It took them four long weeks, four straight losses, a mountain of frustration, some boos echoing from their own stands, and a shuffle under center. But the Cincinnati Bengals finally seem to have found their groove after losing Joe Burrow in Week 2.

On Thursday night, under the bright lights at Paycor Stadium, Cincy hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers for their Week 7 showdown. Things didn’t exactly start great, as Cincy was down by 10 early. But Joe Flacco and Co. clawed their way back, flipped the script, and walked off with a hard-fought 33–31 win.

There were plenty of heroes in this one. But if you had to pick just one name to circle, it’s Ja’Marr Chase. The wideout went off against the Steelers, had a career game, and etched his name into the franchise’s history. The only wrinkle? He did it all without his partner, Burrow, throwing him the ball.

After the game, emotions kicked in. Chase took a moment to send a heartfelt message to Burrow, saying, “I know you miss it brother. We miss you.” The message was short, raw, and straight from the heart, but it was enough to express how much Chase missed Burrow in the game.

After all, in a process to secure the third win of the season, Ja’Marr Chase broke the franchise record when he caught 16 receptions (23 targets). The wideout then returned them for 161 yards while also racking up one touchdown. The signs were clear: Flacco, in his second start with the Bengals, trusted Chase as  his No. 1 WR, as the Bengals piled up 328 passing yards.

“That’s a great question. I don’t know, man,” Chase said when asked how he put up a strong outing. “Coming in and being a veteran and just knowing the coverages and knowing what’s his answer — I think that’s his best reads.”

Chase caught basically every type of pass that Flacco threw his way. Screen, slant, sideline toe-ups, you name it. However, the 25-year-old missed Burrow while etching his name into the Bengals’ history. Burrow, meanwhile, has been sidelined for a few months after undergoing surgery to repair his turf toe.

The Bengals haven’t ruled him out of the rest of the season yet. And he’s expected to return by mid-December. In his absence, though? Well, Cincy seems to have found the quarterback they needed.

Like Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Flacco is making history with the Bengals as well

“Thank you, Cleveland,” the Bengals’ faithful could be heard chanting the message of gratitude toward their division rivals. The idea behind it, however, was clear: The Cleveland Browns traded Flacco to the Bengals a couple of weeks ago. Sure, Flacco didn’t get the win in his Bengals debut, but game two? Totally different story.

In just nine days and a couple of starts, Flacco’s already stacked up 559 passing yards, five touchdowns, zero picks, and 51 points in his last six quarters alone. Against the Steelers, he went 31-of-47 for 342 yards and three scores. And after the game, Greg Harvey from OptaStats dropped a little cherry on top of Flacco’s performance with a stat that made it even sweeter.

Per Harvey, no one in NFL history has ever hit all those numbers in their first two starts with a single team. “Outstanding. Outstanding. Outstanding. Joe was outstanding,” the Bengals head coach, Zac Taylor, summed it up after the game. “It’s easy for him. He’s just so experienced in this situation. You gain a lot of confidence from that.”

Having said that, the Bengals will now face the struggling New York Jets next week.