The Cincinnati Bengals are breaking out their white tiger uniforms for their Thursday Night Football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This has been dubbed the Unc Bowl, as we will see two quarterbacks
over 40 years old face off, which is a very rare circumstance in the NFL.
The Bengals will have Joe Flacco for their second game after he started Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Even though it was ultimately a loss, we saw what Flacco can do for this offense in the second half as he got into rhythm with his weapons and Ja’Marr Chase, who had missed practice during the week due to an illness.
Pittsburgh will be trotting out Aaron Rodgers as its quarterback. He and the Steelers’ defense have combined for a 4-1 record. A win against the 2-4 Bengals would give them a huge buffer against the rest of the division, as the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens are both 1-5.
Rodgers has been more of a game manager as far as his stats go than what some may think when hearing his name. However, Pittsburgh doesn’t need him to throw for over 250 yards or three touchdowns in a game. He has just kept his mistakes to a minimum. Outside of their loss to the Seattle Seahawks, where he had two interceptions, he has only thrown a single pick and nine touchdowns.
Both of these defenses have given up plenty of yards. There are a few stats that tell you why the records are so different. First, both are opportunistic as far as turnovers. However, Jake Browning’s interceptions certainly didn’t capitalize for the defense. There is also the sack category, where the Steelers are near the top of the league with 20, and the Bengals are near the bottom with only 11 so far. It won’t help that Trey Hendrickson is Day-to-Day with a back injury as well.
Which of these teams will come out on top Thursday night?
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Date/Time: Oct. 16th, 2025 at 8:15 pm ET
- Location: Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH.
- Series Leader: The Steelers lead 71-40 overall, including 2-0 in postseason. The two postseason games were both Steelers wins in Wild Card round contests at Paycor Stadium (formerly named Paul Brown Stadium), after the 2005 and ’15 seasons.
- TV Channel: The game will be streamed live on Prime Video. In Cincinnati, it will also air live locally on WCPO-TV (ABC Ch. 9).
- Broadcasters: Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter).
- Online Stream: Streaming: Prime Video, NFL Game Pass International (International, excluding China)
- Replay: NFL+ and NFL Network (check local listings)
- Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship radio stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (1530), and WEBN-FM(102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). In addition, the Bengals-Lions game will air nationally on Westwood One. Broadcasters are John Sadak (play-by-play) and Ross Tucker (analyst).
- SB Nation Steelers’ site: Behind the Steel Curtain
- Rosters: CIN | PIT
- Stats to Know: CIN | PIT
- Weather: According to NFL Weather, the game will be in the mid-50s with clear skies.
- Odds: The Bengals are currently 5.5-point underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Expert Predictions
- John Breech from CBS Sports is taking Cincinnati at home
- According to NFL Pick Watch, which takes into account picks from across the web, the Bengals are receiving 10% of the picks
- Cincy Jungle Prediction: The White Tiger uniforms are always a great occasion, and this game may come down to how clean Flacco’s jersey is able to stay. The Steelers defense is one of the best at getting the the quarterback, so hopefully Zac Taylor comes out with some creativity to keep them on their toes. This team has wins coming. This one probably stays close for awhile with the Steelers pulling away late. Pittsburgh wins 24-18
