Welcome to the Bengals-Steelers rivalry, Joe Flacco.
Flacco had 342 yards to go with three touchdowns, and he hit wide receiver Tee Higgins down the left sideline to set up Evan McPherson’s 36-yard field goal with seven seconds left to give the Bengals a must-win 33-31 victory over first-place Pittsburgh before a delirious 66,569 Thursday night at Paycor Stadium.
It was Ja’Marr Chase who had the game of the ages with a Bengals-record 16 catches for 161 yards.
The Bengals forged a 17-10 halftime lead fueled by Aaron Rodgers getting intercepted by safety Jordan Battle and cornerback DJ Turner II to set up the last 10 points of the half.
It marked the first time in a dozen years the Bengals had erased a 10-point deficit to take the lead at half.
The Bengals' run game came alive in the first half with halfback Chase Brown averaging just under 15 yards per pop. Brown finished the night with 108 yards on the ground.
NOTES
Uno Gets Bengals on Board
Flacco floated a perfect pass to the left side of the end zone and Chase beat cornerback Jalen Ramsey to secure it for an eight-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. It marked Chase's fifth scoring catch of the season and was Flacco's third TD pass as a Bengal after throwing a pair last week at Green Bay.
Flacco finished the night with 342 yards and three touchdowns on 31-of-47 passing.
Chase now is up to 51 career receiving touchdowns, which extends his lead over the rest of the NFL since he entered the league in 2021. The next closest player in that span is Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans with 45 TDs.
Ja'Marr Surpasses 6K Yards
Chase finished the night with a franchise-record 16 catches for 161 yards and the touchdown. He surpassed 6,000 career receiving yards in the process, and playing in his 69th regular-season game, he became the fifth-fastest player in NFL history to reach that milestone. The only players to reach 6,000 receiving yards in fewer games were Pro Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth (62 games), Minnesota receiver Justin Jefferson (62), former Atlanta receiver Julio Jones (64) and former New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (67).
Chase also recorded his 14th career game with 10 or more receptions, the second-most such games in a player's first five seasons in league history behind former New Orleans receiver Michael Thomas (18 games).
Chase also became the third wideout in league history to record 6,000+ receiving yards and 50+ receiving touchdowns within their first five seasons, joining Hall of Famers Randy Moss and Jerry Rice.
Flacco's 16 completions to Chase were his most to any receiver in a game in his career.
Battle Follows Up TD with Pick
On the first play from scrimmage following the Chase touchdown, Rodgers launched a deep ball intended for DK Metcalf that Battle came down with for his third interception of the season. He now has five picks in his career.
Battle's three interceptions in 2025 are tied for second-most in the league alongside Detroit safety Kerby Joseph, Houston safety Jalen Pitre and Chicago safety Kevin Byard III. The league leader is Jacksonville linebacker Devin Lloyd with four.
Tee Time Gives Cincinnati Lead
Flacco found Tee Higgins on a quick slant over the middle, and the sixth-year receiver outraced a pair of Steelers defensive backs to the end zone to give the Bengals their first lead of the night with just under three minutes left in the first half. It marked Higgins' second touchdown of the season, with the other coming on a 42-yard reception in Week 2 against Jacksonville.
Higgins now has at least one touchdown catch in seven straight home games, the longest such streak in the league. He has 10 total scoring receptions during the streak, which dates back to Week 5 of last season against Baltimore.
Higgins finished the night with six catches for 96 yards and a score, including a 29-yard reception to set up the game-winning kick.
Turner's Pick Sets Up Money Mac
DJ Turner, who last week broke out with five passes defensed at Green Bay, notched his second interception of the year when he wrestled the ball from Metcalf in the final minute of the first half. Turner entered the night with a league-leading 11 PDs on the season.
Cincinnati took over possession at its own 30-yard line following the pick and put together a quick six-play, 39-yard drive to get into field goal range. Evan McPherson capitalized with a 49-yard kick as the first half clock expired to increase the Bengals' lead to 17-10. It marked McPherson's fourth field goal this season from 45 yards or longer.
