STEELERS BLACK -N- GOLD POST A Pittsburgh Steelers Blog from the heart of Steelers Nation.

By Ramona Dye

Playing our beloved Steelers twice a year since becoming division rivals in the old AFC Central at the start of the 1970 season, the Cincinnati Bengals have dared to face off with our Pittsburgh Steelers 77 times during regular season and once in the playoffs during the 2005-06 season.

The Bengals should have played our Steelers 78 times during the regular seasons but because of the 1982 strike-shortened season, the Bengals escaped playing our Steelers only once.

Our Steelers have dominated this rivalry, winning 62 of those 77 regular season games, winning the one playoff game and sweeping the Bengals in 31 seasons. Since 1991, our Steelers have swept the Bengals a whopping 10 of 18 seasons, splitting the rest.

In spite of Steelers dominance, the Bengals have managed to split wins with us in 32 seasons and have swept us in seven seasons. The heydays of the Who Dey Bengals happened during the the 1980s, when the Bengals swept our Steelers in '80, '81, '85 and three seasons three seasons in a row between 1988 and 1990.

Bengals fans consider our Steelers as their greatest rivalry especially since the Bengals have faced the Steelers more than any other team in their own history. However, most Steelers fans today would say the Ravens have become our top division rivalry.

While not as historic as our rivalry with the Browns, the events that happened in the 2005 wild-card playoff game have made for bitter feelings between fans. During the game, Kimo von Oelhoffen injured Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer with a hit to the knee. Palmer injured his ACL and MCL during the second offensive play of the game, knocking him out for the rest of the game.

The Bengals took an early 17-7 lead. However, our Steelers rallyed to score 24 unanswered points for a 37-17 win. As the Bengals were division champions that season, to this day, many Bengals fans suggest that von Oelhoffen's hit was a cheap shot purposely intended to harm Palmer. Bengals fans claim that if Palmer had stayed in the game, the Bengals would have won.

During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Palmer was quoted in saying. "I hate the Steelers more than I hate UCLA," a college rival to his alma mater, USC. Although, Palmer himself did not blame the Steelers for his injury, fans of the Bungals remain bitter to this day.

Some of us Steeler fans may also recall the 20-0 shut-out game in 1992 in which our Steelers defense would set the single-game team sack record, sacking Bengals QB David Klingler (in his first NFL rookie start) 10 times.

The Bungals have been in eight playoffs appearances, six division championships, two conference championships and two Super Bowls which they lost both times to the San Francisco 49ers. Compared to our Steelers twenty-five playoff appearances, twenty-two division appearances, fourteen conference championships appearances, seven Super Bowl appearances, and a Sixburgh of Super Bowl victories, it's easy to understand how fans of the Cincinnati Bungals would be envious of our beloved Steelers. Even some of our failures in the playoffs have overshadowed what seemed to be the Bungals successes.

We march into Cincinnati on September 27 (1:00 P.M. CBS) to face the Bengals. The Bengals return to Heinz Field on November 15 (1:00 P.M. CBS). 

As always, Here we go!