Final night time, Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco joined an unique membership. The sport between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers featured two beginning quarterbacks over 40 years previous. That hasn’t occurred too many occasions.
Actually, their mixed age was the second-oldest in NFL historical past. Solely Tom Brady and Drew Brees on January 17, 2021, in addition to just a few different matchups towards the tip of Brees’ profession, outdid Flacco and Rodgers. Each quarterbacks have taken extremely winding roads to get right here, and it produced an incredibly glorious matchup final night time.
How Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers Carried out within the Unc Bowl
Thursday Evening Soccer has not precisely been identified for marquee matchups. Much more usually, the 2 groups that play each other placed on a subpar product. A matchup between the Steelers and Bengals, with Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers beneath middle, figured to be extra of the identical.
The Bengals have struggled with out Joe Burrow, and the Steelers haven’t been dominant, however they have been 4-1. What transpired was a fairly shocking contest that nearly ended on a last-second area purpose.
Rodgers has been higher than Flacco on the yr, however Flacco outdid him final night time. Rodgers accomplished 23 of 34 passes for 249 yards, 4 touchdowns, and two interceptions. His QBR was 76.3. Flacco, then again, accomplished 31 out of 47 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t flip the ball over.
This was a back-and-forth recreation. The lead modified fingers twice, and Pittsburgh grabbed the lead simply earlier than the two-minute warning. Sadly, that was greater than sufficient time for Flacco and firm to march down the sector. Flacco’s thirtieth game-winning drive of his profession took eight performs and shaved 2:14 off the clock. Evan McPherson made his 36-yard kick as a part of an ideal 4/4 night time to win it.
How Did We Get Right here?
Within the early 2010s, Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers have been two of the higher quarterbacks within the NFL. Rodgers appeared already on a Corridor of Fame monitor, and whereas there was a long-running joke about whether or not Flacco was elite or not, he was good. For those who had instructed anybody in that period that these two QBs would match up with each other in 2025, it might have despatched them into shock.
Each of those QBs have a minimum of contemplated retirement. Rumors swirled round Flacco retiring earlier than he finally resumed his profession as a backup who finally received beginning jobs for groups that wanted veterans. Rodgers expressly thought-about retirement forward of the 2023 season. He went on a four-day darkness retreat to seek out out what he needed to do in his NFL future. Clearly, he needed to maintain enjoying.
Rodgers and Flacco have each had very fascinating NFL journeys. Rodgers was drafted by the Inexperienced Bay Packers to succeed Brett Favre, which he did after some time. Within the 2020 NFL Draft, the Packers sought to redo all the factor, drafting Jordan Love to take a seat behind Rodgers for a bit. The veteran QB was not terribly happy about that, and he finally requested a commerce. The Packers despatched him to the New York Jets (mockingly following Favre, who went from the Packers to the Jets to make approach for Rodgers in Inexperienced Bay), who’d endured sufficient of the Zach Wilson experiment as they might and have been determined to discover a QB to match with their glorious protection.
However on the very first drive of Rodgers’ profession with the Jets, he injured his Achilles and didn’t return till the subsequent season, when he regarded mediocre at greatest. His contract expired, and he hit free company with out a clear plan. Ultimately, most groups that wanted a quarterback had signed one, leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers as the one choice, and so they, very similar to the Jets, have been determined to discover a QB who may pair with their stable protection and glorious teaching. Rodgers has been stable if unspectacular for the Steelers, however they’re 4-2, and he’s hardly the rationale they misplaced final night time.
Flacco additionally spent most of his profession with one workforce: the Baltimore Ravens. In 2019, the Ravens chosen Lamar Jackson within the first spherical. Later that season, Jackson made it into the beginning lineup, and it rapidly grew to become his workforce. He would go on to win two MVP awards, so Baltimore clearly made the suitable determination. Flacco, although, wasn’t accomplished enjoying.
He has since bounced across the league as a backup/bridge quarterback. He went to the Jets for 3 seasons after that, beginning 9 video games. In 2023, he had his first stint in Cleveland, the place he went 4-1 as a starter. In 2024, Flacco made six begins for the Indianapolis Colts, after which the retirement rumors actually kicked in.
Clearly, Flacco wasn’t accomplished but, and he signed again with the Cleveland Browns and made six extra begins. He started the season because the starter earlier than being benched and subsequently traded to the rival Bengals, marking the third AFC North workforce he’s suited up for. The one one he hasn’t? The one he simply beat on Thursday Evening Soccer.
