The Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, a rematch of a Week 7 game the Bengals won, 33-21.
The Steelers are looking for a different outcome this week, aiming to hold onto first place in the AFC North.
The Bengals lost their last two games since facing the Steelers, and they are looking to get back into the AFC North race.
The Bengals weighed in on multiple topics this week, from Jalen Ramsey, to Mike Tomlin, to the 2008 AFC Championship game.
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Head Coach Zac Taylor on what changes this week after playing the Steelers a few weeks ago:
"There's three games, two games from us, three games from them on tape. They've had some personnel changes. We've had some personnel changes as well. It's always interesting. It feels like they're tight turnarounds for the divisional games. You spend a lot of time watching the last game against them, trying to predict what they do the same, what they do different. That's the fun of it.
"You have to get ready to get into the game and be ready to adjust as we get going there. I think both teams are built to do that. We've played these enough. So, it will just be interesting to see how it plays out."
Quarterback Joe Flacco on safety Jalen Ramsey and what the impact of him moving to that spot full-time is:
"You can't really find out until you go out there and see what they are going to do against us and you get a feel for the game. We all know what kind of player he is and how he can affect the game.
"I think it's a way for them to get a guy they feel the best about onto the field and in position to impact the game in a meaningful way. He is big, he is physical, he can run. I would assume he is very instinctive and can sit back and figure it all out."
Taylor on the Steelers:
"This is a tremendous front group Pittsburgh has. They present a challenge every game you watch. A lot of times it comes down to the trenches in this one. Especially on the road. Silent cadence. The advantage that creates for them."
Flacco on what clicked so well the first time they played the Steelers:
"I think we've been moving the ball pretty well the last few weeks. We were going into that game with a little bit of built-up confidence from the week before. I think when your offensive line is playing well, when you have guys who are winning at the line of scrimmage and your run game finds its groove, it sets up well for playing good offense.
"I think that's what we were able to do the first time we played Pittsburgh."
Taylor on if the stakes feel higher this week in the North:
"The stakes always feel high in divisional games. You're 2-0 in the division. We have a chance to go 3-0 and that would be a huge step in the right direction of putting us back in with the teams that are in the top two of our division. It's always significant. It always feels like a big game when you're playing these types of games."
Flacco on playing against a Mike Tomlin coached team:
"This game always comes down to physicality and being able to put your guys into position to play physical and play fast. Even though we only played them a couple of weeks ago, this is my 18th year, for him what is it 19. He has been in this league for a long time because he knows how to put those guys into position to make plays. Even though we only played them a couple of weeks ago, you know they're going to have a plan and be able to come out and execute it at a high level.
"Any time you have a head coach that has been around as long as he has, it's the ability to get the most out of your guys and they've consistently done it through playing fast, putting pressure on the quarterback, stopping the run and playing physical. I think he's found ways to do that no matter what."
Flacco on why the Steelers always seem to have a dominate defense:
"Mike's (Tomlin) been there the whole time. Building a culture is a real thing. Setting expectations. When you come in there as a young guy, I am sure you see guys working. You develop that work ethic, you see it, you start to do it. It's one of those hard things to define and decide how you are going to create it, but a culture is a real thing.
"For one guy to be there for 19 years and have carried over a culture from Bill Cowher who was there. When Cowher retired, he was the longest tenured coach at the time. They haven't had many coaches. They have been able to establish a culture and what it means to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. They've found good enough players to carry that through the last 50 years. I think it's the basics. It's what we all think of when we think of good football teams. It still comes down to being physical, playing fast and having guys who care about the game."
Flacco on what he remembers from the 2008 AFC Championship game when the Steelers beat the Ravens:
"I remember throwing a game sealing pick to Troy Polamalu and then having to try and tackle him on the way back. I was on the ground looking at him score a touchdown as the stadium was going crazy. That's what I remember about that.
"It was the third time we played them that year and we didn't beat them. That was my 19th game of my rookie season. Those games were always crazy physical. They had so many good guys. We had so many good guys. They were cool games to be a part of."
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