Tomorrow is not just any other game

There is so much on the line tomorrow when the Bengals take on their deeply-disrespected nemesis in the Pittsburgh Steelers. I can feel it, you can feel it and the whole city of Cincinnati can feel it. But does the whole city really feel it?

This is what all of Cincinnati needs to understand; this is a big game. It’s not just another game during the season. We as fans only get one shot at seeing the Bengals beat the Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium, which is why those going to the game need to be there in full force tomorrow.

That’s one reason why tomorrow is not just any other game; the Steelers are the Bengals biggest rivals. Every season, the Steelers players and fans raise their intensity for this game. So why can’t we? What are we and the players afraid of? Is it about treating this game differently than any other game? It shouldn’t be.

The Bengals got a big win last week over the Miami Dolphins to improve to 4-1 and take over sole possession of first place in the AFC North. As I walked out of Paul Brown Stadium, though, I realized that tomorrow’s game is just as, if not more, important. If the Bengals are going to win the division, they cannot let the Steelers back into the race for the title. On Tuesday it was announced that the Bengals game at Kansas City next week was flexed to Sunday Night Football, and we all know the Bengals history playing in America’s Game of the Week. Given that, the Bengals need to have as much of a cushion in the division title race as possible. A two-and-a-half game lead on the Steelers after a win over them tomorrow and possibly a two-game lead over the Ravens? That would put this team in the driver’s seat for the AFC North title. But both playing against their rivals tomorrow and padding their lead in the division don’t add up to what a win tomorrow can do for this team.

I firmly believe that there is still an elephant in the room within the Bengals, and it’s the playoff loss to the Steelers almost three years ago. The Bengals have lost their last four games against the Steelers since then, and they also finished the previous two seasons under .500. Sounds like a playoff loss hangover, right?

So much has gone wrong for this team since that rainy night in the Queen City, but the start to this season has me thinking that this season is truly different than any other. The Bengals essentially hit the reset button in the off season, but not as hard as they did in 2011. There was no pressure for them to do anything this season and, yet, here they are at 4-1 and in first place in the AFC North.

Tomorrow is an opportunity to lay that playoff loss and all the other agony to rest. If this season is truly different, tomorrow validates that. A win tomorrow will reverse this franchise’s fortunes and begin a new chapter in Bengals history. There’s no better way to start that new chapter than with a win against the deeply-disrespected nemesis in the Pittsburgh Steelers.