In a must-win Monday night game, the Steelers have the perfect opponent

Photo creds to Bengalswire.usatoday.com

The Steelers are going to beat the Cincinnati Bengals tonight.

It's not because they are the better team, which they are.

It's not because Pittsburgh never loses at home on Monday night, which it doesn't, and it's not because Cincinnati's poor run defense will allow James Conner to have a field day, which it could.

It's because whenever the Steelers need to beat Cincinnati, and yes, we are already at "must-win" status in week four, they get it done.

There have been times when the Bengals have gotten the best of Pittsburgh on a big stage. In 2005, Cincy got a win in Heinz Field that many thought would mark the death of the Steelers' playoff hopes. It didn't. 

Instead, it was Pittsburgh who knocked the Bengals out for real one month later at Paul Brown Stadium on its way to a fifth Super Bowl championship.

Almost a decade after Super Bowl XL, the Bengals again won a battle at Heinz Field, and in the process ended Le'Veon Bell's season. The keyword here is "battle." The war took place at Paul Brown Stadium on a Saturday in January. Once again, the Steelers won the war.

Even when the Steelers don't make the playoffs, they find a way the screw with Cincy. In week 17 of the 2006 season, the Bengals needed a win to qualify for the postseason, and that win would have to come against the already eliminated, mediocre Steelers. With nothing to play for, Pittsburgh ended the Bengals season for the second year in a row on a touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in overtime.

Tonight, both teams come in at 0-3, and both need a win. It's rare for a game in September to mean so much to the Steelers, but that's what happens when you lose three straight out of the gate. If the Steelers lose tonight, they are done. Finished. Down for the count. Toast.

If they win, however, they'll find themselves one game out of first place in the AFC North at 1-3. That sounds ridiculous, but it gets even weirder.

If the Steelers beat the Bengals tonight and beat the Ravens at Heinz Field next Sunday, and if the Browns lose at San Francisco next week, the Steelers, at 2-3, will be tied for first in the division. It's crazy, but none of it is even a little unrealistic. Every team in this division is flawed, and when that's the case, things can get whacky.

Getting their first win of the season on Monday Night Football could be the first step to getting the Steelers back into the AFC playoff picture. Or, it can also mean nothing and serve merely as a small triumph amid the team's first losing season since the year Operation Iraqi Freedom took place.

Whatever happens over the next 13 games, we can count on the Steelers rising to the occasion and beating the Bungles. They always do.