Last year, Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell didn’t throw an interception all year. Until he got a taste of the Steelers defense in early November.
This year, Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton had only one interception on his stat sheet, a second-quarter Hail Mary picked off by Randy Moss.
And then he got a taste of the Steelers defense in early November.
The Steelers put the clamps on the Broncos, forcing three interceptions by Orton and holding the offense to a field goal on the first drive of the game. Along the way, the Steelers shut down the Denver running game, holding the Broncos to 27 yards.
Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians rediscovered his own rushing attack, dialing up Rashard Mendenhall for 22 carries and 155 yards.
Week One starter Willie Parker didn’t get a single carry.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also did his part, completing 20 of 28 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. (That said, he added an interception and a fumble that resulted in a touchdown return.)
And so, after starting the season with six wins, the Broncos have been outscored 58-17 in their last two games. Meanwhile, the Chargers have won three in a row — and they’re only one game out of first place in the AFC West.
In the AFC North, the Steelers have matched the Bengals at 6-2. The two teams meet again on Sunday, a rematch of the Week Three game won by the Bengals. A victory by Cincy would create, as a practical matter, a two-game lead for the Bengals, since they’d hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Both teams seem to have improved since they last saw each other on September 27. Though the home team has the edge, a classic could be awaiting on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Can’t wait! I hope the Bengals can pull it together and get the job done!
yeah … that one should be a quality game
Bronco fans are always the first one’s to say what great fans they are. I don’t get it…It looked like a Steelers home game at Mile High tonight!
Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to witness a beatdown on the rest of the NFL. The Steelers are priming for another run, and if they continue to play like they did tonight, Lombardi # 7 is likely.
Ah…..the truth hurts. Que the bitter Bungle and Ratbird fans…..
Roethlisberger is the man! Steelers will probably repeat this year now that Polamalu is back, and if he can stay healthy.
Minus an incredibly stupid motorcycle accident, Ben would probably have at least 3 Super Bowls by now.
With a running game, the Steelers are hard to beat.
Big Ben is so dangerous once he gets outside the pocket.
Who would you rather have right now?….this is a test.
Ben, Peyton, Brady, Brees ? Anybody else?
I’d take Ben……but I’m stuck with Matt Leadfoot Ryan.
Josh McDaniels’ offensive genius had way more to do with Randy Moss and Tom Brady then any system of dink and dunk.
Orton had B Marsh open deep on a corner route on the pick 6, of course he always throws short and the result was caused by the safeties sitting on the short routes because they know Orton will never take a shot deep and give his best player a chance in one on one coverage.
Broncos offense looks HORRIBLE. The last 2 weeks, they have a net 10 pts, 7 of which came off pass interference penalties. Pathetic. Boy Genius has got to get it together.
The Steelers D is fierce, but if they don’t score pts, they will lose in the playoffs.
Great to see the usual fast start from the Donkeys turn into the obligatory late season gift for the Chargers…gotta stop drinkin’ that MileHi koolaid.
Yeah, the Bengals are going to make Hines cry again at Heinz. It will be lovely.
The Broncos were exposed tonight for what they are… an average team. If only their offense played with the same intensity as that of their defense.
Is anyone else sick of John Gruden? I think he was a good coach and perhaps should go back to his day job because he really is frustrating to listen to, although I do appreciate his enthusiasm. I would like to see Trent Dilfer maybe, or maybe Steve Young. I liked Tony Kornhieser but I know he only wants to do Sunday night football.
i bet the rooneys have already opened up their pocketbooks for this one….
Thank you, Pittsburgh.
Sincerely,
San Diego
yeah
Both teams may be 6-2 overall, but only one is undefeated within the AFC North division, and Pittsburgh still must play the Ravens not once, but twice.
That said, I would be pleasantly surprised if we beat the Steelers at Heinz Field, especially without WR Chris Henry.
