STEELERS WEEK 6: OLD MEN, NEW CLASSIC

The stats will tell you everything you need to know heading into a football game — even if you don’t want to believe them.

 

For example, Mike Tomlin was 0-6 in Thursday night road games against AFC North rivals.

Home teams were also 14-3 in AFC North Thursday night clashes all-time.

 

But there was one stat in Pittsburgh’s favor: Joe Flacco was 0-3 in his career against Aaron Rodgers before tonight.

 

So who would win the “UNC Bowl,” as the internet dubbed it?

 

Well, the signs pointed toward Cincinnati — even if the sportsbooks didn’t agree.

 

A staggering 78% of bets were placed on the Pittsburgh moneyline (them winning the game). The Steelers entered on a four-game win streak, while the Bengals came in on a four-game losing streak.

 

Oddly enough, the underdog was 6-1 in the last seven primetime games (now 7-1).

 

The reason this was called the UNC Bowl?

It was Flacco vs. Rodgers — a pair of quarterbacks on the wrong side of 40. That’s happened only three times before, and this matchup outshined them all.

 

This was a shootout in the Jungle.

 

Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco showed the world that “old man football” is alive and well.

 

Flacco finished with 342 yards and three touchdowns.

Rodgers countered with 249 yards and four touchdowns.

 

The surprise wasn’t that these two veteran quarterbacks played well — they’re both former Super Bowl MVPs and champions.

 

The real shock was how completely Pittsburgh’s defense got cooked.

 

Not only did Flacco throw the ball all over the field, but Chase Brown ran straight through the Steelers’ front.

He racked up 108 yards on just 11 carries — an eye-popping 9.8 yards per carry.

 

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s own ground game was impressive too.

Jaylen Warren had 16 carries for 127 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry.

 

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, there was just no stopping the Bengals’ one-two punch. If it wasn’t getting gashed by the run, it was giving up a career day to Ja’Marr Chase.

 

Chase hauled in 16 catches for 161 yards — setting a Bengals all-time record for receptions in a single game.

 

The Bengals would go on to win 33-31 in an instant classic.

 

While entertaining, this felt like a classic Steelers letdown spot. If you’ve followed my coverage before, you know I’ve talked about this trend — Pittsburgh losing games they’re supposed to win.

 

It happens every year — two or three games that just slip away. But this one runs deeper.

 

As I said, the stats don’t lie: the Steelers have never won a Thursday night road game.

 

Let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

 

Last season, Pittsburgh started hot at 6-2 through eight games… then completely fell apart, going 4-5 down the stretch to finish (yep, you guessed it) 10-7.

 

So will this year be any different after starting 4-1?

Or is this the beginning of another slide?

 

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier: matchups against the Packers (next week), Colts, Chargers, Bengals again, Bills, Ravens twice (with Lamar back), and the Lions.

 

That’s a rough stretch for a team that still hasn’t found consistent rhythm.

 

Can the Steelers still take care of business and win the AFC North?

Yes — it’s still very much in play.

 

But the bigger question remains: is this all heading toward another first-round playoff exit… or will this finally be the year that Tomlin and the Steelers break the streak and push deeper into January?

 

Next week, Pittsburgh faces Rodgers’ old team — the Green Bay Packers — under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football.