Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco addresses the media ahead of his team's Week 7 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium.

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Having spent 18 years in the NFL, Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco has learned many lessons. That’s why learning a new offense and starting just five days after a trade from the Browns didn’t faze him heading into Sunday’s game at Green Bay.

For just the third time in NFL history, two starting quarterbacks at least 40 years of age will square off against each other when Aaron Rodgers, 41, and the Pittsburgh Steelers visit 40-year-old Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said the Browns' trade of Joe Flacco to the AFC North rival Bengals didn't make sense to him.

The football gods have a sense of humor. On Thursday Night Football, the NFL will get something few ever expected — a classic melee between new Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Flacco and Pittsburgh Steelers‘ Aaron Rodgers — two forty-somethings with more combined passing yards than the population of some towns.

The Bengals’ hope in acquiring Joe Flacco last week was to find a quarterback capable of making the layups. The Cincinnati coaching staff felt that consistently being behind the sticks under backup quarterback Jake Browning played a large role in making the offense non-functional.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco will make some rare NFL history when they meet on Thursday Night Football this week.

The Bengals got back into the game by opening the second half with a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that lasted 10 minutes, 14 seconds. On fourth-and-goal, Flacco threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Hudson, who entered Sunday’s game without any catches all season.