Steelers 45-year losing streak Continues After Bengals’ Stunning Win | Steelers vs Bengals
Steelers 45-year losing streak, The Pittsburgh Steelers have built one of the richest legacies in NFL history. But there’s one stat their fans would love to erase: the team has never won a Thursday night road game against a divisional opponent — and that frustrating streak continued in Week 7.
At Paycor Stadium on Thursday, the Cincinnati Bengals handed the Steelers yet another road loss on a short week, pulling off a dramatic 33-31 upset. Despite a late surge from Pittsburgh, Joe Flacco and Ja’Marr Chase proved unstoppable as the Bengals extended the Steelers’ Thursday road nightmare to an incredible 45 years.
Bengals Dominate Behind Flacco and Chase
Joe Flacco turned back the clock with a 342-yard, three-touchdown performance, carving up the Steelers’ secondary all night. His go-to target, Ja’Marr Chase, was simply sensational — hauling in a franchise-record 16 receptions to power Cincinnati’s offense.
Aaron Rodgers, battling Flacco in a rare matchup between two quarterbacks over 40, put up strong numbers himself with 249 passing yards and four touchdowns. However, his two interceptions proved costly for Pittsburgh.
The loss marked the Steelers’ ninth straight defeat in divisional Thursday road matchups, including a sobering 0-7 record under head coach Mike Tomlin. The streak began way back in 1980 and has haunted the franchise across multiple eras and opponents — even those who no longer share their division.
Pittsburgh’s Thursday Night Road Woes
Here’s how the painful timeline looks:
| Opponent | Result | Date |
| Houston Oilers | Oilers 6–0 | Dec. 4, 1980 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Jaguars 20–6 | Dec. 2, 1999 |
| Cleveland Browns | Browns 13–6 | Dec. 10, 2009 |
| Baltimore Ravens | Ravens 22–20 | Nov. 28, 2013 |
| Baltimore Ravens | Ravens 26–6 | Sept. 11, 2014 |
| Cleveland Browns | Browns 21–7 | Nov. 14, 2019 |
| Cleveland Browns | Browns 29–17 | Sept. 22, 2022 |
| Cleveland Browns | Browns 24–19 | Nov. 21, 2024 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Bengals 33–31 | Oct. 16, 2025 |
A Stat Steelers Fans Won’t Like
Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the Steelers are just 3-16 in Thursday road games — the worst winning percentage of any NFL team. According to CBS Sports research, here’s how the bottom three stack up:
| Team | Record | Winning % |
| Steelers | 3–16 | .158 |
| Browns | 2–8 | .200 |
| Jets | 3–11 | .214 |
Even powerhouse teams struggle occasionally, but this kind of consistency — for all the wrong reasons — has mystified Steelers Nation for decades.
Can Pittsburgh Ever Break the Curse?
Mike Tomlin’s Thursday night road record now sits at 2-10, including 0-7 in division matchups. Since 2019, the team is 1-6 overall on Thursday nights. Flacco’s win also tied him with Tom Brady for most career victories (12) against the Steelers — an impressive feat that adds more fuel to the rivalry’s fire.
For a franchise built on resilience, this is one ghost Pittsburgh still hasn’t exorcised. Unless the Steelers find a way to rewrite history, Thursday road games might remain their most baffling blind spot for years to come.
Leave a Reply