CINCINNATI -- It's a battle of good vs. evil, the good guys against the bad guys or whatever other analogy you want to draw.
And depending on which side of the Steelers-Bengals rivalry you sit on determines which is which.
If you're a Steelers' fan, you think Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict is the devil incarnate. He has, after all, been suspended or fined by the NFL 11 (!) times for various incidents, some involving the Steelers. His most recent was a four-game suspension for violation of the league's substance abuse policy for PED usage.
Burfict blamed the positive test, in part, on a concussion he suffered at the hands of Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in their most recent meeting last December.
Of course, Bengals fans will point to that hit, for which Smith-Schuster was suspended for a game, as the most recent example of of the big, bad bully Steelers taking cheap shots at Cincinnati players.
No matter the side of the fence on which you fall, many felt that Dec. 4 meeting last season, won by the Steelers, 23-20, on a last-second Chris Boswell field goal, might have been the game in which the rivalry overstepped its bounds.
The two teams will resume their rivalry Sunday when the Steelers (2-2-1) return to Paul Brown Stadium to face the division-leading Bengals (4-1) in a game the visitors might need to win if they want to have a shot at the AFC North championship this season.
With a loss and tie in the division already, the Steelers can ill afford to fall to 0-2-1 in AFC North games, even this early. That's especially true with this game kicking off a three-game swing against AFC North teams sandwiched around the team's bye. With five of their six AFC North games in the first nine weeks, the Steelers won't have many head-t0-head games in which to make up ground down the stretch.
"That is kind of weird, especially the way tiebreakers work and down the stretch," David DeCastro said. "I guess the computers that come up with the schedules have something else in mind this year."
Perhaps the NFL schedule makers just didn't want a repeat of last season, when the Steelers and Bengals met twice in a six-week period, culminating with that game at Paul Brown Stadium.
The tone was set when Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier was lost in the first quarter to a back injury that left him with no feeling in his legs. It escalated from there, with nine major penalties assessed on the two teams in a game that featured 20 combined infractions.
For Cincinnati, Geno Atkins drew a roughing the passer penalty; A.J. Green and Clayton Fejedelem got 15-yard facemask penalties; and George Iloka got an unnecessary roughness penalty for hitting Antonio Brown in the head on a TD catch. Iloka also got a one-game suspension that was reduced to a fine.
Le'Veon Bell and Brian Allen were penalized for unnecessary roughness for the Steelers. Smith-Schuster got a 15-yard penalty for a blindside hit on Burfict -- with a second flag being thrown for standing over the prone linebacker.
"It’s one of those games that can get chippy at times," Ben Roethlisberger conceded. "You hope it doesn’t. You hope it’s just a hard-fought football game but sometimes it gets a little chippy. So, we’ll do our best to put all that in the past behind us and play like it’s a normal football game."
The Bengals have said they don't want things to get that way this time around.
"We can't have any dumb penalties, any outbursts, anything like that," Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. "We've got to stay focused. It's Pittsburgh week. Everybody's going to be hyped up, ramped up."
The bottom line is that this game is too meaningful for the silliness to occur. For the Steelers, they need a win before heading into their bye week to help dig themselves out of the early hole they put themselves in.
For the Bengals, a win over the Steelers -- who have beaten them in 17 of 20 games at Paul Brown Stadium -- would be an exorcism of sorts. It also would help validate the team's 4-1 start.
"(It's a) big game for us as it always is," Mike Tomlin said. "Divisional play, have a unique relationship, been in some highly contested football games with these guys in recent times. There are a hot football team. They are 4-1. They found ways to win close games and that is what good teams do and you have to respect that."
Even if they don't necessarily like each other.
THE ESSENTIALS
• When: 1:02 p.m.
• Where: Paul Brown Stadium
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Satellite: SiriusXM 227 (Internet 826)
• Forecast: 61 degrees, 60% chance rain
• Lots open: 9 a.m.
• Will call open: 11 a.m.
• Gates open: 11 a.m.
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: S Morgan Burnett (groin, out), WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (ankle, out), LB L.J. Fort (ankle, doubtful)
Bengals: CB William Jackson (knee, questionable), OT Cedric Ogbuehi (wrist, questionable), WR John Ross (groin, questionable), RB Giovanni Bernard (knee, out), TE Tyler Kroft (foot, out), C Billy Price (foot, out)
THE KEY VARIABLE
Brothers T.J. and J.J. Watt were tied for the league lead in sacks entering Week 6 with six each. But there was another player tied with the Steelers' linebacker and Texans' defensive end, as well.
