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After last year obviously it spiked up and Im not going to say I didnt like it. ... It just made me feel like, Man, this is football. This is gritty and this is grimy. --Marvin Jones, ex-Bengals receiver on how the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh rivalry has ignited into perhaps the fiercest in the NFLPITTSBURGH -- The latest incarnation of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Cincinnati Bengals rivalry seems here to stay, hopefully with a smaller concussion quotient.Sure, last years barrage of egregious hits and social media venom might never be matched. But theres little doubt both teams should be very good and very physical for years to come.Steelers players can say the Baltimore Ravens are their bigger rival. This year, Bengals weeks are much more interesting.This once-clumsy matchup doesnt have tradition on its side. It has been heightened by the occasional Bengals surge over the past three decades, but not many fans identify with the Bruce Coslet-Bill Cowher showdowns as a touchstone for AFC North football.Still, the nastiness was always there, with a rapid shift to uneasiness in the past few years.They are not going to lay down, and you have to appreciate that about them, Steelers guard Ramon Foster said.With the help of ESPNs Katherine Terrell and Coley Harvey, we track Bengals-Steelers from innocent beginnings to the vicious playoff game in January 2016, and whats left in its wake as the Steelers prepare to host the Bengals on Sunday..Early memoriesTunch Ilkin, Steelers offensive linemen (1980-92), analyst for Steelers Radio Network: Chuck [Noll] hated the fact wed go over there and the PA announcer would screw up the introductions. Hed always introduce us when we werent ready. Chuck said we will set up the introduction by taking the field before they could announce us, but they beat us to it.Chris Crocker, Bengals safety (2008-13): My biggest motivator was always playing against Hines [Ward], how dirty he always was. I knew I really had to raise my level of intensity. And really take it to him instead of he take it to me that week.Marvin Lewis deserves a lot of credit for igniting this rivalry. Multiple people interviewed mentioned his sustained success as a catalyst.Dan Hoard, Bengals play-by-play announcer: Marvins first Bengals playoff team (in 2005), they won the division, they opened the playoffs at home against the Steelers. On their first offensive play, Carson [Palmer] completes a 60-something yard pass to the late Chris Henry and former Bengal Kimo von Oelhoffen crashes into [Palmers] knee and tears his MCL and other ligaments. There have been incidents like that going back a long time. There was that, there was Hines Ward breaking Keith Rivers jaw.Emmanuel Lamur, Bengals linebacker (2012-15): Its aggressive, man. Its down to the wall, its all out, because you know how much this city hates the Steelers.Tyler Boyd, Bengals rookie wide receiver and University of Pittsburgh product (2016): Of all the games that have been played while Ive been around campus, the only one I ever heard about consistently is the Bengals games -- Bengals-Steelers. Everybody around there knows when the Bengals are coming to town.Vince Williams, Steelers linebacker (2013-16): The physicality has always been that way. If you just look over the years, when Carson Palmer was here and I was in high school, Carson Palmer and Joey Porter, its always been like that. The AFC North, I feel, is the most chippy and competitive division.Momentum shiftThe Steelers still try to play the big brother card, and they have ammunition: 25 wins over Cincinnati since 2000. Those scars fuel the Bengals now.William Gay, Steelers cornerback (2007-11, 2013-16): It was always one-sided. We were in the playoffs, they werent. Then when they were in the playoffs, we werent.Wallace Gilberry, Bengals defensive end (2012-15): It was a time when all you heard was Steelers, Steelers, Steelers when I was there. We kind of changed the atmosphere so to speak. When the little brother becomes a big brother, it started to shift. We were getting better.Ilkin: When Marvin [Lewis] got there and the Bengals got really good again, thats when things changed, intensity wise.Doug Legursky, Steelers center (2009-12, 2015): With the Ravens, through the years its more of a personal grudge match. With the Bengals, theres some of that, but there is an underlying respect with guys like Geno Atkins and Domata Peko. Weve always respected them.Marvin Jones, Bengals receiver (2012-15): I actually saw it really turn into what its become last year. ... It was always heat of the game, but it never got too frisky and stuff like that. It was just always a good, ground-and-pound AFC North game. But after last year obviously it spiked up and Im not going to say I didnt like it. ... It just made me feel like, Man, this is football. This is gritty and this is grimy. Hoard: The Steelers stomped them about three out of every four times back then. How good could a rivalry be when one team wins most of the time? But now that its highly competitive and the two teams have kind of gone back and forth about which teams are going to finish above the other in the standings, now its on.In a series rife with football brutality, Bengals punter Kevin Huber might have suffered the worst. A hit by former Steelers linebacker Terence Garvin broke