In the real world, being 40 or 41 isn’t old.
In the NFL, it’s darn near ancient.
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 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 touchdowns 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 Green Bay Packers and always coming out the victor. Flacco lost twice to Rodgers with the Baltimore Ravens and once with the Denver Broncos.
Having begun his career with the Ravens prior to time with the Broncos, Jets (twice), Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns (twice) and Indianapolis Colts, Flacco is now with the Bengals after a stunning trade from the rival Browns.
It was a swap that the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, threw a bit of shade on earlier in the week.
Speaking to the media Tuesday, Flacco shrugged it off ahead of his second start this year against Pittsburgh with his second team.
"I heard he was talking about it a little bit, the fact that I'm on the Bengals,” Flacco said, per Cincinnati.com’s Dave Clark. “I don't know. I didn't see it. I didn't get to see how upset he was. But I think he's probably just playing the game a little bit, and doing whatever he has to do."
With Flacco having played 11 seasons for the Ravens and spent time with the Browns and Bengals, he’s no stranger to Tomlin, who’s in his 19th year as head coach of the Steelers.
"Look how consistent they've been over the last 20 years," Flacco said. "I mean how long has he been there now? Twenty years or more? They're always physical. I think they found out who they wanted to be as a team early on and they've continued to build their teams based off of that. And that's why they always have a chance.”
Likewise, Rodgers, a 2005 first-round pick, is an admirer of Flacco, a 2008 first-round choice. Though they’re both a bit long in the tooth as it relates to the gridiron, their long arms still seem to be in their repertoires.
"I've just always enjoyed watching him throw the ball," Rodgers said of Flacco. "He's got one of the prettiest balls. Tight spiral. Deep ball thrower. He is one of the old school, 2000s, '90s prototypical quarterbacks.
"When I was coming in the game, it was the big guys who had the big arms. Now you're seeing some really athletic guys playing the position. I think he would probably agree with me. Sometimes when you watch how the guys play, you feel like they're playing a different position because of the kind of athleticism and the way the game is called. There's more read-option called. You're seeing more of the college game in the NFL. But I've always enjoyed watching Joe play. I have a lot of respect for him and his game."
It's almost a certainty Rodgers and Flacco won’t be scrambling up a storm on Thursday, but the youngsters can still sling it some. They’ll be aiming to do just that, while continuing to stiff arm Father Time and keep those glory days from passing them by.