NFL Thursday night preview: Steelers' Aaron Rodgers faces Bengals' Joe Flacco in 'Icy Hot Bowl'
Sometimes, you can't blame the NFL for a bad prime-time matchup.
The NFL didn't figure on the Pittsburgh Steelers or Cincinnati Bengals being 2-4 by Week 7 and if they did, it wouldn't have been the Bengals. They certainly never expected Joe Flacco to be prominently involved in this week's Thursday night game.
The Bengals' season has gone sideways. Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury that required surgery and the Bengals haven't won since. They haven't lost by fewer than nine points since Burrow went on injured reserve. They traded for Flacco last week in a desperate move to make their offense a little more watchable. It's a shame, because this could have been a fun game for first place in the AFC North.
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The Steelers are in much better shape. They're 4-1, with Aaron Rodgers making enough plays to win most weeks. It's a fun final (?) hurrah for Rodgers so far at age 41. This week he gets to face off against the 40-year-old Flacco, prompting Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward to heckle Rodgers as he talked to the media this week and dub the game the "Icy Hot Bowl." It's the third time in NFL history two quarterbacks over the age of 40 are meeting; Drew Brees faced Tom Brady twice in 2020.
I think it's great for all the old guys," Rodgers said.
It's a strange spot for Flacco, who less than two weeks ago was with the Cleveland Browns. He was traded to the division rival Bengals - Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was not happy with the Browns for that move - and started right away last week. The Bengals hope he injects some life into their offense the rest of the season.
At least this week, Flacco can match up against a quarterback older than him.
If you haven't given up on the Bengals getting back into the playoff race, they're an easy answer. But after seeing them get outscored by 85 points the past four weeks, that seems like wishful thinking. The Steelers find themselves in a spot that they couldn't have imagined, 2 1/2 games clear of everyone else for first place in the AFC North. Even though the Ravens are 1-5, they're still lurking because Lamar Jackson should return after their Week 7 bye. Every win the Steelers can get puts the Ravens further down in the hole, which should give them a sense of urgency in every game they should win, like Thursday night.
Key player: Bengals RB Chase BrownThere's no way the Bengals wanted Joe Flacco attempting 45 passes last week, five days after trading for him. But the 2025 Bengals are the kings of negative game scripts. That has helped Brown become an afterthought.
Brown hasn't had more than 10 carries in a game since Week 2. The Bengals fall way behind and the running game goes out the window. If the Bengals want to upset the Steelers, they need to make sure Flacco isn't throwing a few dozen times. Brown is coming off an efficient game, in which he had 42 yards on nine carries. He has been horribly inefficient all season, at just 2.7 yards per carry. A lot of that has to do with a terrible offensive line. Somehow, the Bengals need to get Brown going in this game. If they have to drop back too often against T.J. Watt and the Steelers' pass rush, it could get ugly.
Betting market watch, by Ben FawkesThe Steelers keep rolling along, suddenly sitting at 4-1 and with a comfortable lead atop the AFC North after every other team in the division is on at least a three-game losing streak. The Bengals (2-4 ATS) played better with Joe Flacco under center and got the cover in Green Bay on Sunday, but the defense allowed over 400 yards on 6.8 yards per play. Favorites have lost six of the last seven prime-time games. Betting on the spread is pretty split at the moment.
Check out more of Ben's work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub.
Fantasy football storylines, by Scott PianowskiThe odds suggest a mismatch, but we know better than to overlook underdogs in divisional games. Here are three fantasy themes to track in Cincinnati tonight.
Can Joe Flacco keep his receivers relevant? In the first Flacco game for the Bengals, Ja'Marr Chase finished WR5 and Tee Higgins was the WR31. Of course, it took 45 pass attempts to get there.
What's the Pittsburgh backfield split? Kenneth Gainwell went off in Week 4 with Jaylen Warren out. Last week the work was fairly split - 13 touches for Warren, 12 for Gainwell. Even Kaleb Johnson mixed in for six carries. Warren was the most effective runner (4.7 YPC), but he obviously has competition.
Can DK Metcalf keep thriving on a run-first team? The Steelers rank 31st in pass rate over expectation, no surprise there, but Metcalf nonetheless has a touchdown in four straight games and has been WR5 and WR9 the last two weeks. Metcalf's 23.1% market share is solid, but not elite.
Check out more of Scott's work at the Yahoo Sports fantasy hub.