The Bengals and Steelers will face off on Sunday for the second time this season in a very important AFC North matchup. If Cincinnati wins, the division title is theirs. Should Pittsburgh win and avoid the season sweep, the final three weeks of the season will be even more interesting.
According to Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones, there will be blood.
“It’s going to be bloody on both sides,” Jones told reporters Wednesday, per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. “We expect that.”
AFC North showdowns have a tendency to get physical. With the Ravens out of the hunt and decimated by injuries, Sunday’s game is as good as it’s going to get. To make matters even more interesting, the Bengals have only swept the Steelers once under coach Marvin Lewis. Pittsburgh has swept Cincy six times.
Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick sees no need to throw around the “just another game” cliche for this particular contest.
“It’s special,” Kirkpatrick said. “If anybody tells you it’s not special, then they’re lying. Because we’ve got a great opportunity to do something we’ve never [really] done, something that we can hang our hat on. It’s a special moment, a special day. It’s a day to go out there and win the division. All around, Sunday should be a special day for us.”
Earlier this week, Steelers offensive lineman David DeCastro put it bluntly when he said of the Bengals: “We don’t like them, and they don’t like us.” Kirkpatrick agreed.
The last time these two teams met, two players ended up exchanging threats on Twitter like high schoolers. Don’t be surprised if we see a similar outcome on Sunday.