Atkins, a destructive defensive tackle, is off to a hot start rushing the passer, as well, with six sacks, tying him with the Watts for the league lead. But Atkins isn't a one-man gang -- though it might seem that way at times. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap has four sacks, giving that duo 10 of Cincinnati's 13 this season.
The Steelers have only allowed Roethlisberger to be sacked nine times this season and he's been hit just 22 times, the fifth-fewest total in the league.
Roethlisberger is tied with Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton for the third fewest times sacked this season. Dalton also has been hit fewer times than Roethlisberger, just 19 times in the Bengals first five games.
It might sound simple, but the team that does the better job of protecting its quarterback will have a big leg up in this game.
"You try and get as many four-hands on him as possible and not just two," Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said of Atkins. "They don’t allow that to happen a lot. The put him in position to have success, to get one-on-ones. We’re going to have to hold up, and we’ve had that challenge a lot."
In 15 career games against the Steelers, Atkins has only won three times, but he has been effective, recording seven sacks. Dunlap has largely been kept under control by right tackle and former college teammate at Florida, Marcus Gilbert. He has just 3.5 sacks in 14 career meetings with the Steelers.
T.J. Watt isn't the only pass-rushing threat for the Steelers. Fellow outside linebacker Bud Dupree has three sacks, while defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and inside linebacker Jon Bostic have 2.5 each for a team that leads the league with 19.
The Steelers also will get inside linebacker Vince Williams back for this game after he missed last week's win over Atlanta with a hamstring injury. Williams had nine tackles and a sack in the Steelers' win at Cincinnati last season.
The Bengals realized the mistake of allowing Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler and left tackle Andrew Whitworth leave in free agency and worked this past offseason to rebuild their offensive line. The Steelers will test that new line, which now includes Cordy Glenn at left tackle, Alex Redmond at right guard and Trey Hopkins at center replacing injured rookie Billy Price. Hopkins started at guard last season and but was beaten out by Redmond and Price this year.
"On defense, they pressure the football, as we know," said Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis. "We’ll have to play a good football game.”
HISTORY LESSON
There have been a number of big Steelers-Bengals games over the years, particularly in recent years.
But none were more important than the Steelers' 31-17 win over the Bengals Jan. 8, 2006 in an AFC Wildcard Game.
The two teams had split their two meetings during the regular season in 2005, with both teams winning on the other's home field, and both finishing with 11-5 records.
The Bengals, however, won the AFC North championship based on tiebreakers, meaning their third meeting that season would come at Paul Brown Stadium.
The Steelers got the ball first in that game but were forced to punt the ball from midfield, with Chris Gardocki's 49-yard punt pinning the Bengals at their own 11. After a first-down run, Cincinnati quarterback dropped back to pass, connecting with speedy receiver Chris Henry for a 66-yard gain behind Deshea Townsend.
But the Bengals couldn't celebrate the big play. Palmer lay on the field back near his own goal line after defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen, a former Bengals teammate, fell into his leg while delivering the ball.
Palmer was done for the game, his ACL shredded by the hit.
That brought Jon Kitna into the game and he finished off that drive by getting the Bengals into field goal range for a 3-0 lead. The Bengals then scored again on their next possession on a 20-yard Rudi Johnson run to take a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Roethlisberger got things going early in the second quarter with a 19-yard TD pass to Willie Parker. But Kitna answered on the next possession with a 7-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh to give the Bengals a 17-7 lead.
It was all Steelers after that, however, as Roethlisberger connected with Cedrick Wilson for a 54-yard gain to set up a 5-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Hines Ward to trim the lead to 17-14 at the half.
The Bengals drove to the Pittsburgh 15 on the opening possession of the second half, but a bad snap that sailed over the head of holder Kyle Larson was fallen on by kicker Shayne Graham at the 34, ending the Cincinnati threat. The Steelers used that to grab control of the game, scoring on a 5-yard Jerome Bettis touchdown to take a 21-17 lead, then turning a Kitna fumble on the next series into another score, Parker's second of the game, for a 28-17 advantage.
