Rivalry week is happening in college football this weekend, and a renewed NFL rivalry is going down in Cincinnati as well. The Cincinnati Bengals kickoff their three-week home stretch with an awaited rematch against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
At 6-4, the Bengals took care of business last week with an important victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The win elevated the Bengals into second place in the AFC North, but the Steelers have not gone away quietly since they looked dead in the water after a 1-3 start that included a home loss to the Bengals in Week 3.
Pittsburgh put together four-straight wins—all by one score—from Weeks 5 through 9, and reminded us that this team simply doesn’t give up. They’ve since tied the winless Detroit Lions and lost a thriller to the Los Angeles Chargers, which puts them half a game behind the Bengals in the divisional standings and the AFC playoff picture.
Not only are the Steelers looking to jump the Bengals in the standings, they’ll attempt to avoid a Bengals sweep for the first time in over a decade. 2009 was the last time the Bengals beat the Steelers twice in a season, but you’d have to go all the way back to before the Bengals last won a playoff game to find the last time they beat the Steelers two consecutive times in Cincinnati; 1990 to be exact.
A tall task for Bengals teams of the past, but this team knows what it’s like to beat the Steelers soundly. Their recent success has not only rejuvenated this once competitive matchup, it’s made for a relevant late-season meeting between them, which hasn’t been the case in years.
It’s Bengals-Steelers week. What else needs to be said? This stream has all the news, updates, and analysis of the game.