On Sunday the Bengals and Steelers will battle for AFC North supremacy. Both teams are 6-2. If Pittsburgh wins, the tiebreaker will come down to divisional record. Considering they have 0 wins over Baltimore and the Bengals have 2, this one isn't looking too bad for the Bengals. If the Bengals win, they'd essentially have a 1.5 game lead in the division with three very winnable games in a row coming up.
This game means more to the Steelers than it does the Bengals, but so did the Baltimore game.
The Bengals play a Big Boy Game on Sunday for the first time in a long time. The last one I can remember (@ Indy in Week 15 in 2006) didn't go so well. I'm hoping that all changes on Sunday. Either way, we're all happy we're a part of the ride. If we can only do this every year.
Part of the reason these games mean so much is that they come every three years, you know? In Pittburgh this is a once-a-month thing, year-in, year-out.
These are the really meaningful big men games between these two teams that I can think of:
Sun Dec 4 2005: 8-3 Bengals beat 7-4 Steelers in Pitt for the division lead.
Sun Dec 2 1990: 6-5 Bengals beat 6-5 Steelers in Pitt for a share of the division lead.
Sun Oct 17 1976: Super Bowl champ 2-4 Steelers start an eight game win streak with win in Pitt over 4-2 Bengals; 8-4 Steelers win rematch in Cincy Nov 28 over then 9-3 Bengals to kill the Bengals playoff hopes (Bengals lose wild card tie-breaker to Colts who beat them 28-27... team finishes 10-4 ranked 6th on offense and 7th on defense and no playoffs)
Sun Nov 2 1975: 5-1 Steelers beat 6-0 Bengals in Cincy; in December 11-1 Steelers win again in Pittsburgh over the 10-2 Bengals on their way to a repeat Super Bowl win. Bengals got their only wild card playoff spot that year (34 years ago), with their best ever winning percentage (11-3 record).
Posted by: FeedMikeBrownToAquaBengal | November 10, 2009 at 01:57 AM
That picture never gets old.
Posted by: LeeRoy Jenkins | November 10, 2009 at 09:43 AM
Love the usage of the term "skank." That, Showtime, is a hilarious headline, please keep them coming. I am honestly worried about this game like I assume most of us are. Planty of potential to make a statement, plenty of potential to look like Denver last night at Heinz Field, please get Ced going early, or set him up by successfully passing the ball downfield early. I don't see how this offense succeeds without that. Mr. Obvious? Yes, that's me.
Posted by: CurseofBoJackson | November 10, 2009 at 09:54 AM
In other news, police marksmen, armed with tranquilizer guns, failed to subdue a raving yinz-er, which began a rampage late last night around 11pm...
the miscreant was finally brought down with the aid of passerby, and a series of carefully directed towel-snaps and hurled oranges.
Posted by: Hofbraunow | November 10, 2009 at 10:37 AM
FeedMikeBrown... is right: those fans just suck!
I hope you are joking. I am ashamed and rightfully embarrased when a Steelers fan brings up this revolution. You guys make it hard to debate with them when they state how at least they don't have a revolution website.
I hate you guys more than steelers fans. There is no logical way of getting a point across to you so I just have to keep it simple and say how ashamed we are of you guys. DISCLAIMER: PLEASE DONT REPEAT THE SAME POINTS YOU ALL DO EVERY POST.
Posted by: REVOLUTION=STEELERSFANS | November 10, 2009 at 10:58 AM
@REVOLUTION=STEELERSFANS: you have trouble understanding... it's bizarre that loving the crap Mike Brown gave us in the 1990s and last year is somehow being a "fan"... yeah, I guess one can be a "fan" of crap.
The reason the Steelers fans don't have a revolution web site is they haven't got a 20 year record of zero playoff wins. If they did, they'd have a web site. I guarantee it. Well, that's if any of them could figure out how to write some HTML.
How about you ask them about the Pittburgh Pirates some time, if they are such a great sports fan town, how the Pirates sell out every single game and people never complain about the losing and losing. Let us know how that conversation goes...
Posted by: FeedMikeBrownToAquaBengal | November 10, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Quiet Boy. Go back to your revolution. I'll let you know when it is time to come in for dinner.
Have fun with your friends. Call if your going to be late.
Signed,
The Truth Hurts
I'm Out!!!
Posted by: REVOLUTION=STEELERSFANS | November 10, 2009 at 11:28 AM
REVOLUTION=STEELER FANS
the reason the site is here is because of the reasons we keep (apparently) repeating to you. You just won't listen (read), I don't need to tell you fifty different ways so your Steeler fan size brain can grasp it.
No, No, I'll grant you a series of questions, ask away, I've never seen your tag before, lets hear it, what the beef?
Posted by: CurseofBoJackson | November 10, 2009 at 01:34 PM
"I could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves"
revolution=steeler fans
Posted by: REVOLUTION=STEELERSFANS | November 10, 2009 at 04:52 PM
REVOLUTION=STEELERSFANS=TROLL.
Posted by: FeedMikeBrownToAquaBengal | November 10, 2009 at 05:13 PM
Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if REVOLUTION=STEELERSFANS is himself a Steelers fan, trolling our site to be a pain. He'll disappear after this weekend, so pay him no mind, please.
Posted by: Wyatt | November 10, 2009 at 06:14 PM
So, uh, no response to the Pirates thing? Yeah, you probably picked a good time to be "out"
The worst fans choose teams to support in place of the teams that they are most geographically related to. Maybe you live in or near Pittsburgh and maybe you don't, but I don't want to hear that Pittsburgh has good fans. They have a good team and people attach their lives to it in varying degrees.
Posted by: Pittsburgh is for filthy hill-people | November 11, 2009 at 07:58 PM
Pittsburgh is for filthy hill-people:
Would I be one of the "worst fans", then? I live just outside Pittsburgh, but because my dad's side of the family is originally from Columbus and Sundays were spent at my paternal grandparents' house, I grew up a Bengals/Reds fan. Technically, I chose a team to support in place of a team that I am most geographically related to. By not considering other factors, specifically in my case familial loyalty, you've made a broad generalization which tends to be totally erroneous. But thanks for insulting me - I'm sure I'm a worse fan than you, because I've actually gone into a Steelers ban in full Bengals regalia to watch some Steelers/Bengals games over the years and been ridiculed for it mercilessly whether the Bengals won (rarely) or lost (frequently).
Posted by: Wyatt | November 12, 2009 at 07:52 AM
No response to my invitation, preceded by inane and really just flat dumb comments, ok I'm good, I'll let it go.
Posted by: CurseofBoJackson | November 12, 2009 at 01:13 PM
Oh, and my post should've read "gone into a Steelers bar in full Bengals regalia" - sorry for the confusion.
Posted by: Wyatt | November 13, 2009 at 09:33 AM