The Steelers later added a 21-yard Jeff Reed field goal and Troy Polamalu picked Kitna off in the fourth quarter to send the visitors on to Indianapolis the following week on their way to a win in Super Bowl XL.
It's a game Bengals fans still complain about because of the way Palmer's injury occurred. It also helped set the stage for what has become a heated rivalry since.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
The Steelers have faced A.J. Green enough in his eight years in the NFL to have a pretty good idea of what it takes to slow him down. And they know what happens when they don't.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Green is a matchup issue for any cornerback. But so was Julio Jones last week and the Steelers matched corner Joe Haden on him for most of the game, limiting him to half of the 125 receiving yards per game he had been averaging entering the game.
The Bengals, however, have used Green this season in the slot almost as much as they have split wide. In fact, last week against Miami, Green lined up more than half the time in the slot to escape cornerback Xavien Howard.
Green caught six passes for 112 yards, but the Bengals scored just one offensive touchdown in the 27-17 win, getting a pair of defensive scores to rally from a 17-3 deficit with 24 unanswered fourth quarter points.
The Steelers could follow Green when he lines up outside and allow 5-foot-9 slot corner Mike Hilton to check Green when he lines up inside.
"Watching their games, they like to move him around and find ways to get him the ball," Hilton told me. "Whenever he comes into the slot, I'll be ready."
Sounds like the Steelers aren't planning on using Haden exclusively on Green this week.
One reason the Steelers might take that tact is because of the emergence of Tyler Boyd as a second receiver. Green has 26 receptions for 409 yards and five touchdowns, while Boyd, a former Pitt star from Clairton, Pa., has 30 catches for 393 yards and two scores.
Boyd also leads the Bengals in third-down catches with nine for 112 yards.
"He’s playing inside more than I feel like I am used to seeing but the emergence of Tyler Boyd, particularly on possession downs makes neutralizing Green that much difficult," Tomlin said.
That could force the Steelers to try to bracket Green in the slot and have Haden cover Boyd on third downs.
"He's one of their best receivers now," Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said of Boyd. "Both of those guys are good, and if you double (Green), they go with Tyler. He's getting the ball a little bit more. They've got two good receivers, and a good running back. They've got a good running game. They're balanced and (Dalton) is doing a good job with what they're asking him to do."
• "Every game I've been in against the Steelers has (had) some type of aggressive hits, or something dirty going on. At the end of the day, it's football. You can't go out there and play scared, play frightened. You've got to go out there and hit. It's hit or be hit. Those are the games that are going to be hard fought and those are the games you have to bring it to get the win. It's a (divisional) game. Not saying we don't come out and bring it every game, but it's something about Steelers when we play them, and the Ravens. Those type of games, we've got to be super locked in, super prepared and focused." -- Boyd
• “He is one of the finest young players and just as a person, a tremendous person. I think we all lost a little bit when Ryan got hurt. I am glad to see he is doing well now. That was a hard thing for everybody.” -- Lewis on Shazier
• "It just makes them a lot better. He’s a very talented player. I think anyone that’s ever watched him play realizes that when he’s playing, he’s very, very talented. He plays the inside position as good as anyone in the league. And you know, physical, that’s his game, but that’s what our game is and has been and has to be. But we like to be physical, too." -- Fichtner on Burfict
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• Antonio Brown has 11 games in his career with at least 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns, the most among active receivers.
• In 15 career games against the Bengals, Brown has 81 receptions for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns.
• Roethlisberger is 13-2 in his career at Paul Brown Stadium, posting 3,815 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a passer rating of 96.5.
• Roethlisberger and Brown have connected for 64 touchdowns, which ranks 10th on the NFL's all-time list for QB-WR duos. They need one more to move into a tie with Jim Kelly and Andre Reed and Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson for eighth place on the all-time list.
• With his six sacks this season, Watt now has 13 in his first two seasons. The team record for most sacks in a player's first two seasons is 15.5 set up LaMarr Woodley in 2007-2008. Keith Willis had 15 in 1982 and 1983.
• The Steelers are allowing 88.4 total yards -- rushing and receiving -- to opposing running backs this season, the third-fewest total in the league.
