Instant Takeaways as Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Flacco Lead Bengals Past Steelers 33-31

CINCINNATI — The Bengals needed a win. Joe Flacco and Ja'Marr Chase carried them to 33-31 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.

Evan McPherson kicked a 36-yard field goal with seven seconds left to secure the win. He kicked four field goals and three extra points in the victory.

Here are our postgame observations:

Chase on the Case

Ja'Marr Chase was outstanding on Thursday night. He made plays all over the field, finishing with a Bengals record 16 catches (23 targets) for 161 yards and one touchdown.

Chase beat Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay all over the field. He forced broken tackles on screens, caught passes over the middle and served as a safety net for Joe Flacco throughout the game.

Chase has over 6,000 career yards. He's the sixth-fastest player to reach 6,000 receiving yards (69 games). He's topped the 100-yard receiving mark with three different starting quarterbacks this season (Joe Burrow, Jake Browning, Joe Flacco).

Flacco Magic

Flacco has settled in nicely, just nine days after the Bengals traded for him. The 40-year-old quarterback completed 31-of-47 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns.

Flacco completed passes to five different players and all three of his touchdowns were to different players (Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Noah Fant).

The Bengals scored on six-straight possessions (three touchdowns, three field goals) spanning from the second to fourth quarters. It was by far their best stretch of offense this season.

Flacco found Higgins for a 28-yard gain that set up the game-winning field goal by McPherson. Higgins finished with six catches for a season-high 96 yards.

Second Quarter Flurry

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) lines up in the first quarter of the NFL Week 7 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Bengals trailed 10-0 with 10:26 left in the second quarter. They scored 17 points in the final 4:42 to take a 17-10 halftime lead.

Flacco led them on a 10-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown catch by Chase. Aaron Rodgers threw it up to DK Metcalf on the ensuing possession and Jordan Battle skied for an interception deep downfield to get the ball back to the offense.

Flacco and the offense stayed hot. This time going on a three-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a 29-yard touchdown catch by Tee Higgins. The star receiver used his speed to beat the Steelers' secondary after the catch and sprinted into the end zone to give the Bengals their first lead since they led 3-0 against the Broncos on Sept. 29.

The Bengals weren't done. DJ Turner II made an outstanding interception in coverage on Metcalf, ripping the ball away and securing the catch.

The Bengals went on a 6-play, 39-yard drive that ended with a 49-yard field goal by McPherson.

Cincinnati's 17-10 halftime lead was their first lead at the half since Week 1 in Cleveland.

What Can Brown Do For You?

Ja'Marr wasn't the only Chase that had a big game. Chase Brown had his best game of the season, finishing with 108 yards on 11 carries. He had runs of 37 and 28 yards—both were new season long runs when he made them.

Awful Defense

Outside of forcing two turnovers, the Bengals' defense got gashed for most of the game. The Steelers only punted twice and Aaron Rodgers was able to lead Pittsburgh up-and-down the field for most of the night.

Rodgers finished 22-of-32 for 244 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

Steelers running back Jaylen Warren had a huge game, finishing with 120 rushing yards on 14 attempts. He also had four catches for 31 yards.

The Bengals had 15 missed tackles and gave up 115 yards on those missed tackles. Unacceptable play by Al Golden's entire defense, even with Trey Hendrickson out with a hip injury.

The defense did force a three-and-out with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Steelers opted to punt on 4th-and-3 after scoring touchdowns on their last two possessions.

The Bengals' offense had to punt and the defense gave up the 68-yard touchdown to Pat Freiermuth. Freiermuth finished with four catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Up Next

The Bengals play the Jets on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. ET at Paycor Stadium.

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