After a 1-5 start with the Cleveland Browns, Joe Flacco suddenly found himself throwing to one of the best wide receivers in recent history in Ja’Marr Chase. Their Thursday night showcase against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers proved to be one of the best offensive showings that the Cincinnati Bengals have seen in quite some time, and it even helped to pad the resume of the 40-year-old veteran.
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Prior to his 342 passing yard performance, only five quarterbacks in NFL history had ever managed to eclipse the 340+ passing yard mark after turning 40. Both Warren Moon and Vinny Testaverde were able to do so once a piece.
Drew Brees and Brett Favre were both able to record 340+ passing yards on three separate occasions, and then there’s Tom Brady.
Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards last night.
He became just the 6th QB to throw 340+ yards in a game after their 40th birthday.
Tom Brady was obviously not from this planet. pic.twitter.com/Tra40nSFEj
— Jim Miloch (@podoffame) October 17, 2025
It never really comes as a surprise to see Brady definitively standing at the top of any given passing category, but it’s still another reminder of just how unprecedented his reign truly was. And in that same vein, this is certainly a performance worth celebrating for Flacco.
With a total of 342 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and a passer rating of 108.6, the Week 6 upset easily stands as the veteran’s best game since his Week 5 outing as an Indianapolis Colt in 2024. Suffice to say, Flacco is “really, really happy” with how things turned out.
After having to slug through the first month and a half of the season with the Browns, Flacco got a lifeline from Cincinnati, and now, football is officially fun again.
“Man, it’s a lot of fun. And obviously, it’s a lot of fun toward the end of the game when you’re getting ready to go, but yeah, this is what we do it for, is games like that. It came down to the wire… That was a lot of fun.”
When asked about having the pleasure of throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Flacco promptly exclaimed that “Those guys are different, and it’s pretty cool to be able to throw to them.” Going as far as to suggest that it was an eye opening experience for him, it sounds like the Bengals’ offense may have finally found the spark that it’s been looking for.
Seeing as Joe Burrow is still months away from being able to return, Cincinnati will simply be hoping to buy itself as much as time possible until then, and putting an end to a four-game loss streak while also improving to 2-0 in the division will go a long way in helping them to do just that.
An imploding New York Jets team is now on the Bengals’ horizon, and should they manage to make the most of that opportunity, then they’ll find themselves right back in the hunt for their third divisional title in five years.
