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Ja'Marr Chase doesn't think the Steelers are the Bengals biggest rival

ByAndrew Kusleika
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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) is pushed out of a skirmish at midfield in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. The Bengals lost 34-12.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) is pushed out of a skirmish at midfield in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. The Bengals lost 34-12. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second time this season, with much more than division supremacy on the line.

After dropping their first matchup with the Steelers in Week 3, the Bengals can't afford to lose another division game to the division leaders. If they want to continue to control their own destiny and open up a path to the one seed in the AFC, a win in primetime on Sunday night will be necessary. Mathematically, they wouldn't be excluded from one-seed contention, but the mountain will be much harder to climb.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow acknowledged the importance of the game this week during his press conference.

"This is as big of a game as we've had here for a while. We lost to them early in the season. So number one, with the standings at the end of the year, you want that to be split. And number two, for first place outright. And so, like you said, huge game."

That makes this matchup with the Steelers one of the biggest in the last decade. The primetime stage will be reminiscent of the 2015 wildcard matchup, which was a heartbreaker that extended the Bengals winless playoff streak.

Bengals star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase was still over a year away from committing to the Kansas Jayhawks, and over two years away from committing to the LSU Tigers. That could explain why he doesn't put the Bengals rivalry with the Steelers on the same level as their rivalry with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs have had more impactful matchups since Ja'Marr Chase was drafted

In a press conference during the week leading up to the Bengals-Steelers matchup, Chase explained that the rivalry with the Chiefs outranks the rivalry with the Steelers.

In Chase's rookie year, the Bengals beat the Chiefs twice in the same month. Once near the end of the regular season in a game that had massive playoff implications, and again in the AFC Championship for a trip to the Super Bowl.

The Bengals then beat the Chiefs for a third time in the 2022 regular season, setting up a huge rematch in the AFC Championship. This is when the term "Burrowhead" was coined, as the Bengals were 3-0 against the Chiefs with Burrow at the helm. The Chiefs proceeded to beat the Bengals on a game-winning field goal. Chiefs star tight end then called out the entire city of Cincinnati on stage.

While the Bengals and Steelers have a storied history as one of the most gruesome rivalries in the NFL, the Bengals and Chiefs have had more important matchups since Chase's arrival. In fairness to Chase, the Steelers seem to feel the same way. Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has explained in the past that he held their rivalry with the Baltimore Ravens in higher regard than their rivalry with the Bengals.

If the Bengals continue to play well and keep themselves in contention for high playoff seeding, big games against the Steelers will continue to arise. As for the Week 10 matchup, Bengals faithful are hoping Chase's interview isn't used as bulletin board material in the Steelers locker room.

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