NFL: Bengals Snap Four-Game Losing Streak In Thursday Night Shootout Vs. The Steelers

• Last Update: October 17, 2025 04:41:53 am BST • 5 min read

The Cincinnati Bengals hit a go-ahead field goal with seven seconds left in the game to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-31. With the win, Cincy ended its four-game losing streak.

Quarterback Joe Flacco looked great in his second start with the Bengals, completing 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards and three TDs. Meanwhile, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase finished the game with a franchise-record 16 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown.

On the first drive of the game, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw a beautiful rainbow pass to wide receiver DK Metcalf on a 3rd and 11 for a 39-yard pick to get deep into enemy territory. On their next third down, Rodgers hit tight end Jonnu Smith for a ten-yard touchdown pass to go up 7-0. That was Smith’s first TD catch since Week One.

From there, the scoring died down until the second quarter, when the Steelers finally got back into the red zone. However, they were flagged for offensive holding, which ended up killing the drive and leading to a 41-yard field goal for a 10-0 advantage. Aaron Rodgers went six for six on that possession with 42 passing yards and six rushing yards.

Cincy had a nice response. Running back Chase Brown cut upfield for a 27-yard scamper – the longest run of the season for the Bengals – to get onto Pittsburgh’s side of the field. Facing a 3rd and 10, quarterback Joe Flacco connected with wideout Ja’Marr Chase for 15 yards and a first down. Soon, Cincinnati made it into the red zone, where Chase caught a diving eight-yard touchdown pass to cut the Steelers’ lead to 10-7. In his last three games, Chase has four TD catches.

On the first play of Pittsburgh’s next drive, Aaron Rodgers was picked off, and the Bengals took over at their own 24 with 4:25 to go in the second quarter. That was Rodgers’ first INT in four weeks.

Chase Brown continued to pile it on with a 37-yard pickup on the ground right after the interception to get the ball to Pittsburgh’s 34 yard line. Three plays later, wide receiver Tee Higgins took a 29-yard catch-and-run into the end zone for a 14-10 Cincinnati lead. The Bengals, who averaged 56.7 yards on the ground per game coming into this matchup, had 97 rushing yards in the first half of this contest.

Pittsburgh got the ball back with 2:46 to go in the half. While DK Metcalf attempted to catch a pass at Cincy’s 30 yard line, Bengals cornerback DJ Turner ripped the football away from him for an interception with 43 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Following back-to-back completions for a total of 21 yards, a 12-yard defensive pass interference penalty got the ball to the Steelers’ 37. Thanks to a seven-yard reception by tight end Noah Fant, Cincy hit a 49-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.

All night long, the Steelers had no answer for Ja’Marr Chase, and that was proven on the first drive of the second half when he made four catches for 38 yards. That eventually resulted in a 23-yard field goal to extend Cincy’s lead to 20-10.

Pittsburgh answered by leaning on the rushing attack. They ran the ball four straight times for 37 yards to get to Cincy’s 24. A little later, Aaron Rodgers hit tight end Pat Friermuth for a 19-yard touchdown pass on a 3rd and goal to narrow the gap to 20-17. This was Rodgers’ fourth game of the season with multiple passing TDs.

Joe Flacco hit wideout Andrei Iosiva on a 37-yard pass on Cincy’s next possession. That eventually set up a touchdown catch by Noah Fant on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the Bengals on top 27-17.

It was a fantastic night for Steelers running back Jaylen Warren, who had 127 rushing yards and 31 receiving yards. His 36-yard run set up an Aaron Rodgers TD pass to make it 27-24 with 11:03 to go in the game. In this contest, Rodgers passed former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to move into fifth place all-time on the NFL’s career passing yards list.

Chase Brown also went over the century mark with 108 rushing yards, his first 100-yard game of the season. His 19 yards on the ground allowed the Bengals to kick a field goal to bring the score to 30-24 with 6:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Later on, Pittsburgh’s offense took the field at its own 42 with 2:46 to go in the fourth quarter. On a 2nd and 20, Aaron Rodgers avoided a defender and hit Pat Freiermuth for a 68-yard catch-and-run touchdown to retake the lead 31-30 with 2:21 to go. This was just the second-career game for Freiermuth with multiple TD catches.

On the ensuing drive, Joe Flacco found Ja’Marr Chase for a 15-yard gain to bring this one to the two-minute warning. Coming out of that break, Ja’Marr Chase had an 18-yard catch-and-run to get to Pittsburgh’s side of the field. Then, Tee Higgins made a 28-yard reception to get down to Pittsburgh’s seven with 1:37 to go. That allowed Cincy to run down the clock and kick a go-ahead field goal with just seven ticks left on the clock.

Though Aaron Rodgers managed to throw the football to the end zone as time expired on a last-gasp attempt to win the game, his pass was batted down. Despite the losing effort, Rodgers still threw for 249 yards and four touchdowns.

Following this game, the Steelers fell to 4-2 on the campaign. This was Pittsburgh’s first loss since Week Two.

*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*