AJ McCarron started Saturday night’s rainy home playoff game for the Cincinnati Bengals.

In the process, he broke a 33-year streak between playoff starts for Alabama quarterbacks in the NFL.

Prior to last night’s 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the last Crimson Tide QB to start a playoff game was Richard Todd for the New York Jets in the 1983 AFC Championship Game, according to AL.com.

It was the first time a Crimson Tide QB even made an appearance in the playoffs since Jeff Rutledge played for Washington during the 1993 postseason.

And it appeared as though McCarron was going to go home a hero, both to Bengals fans and Crimson Tide fans alike, after connecting with former Georgia WR A.J. Green for a go-ahead touchdown in the final moments of the game:

But following a fumble by former LSU RB Jeremy Hill, things went downhill quickly for the Bengals defense.

After a pair of personal foul penalties that pushed the Steelers into field goal range in the final seconds of the game, McCarron was left with very little time to attempt a comeback.

Though he didn’t get a playoff win, McCarron did prove himself as a competent NFL QB during the final games of the season as a replacement for the Bengals’ injured starter Andy Dalton.

It will be interesting to see if that opens an interested trade market for his services in the offseason, potentially securing him a full-time starting gig.