There isn’t much love lost between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. While the Baltimore Ravens are the Steelers’ biggest rival, they’ve had plenty of classic matchups against the Bengals, too. The two teams have shown plenty of times how much they don’t like each other. That includes their latest matchup, where Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase spit on Jalen Ramsey. Before that game, Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. was asked who his NFL nemesis is, and his answer made it clear how he feels about Pittsburgh.
“I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Brown said recently on The Holmes Stretch podcast. “I don’t like them. Anytime I get to play the Steelers, whoever they got lined up over me.”
It’s not surprising that Brown doesn’t like playing the Steelers. He’s had plenty of trouble against them in his career, no matter who he’s lined up against. However, Nick Herbig specifically has been a problem for Brown.
Brown has mostly played left tackle with the Bengals, so he’s often faced Herbig or Alex Highsmith more than T.J. Watt. Mike Tomlin challenged Herbig to step up against Brown last year, and he responded. Herbig blew past Brown in the fourth quarter, knocking the ball out of Joe Burrow’s hand and helping the Steelers secure the win.
That wasn’t a fluke, either. Herbig dominated Brown in the Steelers’ 34-12 win over the Bengals on Sunday. He had one sack and led Pittsburgh in pressures with five. That game likely only added to Brown’s disdain for the Steelers.
However, Herbig isn’t the only reason why Brown dislikes the Steelers. During that same podcast, he used Patrick Queen as an example of a rule he wants the NFL to implement.
“Something I do wish they would take out of the game is when d-linemen run some of these pick stunts. Patrick Queen in Pittsburgh, for example,” Brown said. “He’s coming full speed, head of his helmet, and hitting a defenseless lineman from an off angle.
“If I play left tackle, he’s hitting me on my right side while I’m looking at this defensive end to my left. I can’t see this guy. I do think that’s the next step in terms of protection for offensive linemen.”
It’s fair to want to make the game safer. However, it can be tough for referees to catch everything that happens in the trenches. They’re usually a little more lenient with the physicality shown there. Perhaps the NFL will make use of Brown’s suggestion at some point, but for now, that’s just another part of the game that players have to deal with.
Brown isn’t the first Bengal to hate the Steelers, and he won’t be the last, either. They’re in the same division, so competitiveness is naturally heightened between them. There are plenty of Steelers who have hated the Bengals. too. Fortunately, Pittsburgh got the last laugh this season.
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