Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers squared off for the fourth time on Thursday. Flacco was just grateful that he finally managed to come out on top this time. Having first faced each other back in 2009, it’s been a long time coming. Both with new teams Flacco now has the latest laugh—but not quite the last.
“It was a lot of fun to go against Aaron today and the Steelers again”, Flacco told Scott Van Pelt after the Bengals’ 33-31 win. “I’ve played them so much. They’re such a familiar foe. I told Aaron after the game, I don’t think I’ve ever beat him head-to-head. So that was also a lot of fun for me to actually be able to get that done”.
Rodgers was 3-0 against Flacco going into Thursday’s game, all as a member of the Packers. The latter played with the Ravens for his first two meetings but also faced Rodgers in Denver. He lost all three times, but this was the best performance for both.
Back in 2009, the duo combined for five interceptions, Flacco throwing three to Rodgers’ two. Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, going 26-of-40 for 263 yards. In 2013, Flacco had the better game but still lost. He went 20-of-34 for 342 yards, throwing for two touchdowns. While Rodgers also threw for over 300 yards, he tossed just one scoring pass with an interception.
Jumping ahead to 2019, Flacco now in Denver, he went 20-of-29 for 213 yards with an interception. Rodgers went 17-of-29 but for 235 yards and a touchdown. Interestingly, Flacco posted a similar stat line to 2013 in Thursday’s game. He threw for 342 yards again, but this time for three touchdowns instead of two. Rodgers, of course, threw four touchdown passes, but also two interceptions. The first was bad and entirely his fault. The second was just a really good play by the defender stealing the ball away.
“I have a lot of appreciation for it”, Joe Flacco said of the significance of the game he and Aaron Rodgers had at their age, both in their 40s. “Listen, I won the football game, so it was easy for me to feel good about myself in that moment and make sure I grabbed him and kept him there for a minute. I have a lot of respect for what Aaron’s done in his career. He’s been incredible. I just wanted to make sure I said what’s up to him and how much I appreciated being a part of it”.
Joe Flacco completed 28 of 37 passes for 336 yards & 3 TDs from a clean pocket in a TNF win over the Steelers.
This was Flacco's most passing yards from a clean pocket since Week 4, 2018 (also vs. PIT), and lowest pressure rate faced this season (24.5%).
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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 17, 2025
Although Flacco finally notched his win over Rodgers, there is another matchup to come. Now that Flacco is the Bengals’ starting quarterback, he’s bound to see Rodgers again when the Steelers host Cincinnati in Week 11.
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