By Bob Smizik | Monday, 12:30 a.m.
The crucial NFL game between the Steelers (5-2) and the Denver Broncos (6-1) tonight was large in its own right but took on added significance by virtue of the play of a somewhat unexpected interloper -- the Cincinnati Bengals.
They’re the Bungals no more.
Former Pittsburgh Press sports writer Glenn Sheeley coined that word almost 30 years ago when he was the Steelers beat reporter and it has stuck because the Bengals have done a superlative job of living up to that description.
Even when they opened the season with a 5-2 record -- including a win over the Steelers -- not many took the Bengals seriously. The conventional wisdom was if Cincinnati stood between the Steelers and the AFC North 
title that was a good thing.
That perception evaporated yesterday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati when the Bengals dominated the Baltimore Ravens -- the team expected to most challenge the Steelers in the AFC North -- and won, 17-7.
The Bengals were impressive on offense and defense. They ran the ball against the Ravens once-vaunted run defense, with Cedric Benson picking up 117 yards, and they stifled burgeoning quarterback star Joe Flacco, who was intercepted twice and had a passer rating of 48.3
The Bengals are 6-2 and, at the least, will be tied with the Steelers when the teams meet Sunday at Heinz Field.
The Bengals haven’t sniffed the playoffs since 2005, when they won the North but lost to the wild-card Steelers in the playoffs.
Comparing that team to this one, Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer, who was injured early in that 2005 playoff game, said, ``We’re a better team. We were a good ream back then. We were kind of young and dumb. This team has more guys that understand how rare this opportunity is.’’
If the Bengals beat the Steelers Sunday, they would have at least a one-game lead in the division and a distinct upper hand in any tie-breakers. They’re 4-0 in division play and a win would make them 5-0 and the Steelers 1-2.
It’s worth looking at the respective future schedules of the two teams because the quality of opponent could be important in what is shaping up as a tight race in the final half of the season.
Both teams have three common opponents the rest of the way -- Kansas City, Cleveland and Oakland. The Bengals four other games, besides the one against the Steelers, are against Detroit (1-7), Minneapolis (7-1), San Diego (5-3) and the New York Jets (4-4). The Steelers other four games are two against Baltimore (4-4), Green Bay (4-4) and Miami (3-5).
The edge is to the Steelers, but not by a large margin. And things can change by the time these games are played.
The game tonight at Denver is important. The one next week against Cincinnati is more important.
Posted
Nov 09 2009, 12:30 AM
by
Bob Smizik