Fant Extends Lead in Fourth
After Pittsburgh scored a touchdown to cut it to a three-point game late in the third quarter, Cincinnati's offense answered with an eight-play, 67-yard drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to tight end Noah Fant. It marked Fant's 17th career touchdown and his second of the season.
The key play on the drive came on third-and-four from the Bengals' own 39-yard line, when Flacco hit Iosivas in stride for a 37-yard gain. Iosivas finished with three grabs for 49 yards.
McPherson's Perfect Night Ends in Winner
K Evan McPherson made all four of his field goal attempts and all three of his extra points Thursday night. No kick was bigger than the last one, a game-winning 36-yard field goal with seven seconds left to give Cincinnati the 33-31 victory.
Extra Points
- The Bengals scored on six straight possessions for the first time since Week 16 of the 2021 season against Baltimore.
- Joe Flacco surpassed Russell Wilson for 15th place on the NFL's all-time passing yards list.
- Halfback Samaje Perine surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards in the second quarter.
- Thursday's attendance figure was 66,569, marking the fourth-largest announced home crowd in Bengals history.
QUOTES
"I'm really proud of our guys. We've sat in this locker room for the last four weeks and talked about it. The guys are putting in the right work. They're about the right stuff. We have the right people in the locker room... I'm just really, really proud of the guys and the effort, and I'm happy to get a win." - HC Zac Taylor on his overall thoughts from the win...
"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. We know it's going to, and really, really happy about how the guys just stayed with it for the full 60 minutes." - QB Joe Flacco on his initial takeaways from the win...
"We knew we were close. Last week, we felt like we just figured out about how we're going to go about Flacco, and just the offense period. I think today we showed what we're really capable of, and showed how prolific this offense really can be." - WR Ja'Marr Chase on the offense turning a corner...
Check out the best game photos from Bengals-Steelers Week 7 game, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Ja'Marr Chase attempts to break a tackle during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
S Jordan Battle celebrates an interception during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Tee Higgins makes a catch in the fourth quarter during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Tee Higgins scores a touchdown during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Tee Higgins celebrates a first down during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Ja'Marr Chase, C Ted Karras and OT Orlando Brown Jr. served as the team captains during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
RB Chase Brown carries the ball during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
LB Demetrius Knight Jr. during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
QB Joe Flacco throws the ball during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
QB Joe Flacco throws the ball during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Ja'Marr Chase celebrates a touchdown with OT Orlando Brown Jr. during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
LB Demetrius Knight Jr. during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
DE Shemar Stewart rushes the passer during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
The Bengals defense before a snap during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
RB Chase Brown carries the ball during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
QB Joe Flacco hands the ball off during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Ja'Marr Chase catches a pass during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
CB Dax Hill during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
S Jordan Battle intercepts a pass during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Tee Higgins scores a touchdown during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Tee Higgins and QB Joe Flacco celebrate a touchdown during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
RB Samaje Perine jukes a defender during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Ja'Marr Chase celebrates a first down QB Joe Flacco throws the ball during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
CB DJ Turner II intercepts a pass during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
K Evan McPherson celebrates a field goal during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Ja'Marr Chase catches a pass during Thursday Night Football Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Andrei Iosivas celebrates a catch during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
TE Noah Fant celebrates a touchdown during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
K Evan McPherson makes a field goal during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
K Evan McPherson celebrates a field goal during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
QB Joe Flacco drops back to pass during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Ja'Marr Chase runs after the catch during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
QB Joe Flacco throws the ball during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Ja'Marr Chase runs after the catch during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
QB Joe Flacco throws the ball during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Tee Higgins catches a fourth-quarter pass during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
TE Noah Fant during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
LB Demetrius Knight Jr. during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
WR Ja'Marr Chase celebrates a touchdown during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
DE Shemar Stewart during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
QB Joe Flacco throws the ball during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
QB Joe Flacco during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
OT Amarius Mims during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
LB Barrett Carter during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
OT Orlando Brown Jr. during Thursday Night Football during Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
