Rodgers, Flacco to vie for ‘Icy Hot Bowl’

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (BLACK AND GOLD NATION) – It’s certainly not Aaron Rodgers’ or Joe Flacco’s first rodeo in the NFL. In fact, Thursday’s game between the Steelers and Bengals will mark the second-oldest matchup between the two starting quarterbacks.

“I think it’s great for all the old guys,” the 41-year-old Rodgers said.

Steelers captain Cam Heyward is already dubbing the showdown between both as the “Icy Hot Bowl.” It was a bowl that many didn’t envision would happen between these two teams.

Flacco was recently benched by the Cleveland Browns to give rookie Dillon Gabriel his crack at a starting gig in the NFL. While the Browns could have kept Flacco around as a veteran presence, they instead opted to trade him to their divisional rivals, who were floundering after losing Joe Burrow to a severe injury.

“It was shocking to me. Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said.

The Flacco trade marked the third time this century that a team has traded its starting quarterback within its division. Tomlin credits Cincinnati for making the move, which has brought some life back to the Bengals’ offense.

“He’s just a veteran man. He’s a great guy that knows how to anticipate throws instead of waiting to guys get open and throwing it,” Steelers cornerback Darius Slay said to Black and Gold Nation. “I think that’s what they were missing with [playing Jake Browning]. He’s doing a great job and one thing you know that he’s seen every coverage possible.”

The Steelers and Flacco should be well acquainted with each other. The 40-year-old was Baltimore’s quarterback from 2008-2018.

Most recently, Pittsburgh saw Flacco replace Anthony Richardson last year in a loss against Indianapolis. Flacco carved up the Steelers’ secondary in that game while throwing two touchdowns.

“I commented to the guys to keep Richardson up right. Don’t put Flacco in the game,” Tomlin said two weeks ago.

Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was asked by Black and Gold Nation if there was anything the team could learn from how Flacco attacked Pittsburgh last season.

“No. They are two different offenses, really. What I would focus on is on Joe the passer and how Joe throws the ball and which obviously I know and we all know and we’ve all seen a lot,” Austin said. “This offense is different than Indianapolis’ offense and so we’ve got to prepare for Cincinnati’s offense.”

Cincinnati’s offense has more firepower than the one they saw Flacco with last year. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are one of the top receiving duos in the league.

Pittsburgh added Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Brandin Echols this past offseason to combat Flacco’s new weapons. Plus, the Steelers’ defense is beginning to hit its stride with six sacks in back-to-back games.

The Bengals host the Steelers on Thursday at 8:15 p.m.

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