Why do we think we can't beat the Steelers?

[derekshank]

I heard Lapham during the game yesterday refer to the fact that we can't beat the Steelers the same way the Colts couldn't beat the Patriots, and we need to get over that hump. Where does this thinking come from?

They beat us twice last year... but they only lost 1 game all season! They were the better team... we deserved to be 7-9, even though we finished 8-8.

In '98 we beat them twice, and we were 3-13 that year! 2/3 of our wins came against Pittsburgh!

In '99 we split with them, and we were 4-12 (They were 13-3)!

We split with them again in '01, a year we were 6-10, and they were 13-3

And we split with them again in '03.

In the seasons between '98-'04 we have had a 35-77 record to their 74-38 record. They have been vastly superior to us... and yet we still manage to split with them on a very regular basis. This year, they are not superior to us... why should we be unable to split with them?

There is no monkey on our backs.... we don't have a history of being unable to beat the mighty Steelers... so get that thinking out of your heads. If history holds... we should split with them.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

We will steel a game from the Steelers this weekend!

[jbengals1]

the steel curtain is comming down this weekend !!!

[walzav29]

Palmer is 0-3 against them. Not only that, but he's 0-3 against Ben.

[derekshank]

Hmm... we've beaten Baltimore 3 in a row now... Do we have their number?

[w8th]

We have trouble stopping the run. Pittsburg's forte is a power running game.

We've beaten Baltimore twice this year because there running game has vanished into thin air.

Yes we used to be able to beat Pittsburg but that was with a different defensive scheme with different players and different coaches.

[derekshank]

We have trouble stopping the run. Pittsburg's forte is a power running game.

We've beaten Baltimore twice this year because there running game has vanished into thin air.

Yes we used to be able to beat Pittsburg but that was with a different defensive scheme with different players and different coaches.

Okay... so one 15-1 year, and now they are to us what the Patriots were to Indy? False. There is no history of us being unable to beat them. Kitna beat them in Pittsburgh 2 years ago. This is nothing like the NE/Indy situation.

[walzav29]

Yes. Palmer has the Ravens number. That is a good thing. He lost the 1st time, but threw for over 300. Now he's racked up a 100 rating in his last 3. They got a bunch of free agent DB's to slow Palmer down. It hasn't worked.

[Stripes]

I will consider the Steelers a monkey on our backs until Palmer can remedy his 0-3 mark against them. I don't think it is extensive as the Colts/Patriots thing was, but I will say it exists. They are and have been the only thing standing between the Bengals and a playoff berth. I think we play a very good game Sunday, the question is whether or not the Steelers will match that. They are more than capable of such.

[AGrizzlyBaer]

we just need the colts to hit big ben like 13 times tonight and get him hurt for next week

[Jet23]

I believe the Bengals will be in the right 'frame of mind' to play well in Pittsburgh. IMO the Indy game proved to them that they can hang with the NFL elite. The OL is also playing very good ball right now. I believe that translates into a win, but I am far from certain. A lot depends on how well they can stop the run.

Any way you slice it, a very good AFC team will be home watching the playoffs. Jacksonville taking up 1 wild card slot is a given. Even with Byron out, they should still coast through the remaining cake schedule. That leaves SD, Cincy, KC & Pitt fighting for 2 slots. The Pittsburgh game is huge, because SD may only lose one more game (@Indy). I would hate for Cincy to go into KC needing a win. That is a tough place to play. Even if we lose to Pitt, we can still win the division, but Chicago would have to do our job (beating Pitt in Pitt) for us.