The cushion of momentum the Pittsburgh Steelers had built up over the past few weeks evaporated tonight, thanks to Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals, who squeaked out a 33–31 victory against Pittsburgh. The Unc Bowl sure gave us a lot to talk about. Here are 5 takeaways from this enthralling matchup.

1) Aaron Rodgers’ first-half interceptions

Aaron Rodgers wasn’t bad, far from it. The veteran QB threw four touchdown passes, including a 68-yard dart with a little over two minutes left that looked like it might win Pittsburgh the game. But those two first-half picks cost him and the Steelers dearly.

Rodgers tossed two interceptions before halftime, one of which was a highlight-worthy pick from Bengals cornerback D.J. Turner II, who literally ripped the ball out of D.K. Metcalf’s hands for the takeaway.

Rodgers’ numbers this season remain impressive: 68.6% of his passes for 1,270 yards, 14 touchdowns, and just five picks, good for a 105.0 passer rating. But the timing of those interceptions in that Week 7 game can’t be ignored. He’s got to protect the ball better in big moments if the Steelers want to keep pace in this division.

2) Joe Flacco’s redemption after the Browns’ trade

The Bengals took plenty of heat when they traded for Joe Flacco. After all, through 5 games with the Browns earlier this season, he threw only two touchdowns, along with six picks. But tonight, he looked like Vintage Joe Flacco.

He was poised, confident. Especially when it mattered most. Down late, he orchestrated a clutch two-minute drill that ended with a perfectly placed deep shot to Tee Higgins to set up Evan McPherson’s game-winning field goal with seven seconds left.

Flacco finished the game with 342 yards and three touchdowns, breaking Cincinnati’s four-game losing streak and silencing anyone who doubted the move. You can say a lot about Joe Flacco, but the veteran quarterback still knows how to sling it when the pressure’s on.

3) The Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Flacco Connection

It didn’t take too long for Flacco to figure out Cincinnati’s offensive cheat code: just throw the ball to Ja’Marr Chase, and if he’s not open, find Tee Higgins. And that’s exactly how he played it out.

Chase got the Bengals on the scoreboard pretty early with an 8-yard touchdown after they were trailing 10–0, then Higgins gave them the lead with a 29-yard score. Flacco just kept finding Chase, who saw 11 targets in the first half. And by the third quarter, he’d already racked up 100 yards.

When it was all said and done, Chase had a franchise-record 16 receptions for 161 yards. That’s an impressive stat line. Flacco deserves credit for recognizing what’s obvious to everyone else: when you have Ja’Marr Chase, you feed Ja’Marr Chase.

4) The Steelers’ defense disappoints

For all the hype around the Steelers’ secondary with Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, and Jalen Ramsey forming what looked like a nightmare trio for any quarterback, they didn’t really deliver.

Flacco got past them all night long, especially on slants and crossers. The Steelers missed 14 tackles, and their usually productive pass rush was pretty much non-existent thanks to Cincinnati’s quick-release passing game and strong ground attack.

When Pittsburgh desperately needed one final score with just 2:15 left, the defense caved. Ramsey was beaten by Higgins for a 28-yard gain that moved the Bengals into field goal range and set up the winning kick. It was the story of the night: every time the defense had a chance to make a statement, it came up short.

5) Bengals’ run game and defense finally showed up

The Bengals’ run game has been invisible all season. Chase Brown’s longest run coming into this matchup? Thirteen yards. His average? 2.7 yards per carry. But tonight was an entirely different story.

Brown exploded for runs of 28 and 37 yards, finishing with 108 yards on just 11 carries. That ground success opened up everything that this offense had been missing up until now. And while Flacco and Chase rightfully stole the headlines, the defense deserves some love, too. Two huge turnovers completely flipped the game.

First, the Jordan Battle interception, which set up a touchdown, and then D.J. Turner’s beautiful takeaway before halftime that led to a field goal. Most importantly, they managed to keep DK Metcalf in check. He accounted for just three catches for 50 yards and no touchdowns.