Bengals-Steelers rivalry

Cincinnati Bengals–Pittsburgh Steelers

Cincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers
First meeting	November 2, 1970 Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Cincinnati Bengals 10
Latest meeting	December 18, 2016 Bengals 20 Steelers 24
Next meeting	2017
Statistics
Meetings total	95
All-time series	PIT: 60–35
Regular season series	PIT: 58–35
Postseason results	PIT: 2–0 January 8, 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Cincinnati Bengals 17 January 9, 2016 Pittsburgh Steelers 18, Cincinnati Bengals 16
Largest victory	CIN: 42-7 (11/06/1988)
Longest win streak	CIN: 6 (1988–90) PIT: 8 (1991–94)
Current win streak	PIT: 4 wins
Championship Success
Super Bowl Championships (6) PIT (6) – 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005, 2008 CIN (0) – None Conference Championships (10) PIT (8) – 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1995, 2005, 2008, 2010 CIN (2) – 1981, 1988 Divisional Championships (31) PIT (22) – 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016 CIN (9) – 1970, 1973, 1981, 1988, 1990, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2015

Super Bowl Championships (6)

Conference Championships (10)

Divisional Championships (31)

The Bengals–Steelers rivalry is an NFL rivalry. The two teams have played each other twice a year since becoming division rivals in 1970, the lone exception being 1982, when the annual matchup in Cincinnati was canceled due to the player's strike; the teams only met in Week 2 in Pittsburgh that season just before the start of the strike. Originally placed in the AFC Central following the AFL–NFL merger, the two teams currently compete in that division's successor, the AFC North.

The rivalry is not quite as historic as the Bengals–Browns rivalry, however, many Bengals fans consider the Steelers to be their greatest rivals, much like Cleveland Browns fans. (Steeler fans, however, often consider the Baltimore Ravens as their top rival.) It is disputed which is the more widely bitter rivalry, but this specific rivalry is often ranked as one of the NFL's most bitter, chiefly due to the Steelers having more championships and the events of the 2005 wild card playoff game between the two teams. Similarly, these are the only two AFC North teams to experience Super Bowl losses, with each team losing two.

Though the Steelers have mostly dominated this rivalry, it has heated up in recent seasons due to the Bengals resurgence among NFL teams. Even during the Bengals' dismal years in the 1990s and early 2000s when they were one of the NFL's worst teams, they would at times get the better of the Steelers, who were usually the dominant team in the division during the "Bungals" years. One notable example came in 1998, when the Bengals swept the Steelers in the season series while finishing 3-13 overall. (Their only other win coming against the Detroit Lions in overtime). The loss knocked the Steelers out of playoff contention (they finished 7-9).