KD
Should be a good game Sunday, but I’ll start thinking about that later. Tonight we defeated a strong opponent on the road in one of the more difficult road venues. And we did it playing aggressive defense despite missing Clark, Timmons, Smith. So for at least the next day, I’m just gonna chill. No worries. All smiles
Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians rediscovered his own rushing attack, dialing up Rashard Mendenhall for 22 carries and 155 yards.
*******************************************
Once again, where are all the folks bitching about how Mendenhall’s one of the biggest busts in Steelers history? Get outta tahn. Broncos aren’t exactly boasting a poor rush defense, either (clocking in at 3rd in the league at 86.1 yrds allowed per game). I’ll hold out definite conclusions on Mendenhall until the end of the year, but that’s what happens when you give a guy a chance.
I called the Broncos lose their next two last week before the Ravens game. The Broncos offense isn’t equipped to face defenses that beat you up…ie. The Ravens and Steelers. Although the Steelers had a slow first half…I knew the outcome of the game from the beginning. I will admit I was surpised by the dominance of the Steelers o-line. Mendenhall saw the holes and hit them fast. Which was his main problem all along. He did a great job tonight. Mendenhall and the Steelers run game gets going….good night….to ANYONE. Looking forward to next week against the Bengals. Should be a great game. It seems as though the Steelers D has remedied the 4th QTR issues, so I’m expecting a Steelers W. I do believe though that the first 3 quarters won’t be quite as one-sided though.
Please, for the love of God, stop using dial-it-up or dialled-up when talking about playcalling.
It makes no sense and is lazy, populist writing.
I do hope that all my Steeler fan brethren here on PFT do realize that most people here will post argementative garbage just to get you all riled up, which of course incites a response, to which gives them something to respond to. We won, fair and square, in a dominating performance. Denver isn’t good enough to hang with the elite, and that has been exposed these past two weeks (and yes, as a Steeler fan I still consider the Ravens an elite team, I hate them, but much respect, they’re tough and can beat any team any given week). The Donco’s are lucky they play in a lame division.
And to a response on an earlier article…who the heck in PGH wants Larry Johnson anyway???? We don’t need him…in ANY WAY. Not for short yardage…not for anything. The steelers tossed around a so-called “dominant” defense tonight, especially on the ground. They made it look easy for Mendenhall. I’m not going to jump all over the guy prematurely, but Arians needs to get over his man crush with Roethlisberger (It’s been long enough) and start balancing the offense out more. We have a weapon in Mendenhall that is being wasted most games. Big Ben has proven what he is capable of time and time again. It’s flat out unfair to put the game on that guys shoulders time and time again. It was GREAT to see a change of pace tonight. Mendenhall running all over the place a mile high was a gorgeous thing.
Opinionated Fool says:
November 10, 2009 12:16 AM
Thank you, Pittsburgh.
Sincerely,
San Diego
————————————————
Your welcome San Diego. For both destroying your division rivals tonight and for the beat down we laid on you a few weeks back.
Sincerely,
Pittsburgh
Hey jonnyweir…
You’re getting too dialed-up. Dial-it-down a bit.
Florio never claimed he was the next Billy Shakespeare.
Hey Jonnyweir…
You’re getting too dialed-up. Dail-it-down a little.
Florio never claimed he was Billy Shakespeare.
Katmanduu
No bitterness here.
I have a lot of respect for the Steelers, it is earned.
I don’t believe in excuses.
It’s gonna be a great game on Sunday.
Hope the Steelers talk smack like they did last game, it really intimidates these bungles.
“With a running game, the Steelers are hard to beat.”
Nice try, but the running game is probably the 2nd reason they’ve had success – defense being 1st. Ben is on a good team.
Boom! Got ‘em.
I think the Ravens picked off orton last week.Quit kissing those inberds asses.
Orton has been exposed, he can’t handle the blitz and he can’t throw deep.
It was all done with smoke and mirrors but the smoke has cleared.
The Donkeys are fading again.
