When Thursday night's Pittsburgh Steelers-Cincinnati Bengals game kicks off, two young whippersnappers will face off when Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco take the field.
"I think it's great for all the old guys," Rodgers said Tuesday, via Steelers.com’s Jim Wexell. "I know that when I watch other sports, maybe it's because I'm the older guy, but I tend to pull for the older guys to win championships."
Between them, Rodgers and Flacco have won a Super Bowl each with the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens, respectively. When speaking with reporters Tuesday, Rodgers was heckled a bit by teammate Cameron Heyward -- just 36 -- who called Thursday's game the "Icy Hot Bowl." On a short week, it's likely to be.
Along with the two Lombardi Trophies, Rodgers, 41, and Flacco, 40, will bring a combined 82 years and 226 days of age, 39 seasons of NFL experience, 774 touchdown passes and more than 102,000 passing yards to the AFC North prime-time showdown.
When the two spry QBs hit the field, it will be just the second prime-time matchup of quarterbacks in the 40-and-still-flying club and the fourth overall such showdown since 1950, per NFL Research.
All the previous 40-40 showdowns featured soon-to-be Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Drew Brees, each of them taking place in the 2020 season, including playoffs.
Rodgers leads a first-place Steelers club that's 4-1 after three straight wins, while Flacco's been called to duty to rescue a flatlining Bengals team that's lost four in a row to fall to 2-4.
"It's great," said Rodgers, who's completed 68.8% of his 138 passes for 1,021 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. "I've known Joe for a long time. He's been great coming to my charity event. He's been a great ambassador for the league. He's had a great career. And it's fun that we're both still playing."
The Steelers are Rodgers' third career squad, while Flacco is on team No. 7. The two have matched up three previous times, with Rodgers always on the Packers and always coming out the victor. Flacco lost twice to Rodgers with the Ravens and once with the Denver Broncos.
Having begun his career with the Ravens prior to time with the Broncos, New York Jets (twice), Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns (twice) and Indianapolis Colts, Flacco is now with the Bengals after a stunning trade from the rival Browns.
