Joe Flacco is just in his second week with the Bengals, but he'll face a familiar foe in the Steelers this week. Flacco will play his second game in just four days on his new team on Thursday Night Football tonight, facing the Steelers for the 23rd time in his career.
Below, we’ll dive into Joe Flacco projections, stats, and our top pick for the veteran QB on Thursday Night Football tonight on PrizePicks.
Flacco is making his second start for Cincinnati after being acquired from the Browns before Week 6. Despite just a handful of practices before his Bengals debut, he looked sharp in last Sunday’s 27-18 loss to Green Bay — completing 68.9% of his passes for 219 yards and 2 TDs.
Now, he’ll face a Steelers defense that thrives on takeaways, but has struggled to limit explosive passing plays, allowing 15 completions over 20 yards in 2025.
After 13 years of battling in the AFC North, Flacco knows this division’s defenses — and tendencies — better than almost anyone, including the Steelers. Find his projections and top PrizePicks plays for Thursday Night Football below.
Joe Flacco Projections vs. Steelers for Thursday Night Football
Flacco’s presence immediately steadied Cincinnati’s offense in Week 6. He finished 5th in total dropbacks (46), per PFF, and tossed a pair of touchdowns to Ja’Marr Chase and Tanner Hudson. Despite limited time in the playbook, his 75.9 PFF passing grade ranked top 10 among all quarterbacks last week.
Cincinnati’s offensive line also delivered one of its best performances of the season, allowing just one sack against Green Bay. While the protection gave Flacco enough time to find rhythm in Zac Taylor’s scheme in the second half, he operated admirably with the shortest amount of time to throw at 2.35 seconds on average.
That could prove to be a crucial element heading into a matchup against a Steelers front led by T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig who’ve combined for 39 total QB pressures.
Pittsburgh’s defense remains opportunistic, forcing 2.0 takeaways per game (3rd-most), but it’s also been leaky in coverage. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 65.8% of passes (14th) and averaged 245.5 yards per game (8th-most) against this secondary since Week 3.
If Flacco maintains his efficient, quick-read approach, Cincinnati may be able to move the ball consistently through the air by targeting their two star WRs in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
This will be Flacco’s 197th career start — and his 23rd against the Steelers (meaning he’s seen his rivals more than any active NFL QB) — adding a layer of history and familiarity to a Thursday night that already features two of the league’s oldest active quarterbacks.
Joe Flacco Projections vs. Steelers Tonight
Joe Flacco projections via the PrizePicks NFL board — pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and win money when you’re right.
- 235.5 Passing Yards
- 33.5 Longest Completion
- 14 Fantasy Points
- 37 Pass Attempts
- 23 Pass Completions
- More projections, picks available here
Joe Flacco Pick vs. Steelers: 36.5 Pass Attempts
- Flacco attempted 45 passes in his Bengals debut — the 5th-most in the league last week.
- Since Week 3, Pittsburgh opponents have averaged 38.2 pass attempts per game, as most offenses abandon the run against their stout front.
- Cincinnati has shown no hesitation leaning on the pass early in drives, with the seventh highest pass-rate over expectation at +1.2%.
- Game script may favor another high-volume outing, with both sides looking to get an edge early through the air.
Joe Flacco Pick vs. Steelers: 33.5 Longest Completion
- Flacco connected on a 38-yard strike to Ja’Marr Chase last week — and nearly hit another 30+ yarder to Andrei Iosivas.
- The Steelers have surrendered 12 completions of 25+ yards, the 8th-most in the NFL.
- Chase’s after-catch ability gives Flacco multiple paths to hitting this number, even on intermediate throws and run after the catch upside.
- With play-action and double-move concepts likely baked into Taylor’s game plan, Flacco’s arm strength still provides explosive upside.
Make Thursday Night Football Picks on PrizePicks
Thursday Night Football brings a rare 40-and-still-firing QB battle between Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers, combining for nearly 111,000 passing yards and 774 career TD passes.
For Flacco, it’s another opportunity to prove his leadership and arm still translate under the Thursday Night Football lights — and to help Cincinnati halt its four-game skid.
No matter how you see Bengals vs. Steelers playing out, PrizePicks lets you cash in on your predictions for Thursday Night Football. Just pick More or Less on player stats and win real money when your predictions are right.
And stay locked in on Playbook for more NFL PrizePicks plays and predictions all season long.