• The Steelers have been outscored by 28 points (51-23) in the fourth quarter this season, which ranks last in the league. The Bengals have outscored opponents by 38 points (56-18) in the fourth quarter this season, the largest gap in the league.
• Tomlin and Roethlisberger now have 108 wins together, breaking a tie with Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw for the most in Steelers history. They have the fourth-most in NFL history behind Bill Belichick and Tom Brady (199), Don Shula and Dan Marino (116) and Sean Payton and Drew Brees (109).
• In his past six games against AFC North opponents, Dalton has thrown 17 touchdown passes with two interceptions.
• The Bengals are allowing opponents to convert 52.7 percent of their third down play. Only Atlanta, which allowed the Steelers to convert 9 of 12 third downs last week, is worse at 55.4 percent.
THE FANTASY FREE PLAY
Here are projections for the top 10 fantasy players in this game.
- Brown, eight receptions for 103 yards, one touchdown
- Green, seven receptions, 78 yards, one touchdown
- James Conner, 88 yards rushing, five receptions for 38 yards, 1 touchdown
- Joe Mixon, 64 yards rushing, four receptions for 40 yards, 1 touchdown
- Dalton, 305 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 8 yards rushing
- Roethlisberger, 297 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 6 yards rushing
- Smith-Schuster, six receptions, 82 yards, one touchdown
- Boyd, five receptions, 71 yards, no touchdowns
- Vance McDonald, five receptions, 55 yards, no touchdowns
- C.J. Uzomah, four receptions, 40 yards, no touchdowns
THE STAFF PICKS
Our football coverage team offers predictions:
Dale Lolley: The Steelers have owned the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium, winning 17 of the 20 meetings there since it opened, including two playoff victories. Roethlisberger plays better there than perhaps any other stadium in the league -- outside of Heinz Field -- posting a 96.5 career passer rating. And that's been against some very good Cincinnati defenses. The Steelers have been one of the best teams in the league against opposing running backs (88.4 yards per game), while the Bengals have been susceptible to running backs, allowing 157.8 total yards per game to opposing running backs. Conner should find running room against the Bengals, which will help slow down the Cincinnati pass rush. Likewise, the Steelers will test a rebuilt Bengals' offensive line with their league-leading pass rush. It should be enough to pull out a win. Steelers, 27-24
Chris Bradford: The Steelers like to break down their season into four quarters. After struggling through a 1-2-1 start in the first quarter, they began the second with last week's win over Atlanta, easily their most impressive and well-rounded effort of the season. Look for more of the same this week. The Steelers seemed to have found a formula -- blitzing more often, using Haden to shadow top receivers and striking a balance between the pass and run -- that seems to work for them. Despite all the bad blood and the drama that comes with Steelers-Bengals, the fact remains that the Steelers have dominated the Bengals lately, particularly in Cincinnati. (See Lolley's stuff above.) Steelers, 30-23
Christopher Carter: Get ready for more of Conner busting loose for big plays. The Steelers will be using power runs, traps, and all sorts of run schemes to catch the Bengals' defense sleeping and have a good amount of success. We talked about how Conner is at his best with lead blockers, and this will be a prime game to show just how that can boost the Steelers. That success will balance the offense and give Roethlisberger the chance to have some big plays without throwing the ball 40 or more times. Biggest concern to stopping that will be Geno Atkins and Andrew Billings at defensive tackle. If the Steelers control them, they control the game. Steelers, 34-17
Matt Sunday: Everyone else looks confident that the Steelers’ defense has turned a corner, but I can’t buy it until they do it again this week. They’ve surely shown signs it’s the case, most notably shutting down Julio Jones, but Green and Dalton are fully in sync and Boyd will want to impress in another chance against a city he’s connected to. This Bengals team has the potential to win the division and this week goes a large way for either contender. I like the home team, narrowly. Bengals, 34-31
Dejan Kovacevic: What's a fair sample size in football? Well, how does a full NFL season sound? Because Dalton is 3-12 against the Steelers in his career, and this will mark his 16th meeting, or the equivalent of a full year of his career. And he's never been worse against anyone else, averaging 209 yards passing with a total of 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. In losing his past six against the Steelers, he's been held to 20 or fewer points five times. I don't generally buy into broader historical streaks like this, except that I've had some of the Steelers' players tell me over the years they know he hates facing them. That can and does get passed down. Steelers, 31-19