“I think the Ravens picked off orton last week.Quit kissing those inberds asses.”
What, did you not watch your own team’s game last week? No, Orton did not throw an interception in Baltimore.
Now, just worry about beating the Browns on Monday Night and getting back above .500 after losing four of your last five.
Meanwhile, those “inberds” will worry about winning their 6th game in a row and taking over 1st place.
….in other news, Ben Rottenburger would like to thank Katmanduu as well as Basicinstice for the pre game and post BJ’s last night. Ben was quoted as saying ” I’m just human, but for some reason, those two can’t get enough of me. They sound a little obsessed. I’m not sure if they’re just unemployed, or bored or what their problem is, but it’s kinda creppy the way they talk about be and the team. The remind me of the weirdoes that you see on the news for stalking the families of certain celebrities…..creepy.”
—thanks Big Ben, and good game tonight…….
is it safe to say that the afc north is the best division in football?
bengals @ steelers is set up for an awesome game. real happy that troy p will be playing in this one against his former college roommate carson palmer.
florio, can we have more articles about the lack of running game in pittsburgh, jeff reed, the loss of aaron smith, and big ben’s legal issues? these seem to be the ingredients for success.
The Real Kyle Orton has showed up…get used to that Denver.
I don’t know what to expect next week other than hopefully a good, tough, physical game. The Bengals have a better running game than Denver and a much better passing game so that should help but we don’t have quite as good a defense as Denver, so that puts us one down. Then again, our corners are playing lights out right now, so maybe that’s all we need to stop the Steelers. Both teams need this game to kind of decide the North champion since they have Baltimore twice and then really no one else while the Bengals have Min and SD and then really no one else. Maybe I can hope for a cold blustery day, a day where the Bengals can run up and down the field on the Steelers and their new found passing game will struggle. Sunday can’t come soon enough.
Where is Steeltownpride? Just thought I’d tell you good game, you were right. I don’t hide after a wrong pick. Congrats on an impressive win. Just tell Mendenhall to call AD and learn how to mow over a defender,to run out of bounds at that size is not befitting a smash mouth team!
Chris Henry being out is not going to effect the Bengals’ play at all Sunday. He hasn’t had many balls sent his way. Vern and Caldwell will do just fine along with Ocho. The Bengals will definitely give the Squeelers a good game. Don’t think we’re going to come in there and lay down for them. Not going to happen.
@# CincyJungle says: November 10, 2009 2:24 AM
Hope the Steelers talk smack like they did last game, it really intimidates these bungles.”
Too bad Houshmanzadeh isn’t still around to wipe his shoes with another Terrible Towel.
“jonnyweir says:
November 10, 2009 12:47 AM
Please, for the love of God, stop using dial-it-up or dialled-up when talking about playcalling.
It makes no sense and is lazy, populist writing.”
That’s great that you’re like a grad in lit or something, but this is a football board. Have you ever said “dial up”? It’s kind of fun.
Ooooh! Did you see the way Wallace Stevens dialed up that synecdoche?
Sunday’s gonna be a blast. May the more rested team win. I don’t see how this is anything but a gritty, hard fought ball game all the way through.
I got the Bengals making things more interesting for the Ravens after Sunday, Bengals 20 Steelers 17
“I pure, straight hate you Steelers, but god damn it, I respect the hell out of you.”
I think it is important to mention that the Bengals have shown that they can win at Heinz Field:
’03: W 24-20
’04: L 34-17
’05: W 38-31
’06: W 28-20
’07: L 24-10
’08: L 27-10 (No Carson Palmer)
The Bengals are 3-3 in their last six meeting with the ole mighty Steelers in the ‘burgh and you never get off easy. To ask a Steelers fan, they dominate Cincinnati, but stats never lie. We had your number once already this year. TP will be on the field Sunday, but he’s hurt, no two ways about it. For the Steeler Nation, let’s hope TP at 60% is better than no TP at all.
