The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals have always had a rivalry that wasn’t the friendliest, dating back to T.J. Houshmandzadeh stomping on the Terrible Towel and LB Vontaze Burfict racking up fines for illegal hits against the Steelers. While the Steelers dominated against Cincinnati for most of the 2000s, the tide has turned a bit recently, with the Bengals sweeping Pittsburgh in 2021 and coming away as winners of four of the last seven matchups.
It’s a game that should be close despite Cincinnati coming into today’s matchup with the Steelers at 4-7 compared to Pittsburgh’s 8-3. Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick told ESPN’s Kimberly Martin that the “natural disdain” between the two teams adds intensity to the rivalry.