly. The Steelers turned the ball over twice on offense, as Rodgers made an ill-advised throw into double coverage, looking for DK Metcalf , but finding safety Jordan Battle . Later in the quarter, he found Metcalf headed toward the sideline, but DJ Turner ripped the ball out of his hands and was given an interception after a replay review.
The Bengals offense came alive in the second period, with Joe Flacco connecting with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins over and over and over again.
He hit Chase for an 8-yard touchdown over Jalen Ramsey , then after the first Rodgers interception, found Higgins on a slant, and the big receiver that Mike Tomlin has nicknamed "Shaq" raced up field through the center of the Steelers defense for a 29-yard score.
The second Rodgers interception led to an Evan McPherson field goal, and the Bengals had quickly reversed the Pittsburgh lead for a 17-10 margin at the half.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 1, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
It was more of the same after the break, with McPherson converting two more field goals as part of a Cincinnati run where the Bengals scored on six conservative possessions.
But the Pittsburgh offense came back to life in the second half. Jaylen Warren mostly led the charge. He ripped off several long runs as part of a 16-carry, 127-yard effort. Warren also caught four passes for 31 yards.
After a long Warren run got the Steelers into the red zone, Rodgers hit Pat Freiermuth on a post route for a touchdown on 3rd and goal from 18.
Cincinnati answer right back with a pass from Flacco to tight end Noah Fant . Rodgers and Warren took the Steelers back down the field the other way and he hit Darnell Washington for a 2-yard touchdown.
The Pittsburgh defense finally held somewhat, allowing another McPherson field goal. After the teams traded punts, Rodgers hit Freiermuth for a 68-yard touchdown. Chris Boswell 's extra point put the Steelers ahead with 2:21 to play.
Rodgers finished 23 of 34 for 249 and four touchdowns, but the two turnovers loomed large in the back-and-forth game. Freiermuth continued his dominance of the Bengals, making five catches for 111 yards and the two scores.
The Steelers will have some extra time to lick their wounds before returning to Pittsburgh to host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football on Oct. 26.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Thursday Night Curse Continues, Bengals Shred Steelers Defense, 33-31
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