Hubers jaw and cracked a vertebrae in his neck on a kickoff coverage sideswipe in 2013. Consider this a turning point.Huber, Bengals punter (2009-16): Thats probably the hardest Ive been hit in my life. ... He sent me a text a couple of days later. I think I was in surgery. I think I sent him a text back but nothing after that. I didnt expect him to send anything anyway.Garvin, Steelers linebacker (2012-15): I feel like the rivalry just grew, it grew over time to not like each other. [The hit] was just a piece of it and another part of the whole saga.The explosionDuring the 2015 regular season, Bengals-Steelers featured non-threatening headlines such as social media spats, fines and pregame shoving matches. Only the playoffs could elevate the hatred. The AFC wild-card matchup in Cincinnati was rainy, messy and exhausting for everyone involved. The Bengals were in position to win with a 16-15 lead and less than two minutes to play. But a Jeremy Hill fumble and personal foul penalties by Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones secured the Bengals streak of 25 years without a playoff win.Antonio Brown, Steelers receiver (2010-16): The Bengals had created some animosity toward us. Thats the fun part of this game. ... Any time someones getting used to getting beat a lot, they have to find something to get them going.Landry Jones, Steelers quarterback (2013-16): It just seemed like a bunch of bodies were flying out there [that day]. It was hard to know what was really going on. Both teams were really good and it was just heated.When Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier delivered that upper-body shot on Bengals running back Gio Bernard, the buildup was unavoidable. Though Shazier wasnt trying to injure Bernard -- he was adamant about that after the game -- Bengals players looked furious as their teammate laid on the turf. This game had no chance of ending smoothly.Gilberry: We were heated about that. Any time you see your guy on the ground, youre not going to like it. But that game was just physical all the way around.Gay: Its a game full of men who got their manhood and pride out there and playing for our families. I dont think it got carried away.Gilberry: I can see how in the moment things got a little too heated. Looking back, some of that stuff was too much. But football is physical. No ones going to apologize for that.The Bengals were in control, until the avalanche hit. Ninety-six seconds of real time elapsed between the Burfict interception and the unraveling after a Hill fumble and 30 yards of penalties by Burfict and Jones. Thats according to Hoard, who actually clocked it after the game. He couldnt sleep.Hoard:?Those were the 96 happiest seconds of my life. It was such an incredible feeling of exhilaration that theyd done it, they dont have to hear about the monkey on their back anymore, and 96 seconds later it was gone.A.J. Green, Bengals receiver (2011-16): It went from the happiest day of my life to the worst day of my life in about 10 seconds.Burficts helmet shot on Brown in the open field and Jones penalty for scuffling with Steelers assistant Joey Porter elicited different reactions, from confusion to concern to judgment.Ilkin: I kept saying what a bonehead [Jones is]. They just self-destructed in front of everyone.Jones: I was numb. Thats all I can say.Gay:?I was on the sideline just waiting on the refs to say something or no, see where the game goes. I knew we still had some time on the clock. It wasnt 0:00. We still had a chance. There are rules all the way back to Pop Warner. Cant run on the field. ... A lot of guys on our side I know were checking on AB. It wasnt more so running out to do anything. It was checking on a brother that was down.After losing nine of their past 12 to the Steelers, the Bengals didnt need to pave the way for a 10th. Especially one this painful.Dave Lapham, Bengals offensive lineman (1974-83), Bengals color analyst: At that point Im like everyone else, like wow, we got the ball, short field, were in pretty good shape. Im thinking this could really unfold. But everything that went on as guys were going absolutely nuts and running into the locker room, first thing that went into my mind was something Paul Brown said many, many times before: Act like youve been there before. I remember him telling us that all the time. Calm down, the games not over. Act like youve been there before. So that kind of came into my head and then the [Hill] fumble.Legursky: Once the game is over, we all look at it the same way -- [Burfict] gave us 15 yards. It was a learning lesson. Dont make the same mistakes other teams make. I dont think people really had an opinion of [Burfict].Eric Thomas, Bengals cornerback (1987-92): It seems like every time the game means the most, this team never seems to come out on top. And its somewhat of a stigma. Theyve got to find a way to get past that. The Steelers are a fine franchise, they arent a great team. And theres a difference between the two. You look at the Steelers history, which is fantastic, but you look at the Steelers teams over the last five or six years, and the Steelers havent been that good.The aftermathThose invested in the rivalry are left to wonder how to write the next chapter. Steelers players seem indifferent, as if their security as six-time Super Bowl champions doesnt allow vulnerability. Others are more upset with the excessive force.Cam