The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to win their first in-division matchup of the 2025 season on Sunday as they took down the Cleveland Browns by a score of 23-9. This was a huge win for the Steelers as it allowed them to expand their lead in the AFC North, especially since the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals also lost. Pittsburgh has a chance to grow that lead again as the group will be traveling to Ohio to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
The Steelers are currently in first place in the AFC North with a record of 4-1, while Cincinnati is in second with a record of 2-4. This is a must-win game for Pittsburgh as the Bengals are still without star quarterback Joe Burrow, and Pittsburgh needs to take advantage of these easier games, understanding that their schedule is only going to get harder. The Bengals will be starting a familiar face at quarterback as the franchise recently made a intra-division trade to acquire Joe Flacco from the Browns, which Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin was not too happy about.
Cincinnati Head Coach Zac Taylor spoke to the local media on Monday, and he was asked about Flacco's experience in the NFL and going up against Pittsburgh. He spoke about it highly, and even seems to consider it an advantage for Thursday night.
"I think it matters," Taylor said. "Yeah. Absolutely. He knows their style of play. He knows their level of aggression on defense and played against most of their guys over there. He was in Indy last year and played against them. Been in Cleveland. So yeah, like you said, played them as much as anybody has. I mean obviously he's probably played them more than anybody has in this league that's currently playing. So, I think he's got a great sense of what it takes to win."
Flacco was brought into Cincinnati in an attempt to keep the Bengals' season alive while Burrow is recovering from his injury. He was made the starter during their Week 6 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, even though he arrived in Cincinnati just days before the game. Things were definitely shaky at the start, but he began to feel more comfortable in the offense as the game went on.
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Steelers' Patrick Queen disrupts a pass from Joe Flacco in 2024.
Flacco played decently in his first game as a Bengal. He threw for two touchdowns and 219 yards while keeping the ball out of harm's way. Cincinnati lost the game, but they certainly had a better chance to win with him running the show than what had been going on during the weeks prior.
The veteran quarterback obviously suited up for Baltimore for most of his career, so he has plenty of experience squaring off against Tomlin and the Steelers. He is extremely familiar with the team, especially since he played them in 2024 while he was with the Indianapolis Colts. He came in after an injury, and he led the Colts to a win while carving up Pittsburgh's defense.
Steelers Will Be Prepared For Joe Flacco
In 2024, the Steelers did not get the chance to prepare for Flacco before playing the Colts. Anthony Richardson was the team's starting quarterback at the time, and he left the game once he got injured early on. This put Pittsburgh's defense at a disadvantage as the team prepared for a mobile, young quarterback in Richardson. Flacco was able to go to work, and he got the win. This time around, Pittsburgh knows that Flacco is starting. That is a much different story.
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Joe Flacco during his time with the Baltimore Ravens.
It will still be a challenge due to all of the weapons that are present in Cincinnati, but the Steelers should be able to put together a good game plan to shut down the opposing offense.
What do you think about Taylor's remarks on Flacco? Let us know in the comments below!
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