After failing to win in his last game, Joe Flacco was finally able to end the Cincinnati Bengals‘ 4-game losing streak with their third win of the season. In Week 7 of Thursday Night Football, the Bengals edged past the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-31. However, the veteran QB had to admit that things were not quite silky-smooth behind the scenes.

Following the game, Flacco opened up about the difficulties he faced in understanding head coach Zac Taylor’s plays. “There was a handful of plays today that I was like, ‘What is he saying?'” Flacco conceded. “We have these formations that end in F, and I was not getting it.”

The 40-year-old is still learning the nuances of Cincinnati’s offense. For a veteran joining mid-season, it’s natural that the terminology can create confusion. Last week’s game was even more complex; Flacco had only a few days to learn the coach’s playbook. He is still fresh in this squad and will require some time to catch up. But the progress he has shown from last week is worth noticing.

Despite all these jitters, Flacco provided a performance that went against the odds. His Bengals’ offense got into a flow it had been desperately lacking since the Bengals lost quarterback Joe Burrow in no small part due to his presence under pressure, even when he made the occasional misread of play calls. Flacco went 32 for 47 for 342 yards and three touchdowns, including two fourth-quarter scoring drives that kept Cincinnati in control of the game.

Others believed that the Bengals were finished after Burrow’s turf toe was enough to spoil their season, but Flacco’s dependability provided hope in the locker room once more. This win also means that the Bengals’ season is far from finished. As for HC Taylor, he believes it was Flacco’s experience that is keeping the team together.

“Yeah, his experience. He’s got 18 years of experience playing these games,” Taylor said after the win. ” We’re on a short week playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that we needed to have, and he’s just like, it’s easy for him.” And his right hand Ja’Marr chase made sure his QB had his throws converted with a breaking performance.

Flacco & Chase lead the Bengals to win

As Flacco’s candor was making news, so too was the win for Ja’Marr Chase, who again made his mark on the record books. The Bengals’ top receiver had 16 catches for 161 yards on the receiving end and one touchdown on a franchise-record 23 targets.

With this game, Chase has become the second receiver in NFL history to have a 100-yard game with three different starting quarterbacks through the first seven games of a season. The other: Jacksonville’s Jimmy Smith in 1997.

Even as Flacco adjusted to learning new slang, Chase’s reliability was a security blanket on key downs. The two were instant chemistry; the veteran quarterback checked for Chase early and often, regularly, trusting him in tight coverage and third-downs.

For Cincinnati, the win is not one result; it’s a rebirth. Once a team slipping away, the Bengals are now again a contender in a volatile AFC North.