The Steelers are a good team and a great organization that the Bengals fans envy, no matter how much we hate you. But, give credit where it is due. Cincinnati is now a game that makes the Steelers fans swallow hard. Its quite possibly another derailment in the quest for #7.
(Hell, this Bengals fan is looking for #2………..playoff appearances since I have been wiping my own ass.)
Who Dey!
“Ah…..the truth hurts. Que the bitter Bungle and Ratbird fans…..”
*Cue* the Pissburgh fans who were utterly failed by their public schools.
@ CurseofBoJackson:
Great to know you can admit you don’t like the Steelers but respect the hell out of the team/organization. Tells the Steelers faithful you respect the game … not asking Bengals fans to like us. We absolutely effin hate the Bungles too.
With that said, both teams are playing much better than week 3 and once again the AFC North is sending a clear message to the rest of the league, not just the AFC. It all starts with D, a good rushing attack and a QB that gets it done when it counts. Both teams have it right now.
Will be a great match up on Sunday at Heinz field.
For the douche bag that talked about Ward crying … get an effin life. Bottom line is that you’re as jealous and envious as can be that you don’t root for an organization like the Steelers. If you happened to listen to the game last night, you might have heard Gruden, Tirico and Millen remark what a “team” the Steelers have and I think it was Gruden who said anyone with a football brain would take “7″ of number 86. Get over your jealous, jack ass self. If you had 86 on your team, you’d be loving his HOF ass and probably kissing it too!
Go Black and Gold – give the home town 60 full minutes of hard-nosed football on the 15th and let’s get a division WIN!
It is suprising how well the Bengals play division opponents. As awful as they have been the past few years, look at their division record. It’s always competitive with the AFC North…more so than most divisions I think. Especially with the the Ravens and Steelers. That’s just smash mouth football.
Sunday’s game will be tremendous. Used to be that the Steelers can play the Bengals with their “B” game and win. Now they have to play their “A” game to win. Either way, neither team can afford to turn the ball over, especially the Bengals. The Steelers score lots of points off turnovers. The Steelers played some great football in the 2nd half of last night’s game. Both teams have their work cut out for them as both teams are playing extremely well right now.
I hope that there isn’t any rain and that the refs keep their hankies in their pockets and let the men play.
I love how the Bengal fans are saying that they want us to talk trash and they are the ones doing all the talking. I think the Steelers proved last night that they are for real and not laying down for nobody.
The first half 54 yrds total offense,
Second half, 344 total offense.
To Bengal fans, I would beat my chest 2 if I were you considering you didnt score a point in the second half even with the what is you call him the best running back in the league, Well sorry to tell ya that would be AP, and our D held him to 69 yrds. I think they proved last night they can handle Rb’s I wouldnt look for Benson to pound the ball to much, they are #1 in the run defense, and I hope Palmer throw them deep balls, Iwould to with Troy and Clarke and the rest of the boys lurking in the backfield.
You need to remember, you know the last game, yes you won, but , Sweed dropping a TD pass , and NO Troy, were the differnece in that game, and a D that let down in the fourth,
Well guess what the D played hard all 4 quarters last night, and No Sweed and Troy will be back, get the Picture, It is not going to be as easy as you think. Will be a good one but not an easy one. I think the Steelers are well aware of what this game means and will be ready.
PervyHarvin says:
November 10, 2009 8:23 AM
” Just tell Mendenhall to call AD and learn how to mow over a defender,to run out of bounds at that size is not befitting a smash mouth team!”
Even when the game was pretty much in the bag, this very thing made me want to punch my TV.
Rashard, learn to lower that shoulder!
Guaranteed Pittsburgh win. There will be a lot of penalties against Cincy on this one. Sorry Bengals fans, although you may have a better team, the refs and the NFL aren’t going to let you sweep one of their darlings.
