Thursday night Cincinnati was restless. Not just because their new quarterback, Joe Flacco, was dropping dimes, but because the city finally saw the O-line own the night. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dominant defense, the Cincinnati Bengals held strong and made a comeback few could have seen coming. After the game, Bengals legend Willie Anderson gave all his flowers to the O-Line.

“Dear @Bengals Offensive Line, We Old heads appreciate and love the effort you guys gave tonight! As Spectacular as Flacco and Wrs were we Alllll know you all won this game in the trenches and should be proud of yourselves. #Whodey #Bengals”

The Bengals’ front-five had been hounded since September. If we just talk about sacks alone, the Bengals had allowed three per game all the way to Week 4. But October flipped the script for the trenches. Third-down conversions felt automatic. Quick whistles, quick wins. You could feel the shift. Energy built on every snap. And the Cincy crowd buzzed in a way you only get after weeks of the offense stuck in neutral.

In week 6 against the Green Bay Packers, the O-Line was put to the test with Flacco lining up under center for the first time in Cincinnati. Arguably, they needed some time to sync. But the difference in Week 7 was real. Past games were full of frantic darts and desperate plays. Not this week, though. Flacco played like he knew he wouldn’t get crushed. Even star receiver Ja’Marr Chase noted post-game that the O-line was all fired up.

“Last week, it seemed we had finally figured out how it was going to be with Flacco and the offensive line. And today we showed what we’re capable of.” 

But even if you keep the O-line’s contributions aside, there’s one person whose redemption arc has become impossible to ignore: Joe Flacco.

Joe Flacco’s redemption arc: Thank you, Cleveland

In past weeks with the Cleveland Browns, Flacco looked like a battered vet. Not now, not with the Bengals. Flacco was lights out. 342 yards, 3 touchdowns, zero picks. Each drive felt clean. Ja’Marr Chase opened up the defense for 161 yards. Flacco connected like he’d been here for years, not weeks. Post-game, the crowds’ chant said it all:

“Thank you Cleveland! Thank you Cleveland!”

Those chants had head coach Zac Taylor noting happily, “Our fans are happy, and I’m happy. … It’s a big victory. We needed this. It had been a long time since we won.”

Decibel levels shot up every time Flacco threaded another pass. Suddenly, Flacco’s reputation got a jolt. People had called him washed. But he answered with super poise under pressure. Why does it matter for Bengals? This team’s been hungry for stability since franchise quarterback Joe Burrow got sidelined in Week 2. Flacco has brought veteran poise. The O-line backs him up. The defense resets. Their four-week losing streak has finally been broken. Now, we just have to wait and see if this fire holds up against the New York Jets in Week 8.