Like many of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rivalries, the one with the Cincinnati Bengals goes back to the 1970 AFL/NFL merger. The Steelers are comfortably ahead on the win count, both at home and in Cincinnati. The last decade saw the Steelers with a 6-4 advantage in games played in Pittsburgh.
The 1995 draft saw the Steelers use their first-round pick on tight end Mark Bruener. They picked Kordell Stewart with their second choice. It was the highest they had selected a quarterback since using a first on Mark Malone in 1980. It showed they considered him a future starter.