The balance of power is shifting in the AFC North.
Running back Giovani Bernard scored his first two NFL touchdowns on Monday night, and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers 20-10, an early sign of a change in the division’s ranks.
At 0-2 for the first time in 11 years, the Steelers no longer seem to be one of the North’s heavyweights. And the Bengals (1-1) have a lot going for them with an influx of rookies who are changing their offense significantly.
On Monday night, those rookies made their first impression on an old rivalry.
“It’s AFC North football, man,” Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “It’s physical. It’s nasty, getting after each other. We were in a situation at the end of the game where we were trying to run the ball to win it and eat up the clock. We were getting after it.”