Heyward, Steelers defensive end (2011-16): Were about winning. Were not into all the other stuff. Were about the scoreboard.Michael Johnson, Bengals defensive end (2009-13, 2015-16): Not only are they fun to play in, but I believe its fun for the fans to watch as well because it keeps you on the edge of your seat. If youre watching that game, youre going to get your moneys worth.Lapham: When youre on the field its like, I want to kick your butt. I hate you, from a sports standpoint. But in real life its like, OK, man, theres sports, and then theres life. And its like, you can go into the same room as a guy without having an altercation. This has gotten to a real unique spot because these guys cant even stand to look at each other. And Im starting to worry that the respect, you know, the one thing that I always liked about playing sports at any level, especially the professional level, was that respect level you had for your professional peers. And man, Im starting to wonder if that respect level is getting destroyed a little bit.Away from the field, some Bengals and Steelers are friends. They will clock in Sunday at 1 p.m., then keep in touch outside of work. Until its time to turn the physicality up another thousand decibels.Huber: There will be big hits this week. Its going to happen. But keeping guys safe is the biggest thing weve got to do.Gay: Rivals are down to the fans. Thats all they be. Its not as deep as it is for fans. You have fans who are from the city. But on a team you have guys who are from Florida, from Ohio, from Texas, all over the place. ... Its not the first time youll see that, not the last. People can make it more than what it is, but at the end of the day both teams are trying to win. Deebo Samuel Super Bowl Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. DeForest Buckner Super Bowl Jersey . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. https://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Robbie-Gould-Jersey/ .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. Joe Staley Super Bowl Jersey . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Raheem Mostert Super Bowl Jersey . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Along with Michael Phelps finale, another womens relay win in the pool and the race to determine the Worlds Fastest Woman, here are a few other results you might have missed Saturday from the Rio Olympics:Venus makes history: Two American mixed doubles teams will face off in the gold-medal match, and one of the players is Venus Williams. After joining the mixed doubles competition after her early exits in singles and doubles, Venus and playing partner Rajeev Ram will play against Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock for the crown. Venus is guaranteed a record-tying fifth medal and, if her and Ram win, shell become the only tennis player in the modern era to win Olympic gold in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Williams and Ram edged Indias Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna 2-6, 6-2, 10-3 to reach the final. Read moreRio Olympics: Complete tennis coverageMedal streak continues: The U.S. womens eight won its third consecutive gold medal Saturday, covering the course in 6:01.49 ahead of Great Britain (silver) and Romania (bronze). The squad of Katelin Snyder, Amanda Elmore, Eleanor Logan, Meghan Musnicki, Tessa Gobbo, Lauren Schmetterling, Amanda Polk, Kerry Simmonds and Emily Regan led the Americans to their 11th straight victory in either the Olympic Games or World Championship competition. The mens eight finished fourth overall in their race (5:34.23), just under five seconds behind winner Great Britain (5:29.63). Read moreIn womens single sculls, Gevvie Stone won silver after finishing seventh overall at the 2012 London Olympics. It is the Americans fifth medal in the event (all silver) and the fiirst since Michelle Guerette in 2008.ddddddddddddRio Olympics: Complete rowing coverageTeam medal: After being shut out in their individual events, the American womens sabre squad of Monica Aksamit, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Dagmara Wozniak and Mariel Zagunis won the bronze medal in the team event with a 45-30 victory over Italy. Zagunis led the 2008 team to bronze in the same event.Rio Olympics: Complete fencing coverageClose finish: Sarah Hammer, Kelly Catlin, Chloe Dygert and Jennifer Valente took home silver in the womens team pursuit final, finishing in 4:12.454 behind Great Britain. The Brits won in world-record time (4:10.236), breaking the record they set earlier in the day during qualifying. Canada won bronze (4:14.627). Read moreRio Olympics: Complete cycling coverageOn to the knockout round: Maggie Steffens power-play goal with 6:02 left in the first half sparked four unanswered goals en route to an 11-6 win against Hungary. The U.S. womens team is now 3-0 in Group B play and will face host Brazil when knockout play begins Monday. Steffens led the team with four goals, while Maddie Musselman added three.Rio Olympics: Complete water polo coverageAnd finally ...Womens 3m springboard: Green water or not, Abby Johnston tied for fifth in the semifinals to earn a spot in Sundays final round. Johnston (324.75) was 60.25 points behind leader Chinas Shi Tingmao (385.00) and He Zi (364.05), while Canadas Jennifer Abel was third (343.45). Kassidy Cook finished 13th overall (304.35). Read more ' ' '