Changing of the Guard Can Rekindle Bengals' Rivalry with Steelers
The more things change, the more they stay the same in the bitter rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sunday marks the 100th regular-season meeting between the storied franchises in a series with a clear little brother. Pittsburgh holds a 66-35 all-time lead (including playoffs) on Cincinnati, and lately, things have gotten lopsided.
The Steelers have won a rivalry-record ten straight meetings dating back to 2015. A large part of their success has to do with having a future Hall of Famer at quarterback.
“Still really good, I wouldn’t say there’s a major difference that I see," Zac Taylor said when asked about Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. "He looks like the same Ben that’s been playing for a long time.”
Roethlisberger has defined dominance against the Bengals, posting a 25-7 record over Cincinnati. The Miami-product began his NFL career 10-0 in the buckeye state after the Steelers drafted him in 2004. Roethlisberger's delivered much of the same results that started the rivalry under the guise of Chuck Knoll and Terry Bradshaw.
Knoll's Steelers hit their stride in 1974, winning four of six super bowls over the rest of the decade while dominating their AFC Central rival. Pittsburgh went 9-3 against the Bengals across that run, holding the Queen City to less than 17 points in all but two games. The "Steel Curtain" defense and Bradshaw's steady leadership gave Pittsburgh the early upper hand, but things changed when Cincinnati found a pair of franchise signal-callers.
Ken Anderson's 1981 Super Bowl run was highlighted by a season sweep of Pittsburgh, while his successor Boomer Esiason helped lead the franchise to six straight victories in the rivalry from 1988-90. The fertile stretch in the 80s gave Cincinnati a 21-20 series lead. Long time fans would prefer not to think about the 90s chapter of team history.
Pittsburgh won both games against Cincinnati in 1992 without allowing a touchdown. They sacked David Klingler ten times in the second meeting. Thirty years and 15 starting quarterbacks later, hope has returned thanks to the arm of a gunslinger from The Plains, Ohio.
Joe Burrow is used to busting ugly streaks wide open at every level of football. Athens High School had never won a playoff game before Burrow was named the starter. He led them to the state championship game. The Bulldogs set the state points record with Burrow and went to the title game in 2014.
LSU had lost eight straight games to Alabama heading into 2019. Burrow's Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 46-41 last November. Now the rookie of the year candidate has a chance to exercise some more demons at the latest stop on his football journey.
“This is a new year for us, we can’t worry about what’s happened in the past with other teams that we’ve played you know this is a totally new football team," Taylor said when asked about the rivalry. "I like where our team is headed. They are really buying into the plan being put in front of them. We are going to go out and put our best foot forward and feel confident we can play with any team in this league."
Despite an 0-3 record in the division, Burrow is hitting his stride and has this team in position to create some buzz in the AFC North. The Bengals offense is fifth in EPA (expected points added) per play since the Week 5 loss against Baltimore.
A playoff berth is unlikely, but coming off a bye facing their most hated rival has Sunday percolating with postseason vibes.
"My neighbor is saying like, 'This is a big game.' I was like, 'Yeah, I know,'" Bengals safety Vonn Bell said on Tuesday. "He was like, 'It's different being with the Bengals.' I was like, 'What are you talking about?' He's like, 'No, it's different. We hate these guys.' I just felt like it from him, man this is intense. I love it."
Bell, along with seven other Bengals defenders, have never played in this rivalry game.
"Being this underdog and always getting counted out, it breeds growth," Bell said. "That’s what's great about it and I’m very acceptive of the challenge in making myself better and the team better, that’s life just gotta accept it."
The Steelers have dominated this bitter series by being the steadier, more well-run franchise. Pittsburgh is squeezing the last bit of greatness from their legend. On the flip side, Cincinnati is crossing its fingers that the 2020s look a lot like the 1980s. A new era in this decades-long war starts Sunday from Heinz Field.
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