Steelers' Bulletin Board Material From Cincinnati Just Arrived: "We Whip The Steelers, We Know How To Beat Them"

As the Pittsburgh Steelers move into the second half of the 2023 season, the competition within the AFC North division amplifies. Although the Steelers haven’t necessarily played the best version of football they’d like, they sit in second place with a 5-3 record, only behind the Baltimore Ravens in the division. Meanwhile, the Steelers only hold a narrow margin over the 5-3 Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. As of where we sit today, the entire division would find themselves in the playoffs if the season were to end after the first nine weeks. As Head Coach Mike Tomlin preaches, there is something about AFC North football that brings another level of intensity to the stadium on gameday.

The history among the four teams in the division is one built on physicality, toughness, and a fair share of trash talk peppered on top. Specifically, between the Bengals and Steelers, the trash talk leading up to the game at least two times every season has seen some historic rhetoric. Looking ahead to the teams first meeting in 2023 coming the weekend after Thanksgiving, the local Cincinnati sports media world has started that talk earlier than expected.

Steelers Already Catching Strays From The Bengals In 2023

Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic joined ESPN radio’s Mo Egger to talk about all things Bengals as the team prepares for their Week 10 matchup against the Houston Texans. As the Bengals look to extend their four-game win streak, the matchup with the Steelers in Cincinnati looms large. From what fans are used to, divisional games late in the season bring the most at stake, and Dehner Jr. and Egger acknowledged that it will be no different in their first meeting of the season.

“The Steelers stink,” Dehner Jr. proclaimed. “You can look at their record and go, ‘5-3, that team [is awful].’ Kenny Pickett’s bad,” Egger agreed.

While the sentiment across the Steelers fan base may share some echoes to that notion, a 5-3 record does not make any team "bad." Further, the Bengals began their season 1-3 and one could argue the Bengals were still not considered the doormat of the league, let alone the division. In addition, history has shown to prove that nothing is decided until the books close on the final week of the season. Dehner Jr. continued to reveal some attitudes within the Bengals locker room.

“I agree, and I think that they [the Bengals] feel that way,” he said. “I’m not going to say that there’s not respect in the building for the Steelers, but I think internally, they feel like, ‘Man, we whip the Steelers, we know how to beat them.’ I think that that’s the way they feel about them, so I guess if I’m placing a trap chip on the next month, it is the Steelers game.”

For a team who is 6-15 since 2013 against a divisional opponent, it is a bit odd to hear that team declare the first matchup of the season against that opponent as a "trap" game. A trap game typically comes in the form of a last place, or close to the bottom of the rankings team, beating a superior team because the better team was looking ahead towards their next game. One could argue the 2022 season opening victory the Steelers took against the Bengals in Cincinnati could have been a trap game. But seeing as though the teams carry an equal record with the Steelers slightly above the Bengals in the standings, the term "trap game" seems insulting enough as it is.

This month’s matchup is going to look a lot different than what we’ve seen in recent seasons. Pickett will get his second shot at the Bengals, his first game in Cincinnati, after losing in his rookie effort by a touchdown almost a year ago. George Pickens had his own miniature coming out party in that game, leading the team in receiving yards with 83 yards on four catches, and added a touchdown to his stat line.

Joe Burrow picked apart the Steelers secondary in that game. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 355 yards and four touchdowns. The backend of the Steelers defense couldn’t find an answer for the Cincinnati passing attack, but we can expect a different narrative in 2023. The last name of “Porter” will re-enter the gates in Cincinnati where Joey Porter Jr. will look to etch his own name into a historic rivalry where his father played pivotal roles, both as a player and coach. Porter has been eager to square off against the league's best receivers, and he'll likely get his chance in his first matchup against the Bengals.

Although the Steelers like to keep any trash talk within the confines of the locker room, the talk carries itself onto the field whenever these two teams play each other. That fuels the hatred that has been brewing for decades and it permeates through to how the individual players view the others. Former Steelers and now current Bengals tight end, Zach Gentry joined the guys on the Steel Here podcast earlier in the offseason to give his own insight into the talk that happened between the Steelers and Bengals.

“It’s just true. There’s a lot of s*** talking on the field when we play them. It seems like it’s a little more physical. The Ravens are the same way, but it’s different. It feels like there’s a little bit more respect there between the Ravens and the Steelers on the field. A little less jawing, but definitely physical. It feels like there’s a lot of s*** talking lately in the Bengals games, so I’d probably have to say them.”

Although Gentry remains buried in the Bengals depth chart, his added insight from his experience in Pittsburgh may get tapped in the team’s preparation during the week of Thanksgiving. With that said, it will be a major test for the young Steelers players to not take the bait of what comes out of Cincinnati leading up to the game. Given the events that have transpired throughout the team after their win against the Tennessee Titans, the Steelers can’t afford to give any divisional team bulletin board material. Fans have seen what that has done for the Bengals, who held an 11-game losing streak against the Steelers recently. Regardless, we can definitely expect more fireworks in the 2023 edition of this AFC North rivalry.

Do you think the Bengals should be worried about a Steelers "trap?" What is your favorite memory from this rivalry? Let us know in the comments below!

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