It was as if Pat Freiermuth had entered the federal witness protection program. That is how seldom the Pittsburgh Steelers utilized the tight end during the first five games of the season.

Freiermuth had been targeted just 11 times and had eight receptions for 76 yards going into Thursday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The lack of targets was surprising considering that Freiermuth had at least 60 receptions in three of his four professional seasons.

However, the Steelers brought Freiermuth out of hiding, and he was a bright spot in their 33-31 loss to the Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

Freiermuth had five receptions on six targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns. It marked the first multi-TD game of his career.

Freiermuth also had his second 100-yard game. The other also came at Cincinnati in 2023 when he caught nine passes for 120 yards.

Before Thursday, it appeared Freiermuth had gotten lost in the shuffle on a roster with four tight ends, and that perhaps he wasn't trusted by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is in his first year with the Steelers. However, Rodgers said after Thursday night's game that he has had confidence in Freiermuth since the beginning of training camp.

"Pat's a great player and he hasn't had a lot of looks this season," Rodgers said. "His playtime has gone down, but his attitude hasn't, and I think there's a lot to be said for the professionalism he showed, especially the last couple of weeks. It's a roller coaster over the course of the season, but we know how important Pat is to our offense over the long haul."

Freiermuth's first touchdown catch covered 19 yards with 3:55 left in the third quarter and drew the Steelers within 20-17. Rodgers and Freiermuth then connected for a 68-yard score that put the Steelers ahead 31-30 with 2:21 to go.

However, the Bengals won the game on Evan McPherson's 36-yard field goal with seven seconds to go.

"It is what it is," Freiermuth said of his performance. "It was frustrating that we couldn't come out of it with a win. That's why we're here, to get a W."