12-04-2017, 06:07 AM
(12-03-2017, 07:31 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It shouldn't be. We act like beating the Steelers 1 time is like winning the Super Bowl. That it's like beating some big level boss on a video game that is the gate to a Super Bowl.
Really...it shouldn't be that big. We play them TWICE a year. We should occasionally split with them. You figure, if we win 40% of the time against them that's 2 out of 5. We should win 8 games against them in 10 years.
Of course, we all know how pathetic our record is against them. The players know too. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy where the players put a ton of importance on it and mess the game up somehow.
But...it shouldn't be that important.
Because if the Bengals win they will be 6-6 and tied with many 6-6 teams in the wild card hunt. Since there are many 6-6 teams in the wild card hunt, falling to 5-7 ends all late season play-off come back dreams.
The Steelers are not just any team and Bengals fans have to accept they are a superior team and have been for decades. When the Bengals entered the NFL in 1970, they had a good team but one problem. The 1970's was the decade of Steelers in the NFL. Now the 1980's the Bengals and Browns were the dominate teams in the AFC Central. The Steelers were still a tough team to play, but you have to give the 1980's to The Battle For Ohio Winner of those years. That all ended in the 1990's and Steelers became the dominate team and have been ever since. So except for the 1980's when Bengals and Browns were tough, the Steelers have been the dominate team in this division over Oilers. Browns, Bengals. I do have to say the old Browns becoming Ravens have been tough and the old Brown Ravens vs the Steelers has been THE GAME in the AFC North the last 2 decades. The old Cleveland Browns in Baltimore Ravens uniforms remained tough and won Super Bowls. The Steelers have continued to win Super Bowls. The Bengals haven't won a play-off game since 1990 season and the New Browns never get out of last place over their first 2 decades. Many fans of the old Browns refuse to follow the lousy new Browns. Then again many fans if the Paul Brown Bengals have lost interest in the Mike Brown Bengals. The true elite battle in the AFC North is when the old Browns in Ravens uniforms play the Steelers. The Browns of the 1950's to now in Ravens uniforms against the Steelers is THE GAME in the AFC North with the Steelers and Ravens winning Super Bowls. The 2017 Steelers could win a Super Bowl this year.
So respect isn't given it is earned, and The Steelers over the decades have earned respect. Their are franchises of loaded down trophy cases such as the Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Brown/Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburg Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and some francises with a couple trophys or at least one NFL Championship Trophy. The Bengals Trophy case remains empty. THis is why the Steelers have earned more respect in the NFL. This picture of a trophy that I use as my avatar picture may not mean squat in Cincy, but it carries a lot of weight in NFL respect. Steelers and Browns/Ravens have many of these and Bengals have none. The new Browns have never got out of last place.
If the Bengals beat the NFL Power Pittsburg Steelers and keep their hopes alive going to 6-6 on the season, IT IS IMPORTANT....If you don't see that, then you don't know the difference of beating Steelers or Patriots over beating the new Browns always in last place, and there is a difference. There has been nobody in NFL dominate like the New York Yankees in baseball or Boston Celtics in basketball, but the Steelers have one of the most filled trophy cases in the NFL with Green Bay and a select few other teams such as Patriots.
1968 Bengal Fan
