Bengals Former Linebacker ClearlyStill Triggers Obsession by Steelers Fans in 2024.

Over the past twenty years or so, the rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers has been pretty extreme.  While Pittsburgh has certainly had the most post season success, there is certainly no love lost between the two fan bases.  Pittsburgh fans love to say that they don’t even think of Cincinnati as a rival compared to the successful Raven’s teams of the mid-2000s and that just adds insult to injury for fans in Southwest Ohio.  While many of these contests have come down to the wire, the number one trait of divisional rivalries in the AFC North is the overwhelming physicality in those games.

Pittsburgh Fans Still Hold a Grudge against Bengals Linebacker Ten Years Later

While there were many instances of the Pittsburgh squad plotting nefarious schemes against Cincinnati, one such instance occurred in 2016 when a Pittsburgh player bit punter Kevin Huber without warning, breaking his jaw in the process. If you’re wondering if Pittsburgh defensive’ reputation for being physically tough during their prime is true, I can assure you that it is because I spent countless years witnessing Cincinnati take filthy blows from that squad. Cincinnati has had enough of those nasty hits and decided to acquire a physical playmaker of their own.

Linebacker Vontaze Burfict was selected by Cincinnati in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The standout linebacker from Arizona State was supposed to go much higher because of his talent, but because of alleged character problems, he was selected in the second round instead. Burfict never had any problems off the field during his whole time in Cincinnati, and the only thing about him that has damaged his reputation over the years is that he plays hard and isn’t afraid to punch someone hard.

Burfict’s greatest moment was during the 2015 wild card game when the Pittsburgh Steelers were the opponent. For background, I should mention that I had never witnessed a game as physically intense as this one between Cincinnati players.