By Kevin Nielsen, Sportsnet.ca
With the Lions and Cowboys hosting their annual Thanksgiving matchups this Thursday (live on Sportsnet) we thought what better way to help celebrate the American Turkey Day than by looking at the top five rivalries in the NFL.
While there have been many classic rivalries in the NFL over the years, today’s 32 teams multiplied by a 16-game schedule means rivalries ebb and flow. In no particular order, here are what we think are the best five going right now.
Bengals linebacker Caleb Miller probably said it best.
"We don’t like Pittsburgh and they don’t like us," he told a newspaper prior to the first meeting of the season between these two clubs.
Though the teams have been playing each other since 1970, it was not until the past few years that these AFC North Division clubs began to really establish a fierce rivalry. The rivalry has quickly become so hardcore that Sports Illustrated has dubbed it “The Nastiest Rivalry in the NFL.”
That was because the two squads have been battling for playoff spots the past few seasons and in 2006, things turned really nasty in a wild-card game when former Bengal Kimo von Oelhoffen laid a crushing blow on Bengals’ quarterback Carson Palmer that left the signal-caller with ripped knee ligaments. The Steelers’ victory helped propel them to their fifth Super Bowl title.
After the game former Steelers coach Bill Cowher lead his team into a chant of ‘We Dey’, a taunting response to Cincinnati’s battle-cry of ‘Who Dey.’
| Last five meetings: | |
| Oct. 28, 2007 | Pittsburgh 24, Cincinnati 13 |
| Dec. 31, 2006 | Pittsburgh 23, Cincinnati 17 |
| Sept. 24, 2006 | Cincinnati 28, Pittsburgh 20 |
| Jan. 8, 2006 | Pittsburgh 31, Cincinnati 17 |
| Dec. 4, 2005 | Cincinnati 38, Pittsburgh 31 |
The Steelers have dominated the Bengals historically, holding a 44-30 overall advantage.
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| Former Steelers’ coach Bill Cowher. (Getty) |
This season’s first meeting on Oct. 28 saw the biggest crowd in the history of Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium. However, the 66,188 went home sad when the Bengals were dominated 24-13. The loss looks to have ended the Bengals’ playoff hopes early and put the Steelers on pace to capture the AFC North title again.
The hatred will continue when the two resume hostilities on Dec. 2 in the Steel City.
