Honestly, if you missed the Thursday night showdown between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati back in October 2025, you missed one of the weirdest chapters in AFC North history. People keep searching for the steelers bengals box score because, on paper, it looks like a typo. How does a 40-year-old Joe Flacco, basically coming off his couch to join the Bengals after Joe Burrow’s toe injury, outduel Aaron Rodgers in a 33-31 thriller?
It shouldn't have happened. But it did.
The game at Paycor Stadium was a statistical fever dream. We had two of the oldest quarterbacks in the league—the "Icy Hot Bowl," as some called it—slinging it like they were back in 2012. If you look at the final numbers, the Bengals put up 470 total yards to the Steelers' 396. That’s a lot of grass. Usually, a Mike Tomlin defense doesn't give up nearly 500 yards without a fight, but Ja'Marr Chase was playing a different sport that night.
The Night Ja'Marr Chase Broke the Record
Let's talk about that receiving line. If you pull up the steelers bengals box score from Week 7, your eyes will probably glue themselves to Ja'Marr Chase. 16 catches. That is a Bengals franchise record. He had 161 yards and a touchdown, and he did it against a secondary that featured Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr.
It wasn't just that he was fast. He was everywhere.
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Flacco leaned on him like a crutch. In fact, Flacco’s 16 completions to Chase were the most he’d ever thrown to a single receiver in his entire 18-year career. Think about that. He played with Steve Smith Sr., Anquan Boldin, and Torrey Smith, but it took a random Thursday night in 2025 with the Bengals for him to hit that mark.
Pittsburgh actually started hot. They were up 10-0 early. Rodgers looked surgical, eventually finishing with 249 yards and four touchdowns. But then the wheels sort of wobbled. Rodgers threw two interceptions in the first half—one to Jordan Battle and another to DJ Turner II. Those mistakes turned a potential blowout into a 17-10 halftime lead for Cincinnati.
Breaking Down the Late-Game Chaos
The fourth quarter was basically a heart attack in jersey form. With about two and a half minutes left, the Steelers were trailing. Rodgers rolled left, escaped the pocket, and launched a 68-yard "missile" to Pat Freiermuth. Touchdown.
Suddenly, the Steelers were up 31-30. The stadium went silent. You could almost feel the "here we go again" energy from the Cincy fans.
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But Joe Flacco apparently didn't get the memo that he was supposed to be the backup. He marched the Bengals 52 yards in eight plays. He hit Tee Higgins for 28 yards to get them down to the 5-yard line. It was cold. It was calculated.
- Evan McPherson stepped out with seven seconds left.
- The kick was a 36-yarder.
- Right down the middle.
Final: Bengals 33, Steelers 31.
The Rematch: A Different Kind of Pain
Now, if you’re looking for the steelers bengals box score from the November 16th rematch at Acrisure Stadium, it’s a completely different story. That one was ugly. Pittsburgh won 34-12, but it felt like a pyrrhic victory.
Aaron Rodgers went down with a left wrist injury early. Mason Rudolph had to come in—yes, the Mason Rudolph era returned briefly—and he actually played well, finishing with a 118.5 passer rating. But the real story was the Pittsburgh defense. They scored two touchdowns on their own. Kyle Dugger had a 73-yard pick-six off Flacco that effectively ended the game.
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It’s rare to see a season sweep avoided in such a violent fashion. The Bengals defense actually played a great first half in that second game, holding the Steelers to under 200 yards, but the offense just vanished without the magic Flacco had found in October.
Key Takeaways from the 2025 Matchups
Looking back at these stats, a few things stand out that aren't just numbers on a page. First, the rushing game for both teams was surprisingly decent despite the aging QBs. Chase Brown emerged as a legitimate threat for the Bengals, putting up 108 yards in the first meeting. For the Steelers, Jaylen Warren was a workhorse, often outperforming the passing game's consistency.
Second, the penalties were a killer for Pittsburgh. In the 33-31 loss, they gave up 59 yards on 7 penalties, many of them on the offensive line. You can't give a veteran like Flacco extra chances, especially when he’s finding Ja'Marr Chase on every other play.
Finally, the injury factor. The 2025 season for these two teams was defined by who was left standing. Between Burrow's toe, Rodgers' wrist, and the mid-season trades, the box scores tell a story of two franchises desperately trying to keep their windows open with duct tape and veteran contracts.
If you are tracking the AFC North standings or just trying to settle a bet about who won the "Icy Hot Bowl," the reality is that these two split the series. Cincy won the shootout; Pittsburgh won the brawl.
If you're looking to analyze these games for future matchups, keep a close eye on the target share for the tight ends. Pat Freiermuth became Rodgers' favorite safety valve in 2025, and that shift in the Steelers' offensive identity is likely to carry over. Also, watch the Bengals' defensive secondary depth—when they are healthy, they can bait even the most veteran quarterbacks into game-changing mistakes.