The Pittsburgh Steelers have been battling with the Cincinnati Bengals since the 1970 merger when they were placed in the same division. The Steelers lead the series 70-39 overall and even playing in Cincinnati they have a 34-21 advantage.
The early years of the super seventies was a magical time for the Steelers when they overwhelmed the Bengals 14-6. The eighties saw a reverse in fortunes when Cincinnati won 13 of the 19 games played due to the strike year of 1982.
Coach Chuck Noll retired after the 1991 season to be replaced by Bill Cowher. A former defensive coordinator with the Chiefs, Cowher was a finalist for the head coach vacancy in Cincinnati. The Bengals went with Dave Shula.
The Steelers chose Coach Cowher with Dan Rooney saying, “Bill is a very capable young man with the experience and intelligence to be a successful coach in the NFL. I’m impressed with his strength, character and enthusiasm and his appreciation for the game.”
The Steelers and Cowher did well in that year’s draft. Leon Searcy, Levon Kirkland and Joel Steed were their first three picks. With their eighth pick they took Darren Perry.
Coach Cowher obviously had some mighty big shoes to fill. All Steelers Nation’s eyes were on his first game when the Steelers travelled to Houston to face the run ‘n shoot offense from Warren Moon.
With Houston leading 24-22 late in the fourth quarter, every fan breathed a sigh of relief when Rod Woodson picked off a pass. Woodson returned the interception 57 yards to Houston’s 43. Neil O’Donell took advantage of the turnover throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Cooper for Coach Cowher’s first win.
When the Steelers travelled to Cincinnati for the week 13 game, they sat on top of the division, two games in front of the Oilers. The Bengals had slipped to the bottom of the division.
To face the Steelers, the Bengals decided to replace their veteran quarterback Boomer Esiason with rookie David Klinger. The Bengals had used their first-round pick earlier that year on Klingler. Because he held out all preseason, he had no pro football experience before making his debut against the Steeler.
The Steelers went into the game with the NFL’s second worse sack record with a total of 17.
The (8-3) Steelers at the (4-7) Bengals; November 29, 1992
David Klingler came on to a very good reception from the locals who were happy to see him complete his first pass. After he completed his second for a first down, the drive stalled, and the Bengals lined up for a fake punt.
When the snap was muffed after Eric Ball slipped, Steelers special team player Charles Davenport burst through to pick up the bouncing ball and take it into the endzone for his first NFL touchdown. His 34-yard fumble recovery was followed by Gary Anderson’s conversion for a Pittsburgh 7-0 lead.
Ball tried to compensate for his error when he returned the subsequent kickoff 48 yards to the Steelers 48. On the Bengals next series, Klingler completed another two passes to rapturous appreciation from the supporters. They thought they were witnessing the start of something special.
After missing six games through injury, Steelers nose tackle Gerald Williams shrugged off his tackler to get through and sack Klingler. Two plays later, Jerrol Williams’ sack pushed the Bengals out of field goal range forcing them to punt.
After the Steelers went three and out, Klingler began to move the chains. A sack from defensive end Donald Evans brought the drive to a halt resulting in a 33-yard field goal.
Despite a few runs from Barry Foster, the Steelers offense was quiet. Dropped catches saw them exchange possessions with Klingler facing a sturdy Pittsburgh defense.
It was eventually Foster who ignited the Steelers offense. A run of 21 yards saw him break the single season record set by Franco Harris in 1975 and move the chains. The Steelers were moving the ball comfortably until Neil O’Donnell lofted a pass towards the end zone for Bengals David Fulcher to pick off.
Starting from their own 2-yard line, the Bengals were always going to struggle to get any movement and Steelers right inside linebacker David Little’s sack (#5) ensured it didn’t.
Rod Woodson returned the punt to the Bengals 31 to give the Steelers a short field. Foster’s runs of 27 yards and 2 yards saw him need just 2 yards for the touchdown that increased the Steelers lead.
The Bengals replied with a field goal from 42 yards that saw the Steelers go into the locker room 14-6 ahead.
The second half began with the Steelers sixth sacks as Little and Jerrol Williams dragged Klingler to the ground. The play became stagnant as both offenses failed to fire until O’Donnall found Davenport with a 31-yard pass that put the Steelers on the Bengals 2. A Merril Hoge fumble brought an abrupt end to Pittsburgh’s advance.
The Bengals continued the three and out theme before the Steelers finally broke it. They went 47 yards finishing with a 1-yard touchdown run from Foster.
The final quarter began with the Steelers seventh sack as Greg Lloyd and Evans drove Klingler back eleven yards. As the Bengals continued their drive, Hardy Nickerson ripped into Klingler for the Steelers eighth sack. Overcoming the yardage loss, the Bengals kicked a 38-yard field goal.
Anderson missed a 49-yard field goal attempt, but it brought no joy for the home fans. When Cincinnati subsequently took to the field, they watched Greg Lloyd gain Pittsburgh’s ninth sack. That wasn’t the end of their suffering as they watched Carnell Lake set a new Steelers record with the tenth sack of the game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 21 at the Cincinnati Bengals 9
Barry Foster’s gained his ninth 100-yard game as he broke the franchise single season record held by Franco Harris. “It was something,” Foster said. “I really didn’t expect it to happen and neither did my teammates or coaches.” Foster finished the season with 1,690 yards.
“It felt good,” admitted Rod Woodson. “We knew when we had some blitzes on that we could take the first move away from the receivers because if he didn’t get rid of the ball, it would be a sack. When that’s occurring, it’s easy to play secondary.”
The Steelers finished the season 11-5 and won their tenth division title and their first in eight years. They lost the divisional playoff game to the Bills, but Coach Cowher went on to prove he could be a successful NFL coach.