What a great solid victory last night against a good team with a good defense and an offense that has not made many mistakes, and who was capable of running the ball before last night. The Steelers played without some guys on defense and the replacements did very well. After a slow start they really poured it on in the second half. Ben is arguably the best pressure QB in the league, I would not trade him for any other QB. Their receiving corp is solid, and Mendenhall ran like a bull last night. It seems the team is playing better together as a team as the season moves along, and it is much better to peak at the end of the season instead of the beginning. If they could just put together their offense and defense for an entire game, it would be scary to see what they could really do to anybody in the league. I don’t think anybody could compete with them.
Now we have the Bengals coming to our house Sunday, and I will be there. No doubt, they are not the Bungals of prior years. And while I completely hate them of course as a Steeler fan, they are playing well as their record speaks for itself, so you give them their respect and their due. Beating the Baltimore Browns last week convinced me they are the team to deal with this year in the division.
I don’t want to hear any moaning or complaining by them about people like Henry not playing. The Steelers have their share of key injuries and we make no excuses, just like Tomlin says.
This should be THE game of the week. Naturally, I believe the Steelers will win the game because I believe overall they have the better team, the better talent, playing at home and the extra incentive to win because of the terrible loss to them earlier this year. There will be some hard hitting on Sunday, make no mistake about that.
I look forward to this Sunday and screaming my head off at Heinz Field along with all the other Steeler fans. It will be something special as we take the lead in the division.
GO STEELERS
This could very well be the most important game for the Bengals this season. Moreover, the same could be true for the Steelers as well.
Right now, Cincy is the AFC North tyrant amongst tyrants. 4-0, and even if we lose to Pittsburgh it’s very likely we’ll sweep Cleveland and finish the division 5-1.
If we can dismantle the Ravens twice, might as well go ahead and spank the Steelers again too. Pittsburgh is still licking their wounds, and they’ll be hungry to derail the BengalExpress, but don’t expect nothing less than an all-out slugfest come Sunday.
If the Steelers want the AFC North, they better be ready to bring their A game, because I’m betting Cincy will bring theirs.
“”" Guaranteed Pittsburgh win. There will be a lot of penalties against Cincy on this one. Sorry Bengals fans, although you may have a better team, the refs and the NFL aren’t going to let you sweep one of their darlings. “”"
I like to believe the NFL (for the most part) is a league backed by sound integrity, but let’s not kid ourselves, conspiracy or not, the refs will certainly be on Pittsburgh’s bandwagon if a call could go either way.
Cincy will have to play smart, mistake-free football. We have to remain aggressive going after Big Ben, but we can’t be careless with superfluous facemask or late hit, etc type penalties.
I’m not so sure the Steelers have a huge homefield advantage here either. We’re 3-0 on the road, 3-2 at Paul Brown Stadium. This Bengals team plays their best football when their back is against the wall. Palmer is one of the most clutch QBs in all of football, and to opposing head coaches, he can be their worst nightmare.
Benson’s psyche is going to be a huge factor in how well we play against Pittsburgh. If the Steelers can shut down Benson, they’ll pick apart Carson’s passing game. Running game will be key for both teams. Don’t be shocked if both teams shut down each other’s run, and both QBs end up with a significant amount of interceptions.
Please forgive the drooling paranoid rantings of “DemocratsAreStupid” who apparently is a Democrat himself.
“Spank the Steelers again” Josh? Better go get a copy of the last game, bud. The Steelers were up and down the field on the Bungs, and only Butterfingers Sweed dropping the TD and Holmes goofing up his route kept Cincy in that one. That’s not to say Sunday’s game won’t be tough, but please, could we get a grip on reality here?
The Bengals are gonna SLAUGHTER them!
-it feels good to type that-
Bens Attorney says:
November 10, 2009 10:12 AM
I love how the Bengal fans are saying that they want us to talk trash and they are the ones doing all the talking. I think the Steelers proved last night that they are for real and not laying down for nobody.
