The Bengals-Steelers rivalry is an NFL rivalry. The two teams have played each other twice a year since becoming division rivals in 1970, the lone exception being 1982, when the annual matchup in Cincinnati was canceled due to the player's strike; the teams only met in Week 2 in Pittsburgh that season just before the start of the strike. Originally placed in the AFC Central following the AFL-NFL merger, the two teams currently compete in that division's successor, the AFC North.
Video Bengals-Steelers rivalry
Overview
Not quite as historic as the Bengals-Browns rivalry, however, many Bengals fans consider the Steelers to be their greatest rivals, much like Cleveland Browns fans. (Steeler fans, however, often consider the Baltimore Ravens as their top rival.) It is disputed which is the more widely bitter rivalry, but this specific rivalry is often ranked as one of the NFL's most bitter, chiefly due to the events of the 2005 and the 2015 wild card playoff games between the two teams. Similarly, these are the only two AFC North teams to experience Super Bowl losses, with each team losing two.
Though the Steelers have mostly dominated this rivalry, it has heated up in recent seasons due to the Bengals resurgence among NFL teams. Even during the Bengals' dismal years in the 1990s and early 2000s when they were one of the NFL's worst teams, they would at times get the better of the Steelers, who were usually the dominant team in the division during the "Bungals" years. One notable example came in 1998, when the Bengals swept the Steelers in the season series while finishing 3-13 overall. (Their only other win coming against the Detroit Lions in overtime). The loss knocked the Steelers out of playoff contention (they finished 7-9).
While the Steelers have a much older rivalry with the Browns and have a longer history against several teams from the NFC due to the Steelers being part of the "old" NFL prior to the 1970 merger, the Bengals have met the Steelers more than anyone else in their own history, due to the Tennessee Titans being moved to the new AFC South in the 2002 realignment, while the Browns missed keeping pace due to being out of the league for 3 years.
The rivalry has enjoyed a revival since meeting in the playoffs for the first time in the 2005 wild card. During the game, division champion Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer was injured by Steeler Kimo von Oelhoffen. Palmer's injured ACL and MCL kept him out of the game, which the Steelers won 31-17. After undergoing surgery to repair the damaged ligaments, Palmer was featured in a Sports Illustrated article focusing on the new technique used to repair his knee. In that article, Palmer is quoted as saying "I hate the Steelers more than I hate UCLA," a reference to his college days at USC, although Palmer himself did not blame the Steelers for his injury. Many fans from both sides remain bitter about this episode.
The rivalry rose to new heights in 2009 when the Bengals were AFC North Division champions. They boasted a perfect 6-0 division record, not only twice beating the long-time champion Steelers, but the Ravens and Browns. Despite their division dominance, the Bengals were only 4-6 against the rest of the NFL, finishing 3-1 against the NFC North and 1-5 against other AFC teams. The Bengals made the playoffs as AFC North Champions, but lost in an upset at home to the New York Jets.
From 2010 to 2012, the Steelers won five straight games in the rivalry until the Bengals defeated them at Heinz Field on December 23, 2012. On that day the Bengals clinched a playoff spot for the third time in the last four seasons, while eliminating the Steelers from playoff contention at the same time.
The rivalry has reached unprecedented heights as a result of the 2016 Wild Card playoff game. After previously having bad blood between the divisional rival from incidents in the 2015 regular season, the two teams met in the postseason. The contest was rife with physical play and penalty flags on both sides. Ryan Shazier knocked Giovani Bernard unconscious and celebrated the hit on the field riling up the Bengals and their fans as no flag was thrown on the play. The game appeared over after Vontaze Burfict intercepted Landry Jones, who was in due to an injury to Ben Roethlisberger after being sacked by Burfict. However, Jeremy Hill fumbled the ball and the Steelers recovered on their 9yd line with 1:36 remaining. Ben Roethlisberger returned and drove the Steelers to the Bengals 47 yard line with :18 remaining. Burfict was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver, Antonio Brown, on an incomplete pass while Jones was penalized for bumping a referee while going after Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter during the injury timeout. Porter received no flag for his actions. These fouls advanced the Steelers 30 yards with under 20 seconds remaining in the game, allowing Pittsburgh to kick a 35-yard field goal for the victory.
Pittsburgh has a 62-35 series lead against the Bengals.
Maps Bengals-Steelers rivalry
1970s (Steelers 14-6)
1980s (Bengals 13-6)
1990s (Steelers 13-7)
2000s (Steelers 15-6)
2010s (Steelers 14-3)
References
Further reading
- Steelers, Bengals rivalry heats up
- Steelers Bengals' rivalry is one-sided, but it has grown closer
- The Best Rivalry In The NFL Grows (steelersfever.com) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2011-01-05)
- A rarity: Bengals-Steelers really is a big game (zanesvilletimesrecorder.com) at Archive.is (archived 2013-02-10)
- NY Times: Rare Big Game Looms for Steelers and Bengals
- ESPN
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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