This week’s edition of Thursday Night Football will feature not only an AFC North rivalry matchup, but also a showdown between two of the NFL’s oldest and most accomplished quarterbacks.
The visiting Pittsburgh Steelers will have 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers under center, while the Cincinnati Bengals will ride with 40-year-old Joe Flacco again with Joe Burrow still out. In their 39 seasons, they’ve combined to win two Super Bowls and four MVPs while throwing nearly 800 touchdown passes.
Despite being one year older, Rodgers is having the better season. In his first season with the Steelers, he’s led them to a 4-1 record and the top of the AFC North. Meanwhile, Flacco is 1-4 and already on his second team this season after getting benched and traded by the Cleveland Browns.
When they square off on Thursday, it will be the second-oldest quarterback matchup in NFL history at 81 combined years old, behind only Tom Brady’s final showdown with Drew Brees in January 2021 (85 combined years young).
Despite getting teased by some of his teammates, Rodgers is looking forward to his primetime duel with Flacco.
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“I think it’s great for all the old guys, you know,” Rodgers told the media on Tuesday. “I know that when I watch other sports — maybe it’s ’cause I’m the older guy — I tend to pull for the older guys to win, to win championships.”
Rodgers added that he’s known Flacco for a long time and “it’s fun that we’re both still playing.”
Thursday night will be the fourth time the old gunslingers have faced each other and the first time since 2019. They’re both a bit older, slower and grayer now, but they’re still playing at a high level into the twilight of their distinguished careers.
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Featured image via Kirby Lee/Imagn Images