It’s really because fans of the Steeler never shut up and are grammatically inept. Teams that have won as much as they have should have classy fans by now. We have been perennial losers; there is no denying that. So now it’s our turn. Bensen is going to give Troy another concussion.
Although the season is filled with a lot of “what ifs”, we beat the Steelers in game 1. Were the Bengals fortunate on a few miscues from the Steelers, yes. What is the key to the Bengals winning on Sundays, mistake free football. Regardless of how, it was the better team on that day that won.
I am sure we can go back to #6 for the Steelers and throw in a bunch of “what ifs” because I distinctly remember the Steelers winning a few very close games to get to the Super Bowl.
Come on, don’t lose your short term memory.
Facts are, the game Sunday is 50-50. No two ways about it. With the Bengals winning the first one and being 5-0 in the division, beating Baltiless twice, showing some maturity, that’s their 50%. The Steelers rock solid organization, decent play from the guys who matter right now, and the overwhelming amount of experience in big games, there is their 50%.
The Ravens are slipping right now, but is there a chance to see 3 AFC North teams in the playoffs? Right now, I would conclude it a possibility, not a probability.
This is going to be a great game, and a critical one for both teams to win. As a Bengals fan, I hope that my team prevails, but I think the Steelers may have us on this one. Both teams matchup very well to one another: our OL negates your Def front seven; no pass rush on our end can give #7 a big day.
I don’t see Mendenhall or Benson having big days. So this is going to be a passing showdown, and that is where I think the Steelers have us beat since you have too many weapons: TE, 3rd WR, dangerous RB out of backfield, plus we have Bratkowski (good one half outsmarted the next). If Benson and the Bengals OL can do what they did to the Ravens, then it may be a different story.
Can’t wait for Sunday… Who Dey!
jonnyweir says:
November 10, 2009 12:47 AM
Please, for the love of God, stop using dial-it-up or dialled-up when talking about playcalling.
It makes no sense and is lazy, populist writing.
*******************************************
Dude, “dialed-up” is the new “vanilla.” Didn’t you get the memo?
I love how the Bengal fans are saying that they want us to talk trash and they are the ones doing all the talking. I think the Steelers proved last night that they are for real and not laying down for nobody
Jesus, it never ends with you people. Are you insinuating that you’re scared to talk trash? Or just that you’re unable to do it in a way resembling someone who graduated high school.
Further, dude, you LOST last time they played, scoreboard doesn’t give a rats ass about what your excuses are, so save it fo your life partner.
You didn’t see me on here last year either time after we got demolished, know why, cause I’m not a high horse riding, delusional fool.
And I know what happened last night, I watch football and can make general observations like “the defense played hard all four quarters…” Thanks for the update, but that was yesterday, I’m talking about Sunday.
Yes, Steelers played well last night, so did the Ravens against the paper Broncos, look what happened to them. They were supposed to have a pretty good run D too right? They were supposed to have a pretty good offense too right? Save your garbage for the Steelers forums, come stronger, I want to be entertained not annoyed by some high school drop out.
Whoplayswhere:
1. If the game is 50/50, why are the Steelers favored by 6.5? Home field gets you +3.
2. Yes, the Bengals are 3-3 at Heinz over the last 6 years. However, the reason the Steelers HAVE dominated is b/c they are 7-1 at Cincy since ’03 (including 1 playoff win). That’s why we Steeler fans say we have dominated.
3. TP is hurt? Did you watch the MNF game last night? If that is hurt, you better hope he doesn’t get better. Last night shows why he’s the best safety in the NFL.
4. I know winning the first game was a big deal for you Bengal fans. It’s kind of your “Superbowl”. However, while all us Steeler fans wanted to win that game, it’s just one game. The Steelers are still defending Champs, the Bengals still haven’t won ONE Superbowl, Mike Brown is still a terrible owner/GM, and the Steelers don’t need to sign with HBO so people actually pay attention to them.
