Bengals Deja Vu

January 4, 2016

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Cincinnati, Oh (WTVQ) – The Bengals are in the playoffs. Unfortunately, a familiar foe and rival is waiting on the horizon for the “Who Dey” nation. Bengals fans were hoping for a win and a Broncos loss. Unfortunately, the return of Peyton Manning, after a poor performance by Brock Osweiler, led to a Denver win. As a result, the Bengals will meet a long time foe, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who you may recall, were the subject of the Andy Dalton injury and as fate may dictate, the only thing standing in the way of a Dalton playoff return.

The Steelers rivalry runs deep in Bengals country. The Bengals and Steelers have faced off at least twice a year since 1970, with the exception of the NFL strike year in 1982. Needless to say, the hatred cuts deep and the energy runs high. Whether it is the “Terrible Towel” or that Steelers QB, Ben Roethlisberger, has an 18 and 7 record against the Bengals since his emergence as the Steelers starting QB, the “Who Dey” nation is facing an all too familiar rival.

The Sunday game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens showed both sides of the coin. The first quarter and the last half of the fourth quarter were a tighter than expected face-off between a division leader and a struggling team which is minus it’s starting QB, Joe Flacco. The rest was an overall great performance by the men in black and orange. If the Bengals can maintain this pace, they may have the chance to advance past a perennial glass ceiling for the Bengals. The question, who will show up next week and can the Bengals put together the performance necessary to advance to week two. (Story by Ryan Stanton, MD)