The Steelers have a pair of arch rivals in the AFC North. Or do they?
Asked Wednesday whether the Steelers have a bigger rivalry with the Ravens or the Bengals, linebacker Ryan Shazier declined to even apply the rivalry label to the annual two-game Cincinnati series.
“The Ravens are more of a rivalry and the Bengals, we treat them like little brothers that get on our nerves,” Shazier said on PFT Live. “They constantly bug you, they try to get on your nerves and try to find a way to beat the big brother but they never can. You know sometimes little brother might be a little bit more athletic or quicker or something but the big brother always finds a way and I feel like that’s how we are. We find a way no matter what. They have athletes over there, they got a good team over there, but I feel like we’re just the big brothers. I think we mentally got them beat and I know how important it is to a lot of our guys.”
The Steelers have beaten the Bengals four straight times and seven of the last eight. Including a pair of playoff wins by the Steelers, Pittsburgh leads a series that dates back to 1970 by a 23-game margin, 58-35.