Look, any sensible Steelers fan on here has to know that this game coming up against Cinci is going to be hard fought. Everyone (including myself) has been waiting for The Bengals to shrink in the moment, and everytime, they find a way to win the close game. After doing that 3 or 4 times it can no longer be considered luck…that’s what winning teams do. The Bengals are for real, everyone needs to accept that…
Bengal fans also need to calm down a bit. You don’t get any prizes for winning 6 games. If your team has a flaw, that’s it… You get too big headed too fast and think you’ve won something in October and November. Win this week in Pittsburgh and you can probably stamp your ticket to the playoffs.
I think the edge has to go to Pittsburgh becauase they’re home. I know Cinci plays very well in Pittsburgh, but I expect another 3 point game and again it goes to the home team. 20-17 Steelers.
C. Bass, the line is 6.5 because Vegas doesn’t pick the games/lines due to their opinion whose going to win, they do it based on what line they think is going to get themost bets in i.e. makes them the most money.
Next, no one I know considered the game we won “our superbowl,” it was Steelrs week, and if they had won, you’d be on here chiming in about it so pipe down fool.
SB44, I would like to talk shit, shall I take your hesitance as fear? You all have never hesitated in the past, but now all the sudden, it’s all “Whoa Nelly, you’re getting ahead of yourselves…” and so on. Dude, all I’ve done is talkk some lighthearted trash, I didn’t mention anything about a superbowl, playoffs or even a record for the end of the season, I don’t think we’ve won anything in Ocotber November, save for some national attention and a little respect. Yes, the edge SHOULD go to Steelers, they’re at home, and they’re coming off a great win at Denver. Doesn’t mean that when I say I think the Bengals win 24-20 I’m all bigheaded. Lame
Next.
SteelersSS44 – speaking on behalf of us Bengal fans (especially us long-time fans) – thanks for giving us some warranted credit.
C.Bass – you have to understand where Bengal fans are coming from (again, especially the long-time fans). If you’re referring to newb bandwagon Bengal fans then I’m with you – those guys need to just STFU and go away! On the flip side, if you’ve been a long-time Bengals fan then we’re obviously going to be on cloud 9 right about now.
You’re right, we’ve never won a SB, but we’ve been there twice, and realistically we should have been a champ in one of those two appearances. Nonetheless, that was then, this is now. I think right now we’re a Top 5 NFL team and if we continue to play this well (and improve as the season progresses) then I’d say we’re just as favored to win the AFC as the Steelers are.
Before Palmer was derailed with an almost career-ending injury (a very dirty play by the Steelers nonetheless) we were poised to make a SB run that post season. Again, that was then though, this is now. We have to focus on winning, now.
We’re 4-0 in our own division, and you could make the argument we’re the toughest / best division in football right now. If the Ravens hadn’t lost to the Bengals twice, they’d be 6-2 and probably still considered a AFC Championship game favorite. Don’t count the Ravens out yet… and if I were a Steelers fan, I’d be worried about having to still face them twice!
You hear so much about the Colts and Saints right now, but IMO (and not just b/c I’m biased) I’d say the Bengals and Steelers are the better teams, and more likely to reach the SuperBowl. In the NFC, give me the Viks over New Orleans.
Okay, I’ve spent the day reveling in last night’s win and now it’s time to come back to earth where the clods and the dingalings roam.
@Furious George and DemocratsAreStupid … you’ve done your team a huge disservice with your idiotic comments. Cincy has been playing great football, but despite that you’ve already decided they’re going to lose to us and come here to set up your post-loss whine. With fans like you, no wonder the Bengals have in recent years.
(@CurseofBoJackson … How does an intelligent, well-informed Bengals fan tolerate sharing airspace with the likes of Furious George and DemocratsAreStupid?)
