The Steelers are well aware of the challenge awaiting them on Sunday night in Cincinnati, but also that it won't be the first such test they've faced this season.
Or the last.
"They know it's the NFL, it's gonna be tough each week," defensive coordinator Patrick Graham maintained. "Some records are 6-2, some records are 2-6 but there's a lot of parity throughout the league.
"I'm just happy the guys accept the challenge by week and then, really, when you break it down even further, by day. Can we get better today? The guys are in working out today. Are we getting better today? Guys are asking me, 'Hey you got the 'ready list' ready?' 'I'm almost there, give me a second.' They're chomping at the bit to get better today, however it is, watching film, in the weight room, therapy with the massage therapist, whatever it may be.
"I just want them to be hungry to get better each day and each week take it as a challenge."
The Steelers embraced the challenge of taking on quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins well enough to beat the Bengals, 30-27, on Sept. 27 at Acrisure Stadium.
The defense held Cincinnati to 352 total net yards and secured the victory when defensive tackle Derrick Harmon sacked Burrow and forced a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day on first-and-10 from the Steelers' 38-yard line with 53 seconds left in regulation.
"We're gonna have to play better," Graham emphasized. "We're gonna have to play better."
The Bengals will host the Steelers in the rematch having scored 31, 35, 43 and 34 points in four consecutive victories since Cincinnati last lost, 22-17, on Oct. 4 at home to Jacksonville.
The Bengals' most recent victory, 34-17 over Atlanta last Sunday in Madrid, included 123 yards on the ground among Cincinnati's 388 total net yards. Cincinnati scored on all four of its possessions in the first half and on six of eight overall prior to grinding out the game's final 3:59 with no urgency other than to run out the clock.
"The O-line, they look real cohesive right now," Graham continued. "I think Coach (Scott) Peters, their O-line coach, is doing a real good job. They're keeping Joe clean, not a lot of sacks, I think it's 12 or 13 for the year (15). You can see they're really operating well as a unit, both in the run and the pass. I know they're not running the ball a ton, but you saw how effective they were in the second half running the ball (against Atlanta). All you have to do is give (running back) Chase (Brown) just a little crease and he's through there. I thought they're working well together there, that's probably the biggest difference (from the initial meeting with the Steelers).
"Their receivers, whether it's (tight end Mike) Gesicki, whether it's Tee, Chase, and what Joe's doing behind center, it's pretty impressive what they're doing."
Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio acknowledged the game in Cincinnati could turn into a shootout but added that won't impact the Steelers' gameplan.
"Tremendous amount of respect for their offense," he said. "But as you go into a game, any game, you're trying to take care of the football, control the time of possession and not put your defense in harm's way. That becomes playing field position, moving the ball but yet being aggressive. We want to score and we have playmakers on our side that we feel real good about with the ball in their hands. We're certainly not gonna go out there and just run, run, punt.
"We're gonna try to be as explosive as we can be and get the ball in the hands of our playmakers and be as effective as we can."
Special teams also loom as a potential factor, particularly in rematches within the division.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said the Steelers are "getting close" to gleaning what they want from the kicking game.
But special teams coordinator Danny Crossman wants more than "close."
"I think there's a lot of really good things when you look at the first quarter (of the season) to the second quarter and the improvements in a lot of areas," he assessed. "But that final, over-the-hump thing that we're all looking for, we're having some opportunities, we just gotta finish those opportunities.
"Kicks, punts, we can be better and we had some opportunities, we can do some better things there. Returns, opportunities on some blocks on PAT, field goal, opportunities on blocks on punt rush.
"There's a lot of things you like but you're not quite finishing to the level and extent that you'd like to."
The Steelers are well aware of the challenge awaiting them on Sunday night in Cincinnati, but also that it won't be the first such test they've faced this season.
Or the last.
"They know it's the NFL, it's gonna be tough each week," defensive coordinator Patrick Graham maintained. "Some records are 6-2, some records are 2-6 but there's a lot of parity throughout the league.
"I'm just happy the guys accept the challenge by week and then, really, when you break it down even further, by day. Can we get better today? The guys are in working out today. Are we getting better today? Guys are asking me, 'Hey you got the 'ready list' ready?' 'I'm almost there, give me a second.' They're chomping at the bit to get better today, however it is, watching film, in the weight room, therapy with the massage therapist, whatever it may be.
"I just want them to be hungry to get better each day and each week take it as a challenge."
The Steelers embraced the challenge of taking on quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins well enough to beat the Bengals, 30-27, on Sept. 27 at Acrisure Stadium.
The defense held Cincinnati to 352 total net yards and secured the victory when defensive tackle Derrick Harmon sacked Burrow and forced a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day on first-and-10 from the Steelers' 38-yard line with 53 seconds left in regulation.
"We're gonna have to play better," Graham emphasized. "We're gonna have to play better."
The Bengals will host the Steelers in the rematch having scored 31, 35, 43 and 34 points in four consecutive victories since Cincinnati last lost, 22-17, on Oct. 4 at home to Jacksonville.
The Bengals' most recent victory, 34-17 over Atlanta last Sunday in Madrid, included 123 yards on the ground among Cincinnati's 388 total net yards. Cincinnati scored on all four of its possessions in the first half and on six of eight overall prior to grinding out the game's final 3:59 with no urgency other than to run out the clock.
"The O-line, they look real cohesive right now," Graham continued. "I think Coach (Scott) Peters, their O-line coach, is doing a real good job. They're keeping Joe clean, not a lot of sacks, I think it's 12 or 13 for the year (15). You can see they're really operating well as a unit, both in the run and the pass. I know they're not running the ball a ton, but you saw how effective they were in the second half running the ball (against Atlanta). All you have to do is give (running back) Chase (Brown) just a little crease and he's through there. I thought they're working well together there, that's probably the biggest difference (from the initial meeting with the Steelers).
"Their receivers, whether it's (tight end Mike) Gesicki, whether it's Tee, Chase, and what Joe's doing behind center, it's pretty impressive what they're doing."
Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio acknowledged the game in Cincinnati could turn into a shootout but added that won't impact the Steelers' gameplan.
"Tremendous amount of respect for their offense," he said. "But as you go into a game, any game, you're trying to take care of the football, control the time of possession and not put your defense in harm's way. That becomes playing field position, moving the ball but yet being aggressive. We want to score and we have playmakers on our side that we feel real good about with the ball in their hands. We're certainly not gonna go out there and just run, run, punt.
"We're gonna try to be as explosive as we can be and get the ball in the hands of our playmakers and be as effective as we can."
Special teams also loom as a potential factor, particularly in rematches within the division.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said the Steelers are "getting close" to gleaning what they want from the kicking game.
But special teams coordinator Danny Crossman wants more than "close."
"I think there's a lot of really good things when you look at the first quarter (of the season) to the second quarter and the improvements in a lot of areas," he assessed. "But that final, over-the-hump thing that we're all looking for, we're having some opportunities, we just gotta finish those opportunities.
"Kicks, punts, we can be better and we had some opportunities, we can do some better things there. Returns, opportunities on some blocks on PAT, field goal, opportunities on blocks on punt rush.
"There's a lot of things you like but you're not quite finishing to the level and extent that you'd like to."
