It was so near yet so far for Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers… The Cincinnati Bengals edged out a 33-31 win in a TNF thriller at Paycor Stadium despite Rodgers doing everything he could, throwing for 249 yards and four touchdowns, including a Hail Mary. However, two interceptions in the first half proved decisive.
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Joe Flacco, on the other hand, reminded everyone why his experience can prove to be an invaluable asset on the field for the Bengals, who are dealing with Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury. Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns, commanding the Bengals offense with confidence.
The quarterback’s connection with Ja’Marr Chase was outstanding. Chase hauled in 16 catches for 161 yards in the game, a far cry from his counterpart in the Steelers’ camp.
PICKED OFF IN PRIMETIME ‼️
: #PITvsCIN on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/tDhKtrC8Ej
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 17, 2025
Rodgers’ go-to target, D.K. Metcalf, had a quiet night with three receptions for 50 yards. Their miscommunication became one of the game’s biggest talking points. In the postgame press conference, Rodgers spoke about what went wrong in his two interceptions. Was Metcalf at fault?
“You know, I was trying to look after safety. I was just kind of throwing to his spot. We got to go back and look at it,” Rodgers said, refusing to blame his receiver for the picks.
On the first play after a Bengals touchdown, Rodgers overthrew Metcalf, allowing Bengals’ safety Jordan Battle to grab his third interception of the season. Later on, DJ Turner II ripped the ball out of Metcalf’s hands near the sideline for another pick, setting up a Bengals field goal that pushed their lead to 17-10 at halftime. The field goal and D.K.’s miss proved decisive in the final result.
Despite the two interceptions, chemistry between Rodgers and Metcalf made its appearance in flashes. Earlier in the game, Rodgers and Metcalf connected on a deep 39-yard pass that highlighted their potential together.
After the game, Rodgers also reflected on the positives from the TNF battle. “I think we’ve done a good job. We’ve started to take some steps offensively. The snap count has gone up,” he said, keeping his hope alive as the Steelers fell to 4-2.
Rodgers also reached a personal milestone in the game. He surpassed Ben Roethlisberger’s 64,088 career passing yards to move into fifth on the NFL’s all-time list. Rodgers broke the mark on a 15-yard completion to Jaylen Warren in the second quarter.
A loss is still a loss, though, and Rodgers acknowledged that reality. The Steelers now have 10 days to regroup before facing the Green Bay Packers on October 27. That’s a matchup that carries plenty of emotion for their veteran quarterback.