The last time these two met, we played close. Both teams are better and more confident now than they were then. Even with the Sweed drop and an absent Troy, we would have won the last meeting had Farrior made the tackle rather than allowing Cincy to get a first down on their final drive. That was a rare miss by Farrior and judging from the way our defense played last night, I don’t expect a similar mistake in our next encounter. We’ll be playing at home, Polamalu’s back, and Mike Wallace has come on strong. I think we should win–but we’re going to have to fight for it.
@Legend of Josh … When Palmer watched the replay of von Olhoffen rolling into him–which caused his knee injury–he said it was obvious that it was an accident. So what dirty play did you see that he didn’t?
Deb, I aint buyin’ it. I won’t venture to say that Kimo “Sweep the Leg” Von Olhoffen thought career ending injury and it was on purpose, but I will venture to say that there was intent to knock him out of the game.
Come on, any quarterback is going to say he thought it was an accident in public. He would be ridiculed to no end if he said otherwise.
C.Bass, flat out, you’re a clown. If you go by Vegas odds to rate who will win games, you might want to check into the PA State Hospital. And if the Steelers are so dominant, why is it only a 3.5 spread? Once again, get a dozen more of your friends with terrible towels and squeeze into a Mini Cooper. Barnum and Bailey will be there soon to pick you up.
My comments from the beginning have shown nothing but respect for your organization. I am still a little leary about your some of your “fans”. I distinctly remember the bar I used to go to (while living away from Cincy for three years) to watch the Ticket every Sunday and how the Steelers fans were less and less as the weeks went on in 2006. I guess the Steeler fans have other things to do when your team is so so, 8-8.
Does Cincinnati have bandwagon fans? Absolutely. Just like every other team in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, XFL (lol).
Again I repeat, its a 50/50 game for both teams on Sunday. You wanna give the Steelers “the nod” because they are playing at home, they have TP, fine. But didn’t they have him the past few years in the ‘burgh for that game as well. 3-3 my friends, numbers don’t lie.
My wish, an inch of snow on the ground, QB’s breath freezing as they audible, a 17-16 nailbiter where both teams show why the AFC North is the “head of the class” in the NFL. Fat chance in early November. I would love to see that game in January in Cincy again!
Deb, ignoring stupid fans is hard, but it’s easier to skip over/forgive stupid comments from your own side. I’m sure you can relate.
Who Plays Where, I personally would HATE to see us have to play Pittsburgh again in January, at home or away, once in my lifetime is enough for me thank you.
WhoPlaysWhere – we’ll just have to disagree on Kimo’s hit. It looked obvious to me that he wanted to take Palmer down, not take him out (and I remember Kimo was so messed up about the hit that he was in a funk on the sideline, and was pretty much useless on the field, for the rest of the game).
But for the rest – Ditto. Amen. Including your comments on some Steelers “fans” – plenty of us are leary of them too (while I can understand CurseofBoJackson’s perspective, for me it’s much harder to overlook stupid, arrogant or boorish behavior from other Steelers fans – it reflects poorly on the “Nation” and embarasses the rest of us).
For myself, I’m excited to see the Bengals finally shed the “Bungles” tag (sure, the season’s only half over and a late self-destruction is possible, but this year’s team looks centered and confident instead of cocky, so I can’t see it happening). The Ravens should shake off their latest funk, and the AFC North will show themselves to be the cream of the league. All we need to make it perfect is for the Browns to at least climb back up to mediocrity.
Seriously can people just drop the Kimo thing? It was not a dirty hit. Kimo was blocked into Palmer by Steinbach and he did not fly into his knee purposefully. If he had done it on purpose he would not have reacted the way he did after he heard the knee pop. If it was me, and I was trying to hurt someone during a game, I would have jumped up and celebrated or spit on the guy- not immediately call for help and be distraught on the sideline.
If you want to complain about a dirty hit, we have a right to complain about the Steelers taking out Icky Woods (making him resort to selling meats door-to-door after his second season), or Lambert almost ripping off Kenny Anderson’s head- I was at that game as a kid and I thought I just watched my favorite player get killed. That was dirty.