Bengals – Steelers rivalry The Bengals - Steelers rivalry is a rivalry in the NFL . 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 oftentimes ranked as one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL , chiefly due to the Steelers having more championships and the events of the 2005 wild card playoff game between the two teams . 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 1999 , when the Bengals swept the Steelers in the season series while finishing 4 - 12 overall . ( Their other two wins came against the Browns , who had returned to the NFL as an expansion team that season . ) The Steelers themselves were going through a rare down year , finishing 6 - 10 for the season . While the Steelers have a much older rivalry with the Browns and have a longer history against several teams from the NFC due to the Steelers being part of the " old " NFL prior to the 1970 merger , the Bengals have met the Steelers more than anyone else in their own history , due to the Tennessee Titans being moved to the new AFC South in the 2002 realignment , while the Browns missed keeping pace due to being out of the league for three years . The rivalry has enjoyed a revival since meeting in the playoffs for the first time in the 2005 wild card . During the game , division champion Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer was injured by Steeler Kimo von Oelhoffen . Palmer ' s injured ACL and MCL kept him out of the game , which the Steelers won 31 - 17 . After undergoing surgery to repair the damaged ligaments , Palmer was featured in a Sports Illustrated article focusing on the new technique used to repair his knee . In that article , Palmer is quoted as saying " I hate the Steelers more than I hate UCLA , " a reference to his college days at USC , although Palmer himself did not blame the Steelers for his injury , since von Oelhoffen did not intend to injury him . 2 Many fans from both sides remain bitter about this episode . The Rivalry rose to new heights in 2009 when the Bengals were the Division champions over the Steelers and the rest of the Division . They boasted a perfect 6 - 0 Division record , not only twice beating the long - time champion Steelers , but also the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns . Despite their division dominance , the Bengals were only 4 - 6 against the rest of the NFL . The Bengals made the playoffs as AFC North Champions , and they began their short playoff run with a home game against the New York Jets . The Bengals were expected to win , but the Jets were able to shut down the Bengals and put an end to their season . . Pittsburgh has a 50 - 32 series lead against the Bengals . A chess set is available at many stores of " Bengals vs . Steelers " .