The Steelers, by all accounts, are at a disadvantage heading into Sunday's game in Cincinnati. But they made have a bit of a wld card on their side.
Larry Ogunjobi spent last season with the Bengals, which won the AFC North, the AFC, and nearly the franchise's first Super Bowl.
Now, Ogunjobi is with the Steelers, and will play against his former team Sunday when the season kicks off just after 1 p.m.
"I think it's always fun," said Ogunjobi, who played for another AFC North real, Cleveland, in 2020. "You get to see your old teammates. I had to do it last year when we played Cleveland. So it's always exciting."
The warm and fuzzies will likely wear off quickly. Cincinnati, which pounded the Steelers 41-10 in November, feels like it is on the upswing, and wide receiver Tyler Boyd said they can't 'overlook' Pittsburgh.
"It kind of pushed us over the edge," Ogunjobi said. "When we got that W, there was a lot of energy… The Steelers have always been kind of that staple, that standard in the AFC North. Being able to get over that hump last year was really important."
The last time he played in Cincinnati, Ogunjobi was carted off of the field during last year's AFC Wild Card win over Las Vegas with a foot injury. The Bengals opted to not re-sign the veteran, who failed a physical with Chicago before joining the Steelers.
"It's all personal," Ogunjobi said. "But I understand the business."
Now he returns with, arguably, Cincinnati's most hated team. He does so, perhaps, with some inside knowledge of the Bengals defense, which he fully intends on sharing with his new teammates.
"I've talked to him a couple times," Steelers running back Najee Harris sad. "Larry was on the d-line, so (I've asked him about) their front, some of the tendencies they do… especially because he was at nose (guard) sometimes, and would just walk the center back. There's some stuff that we do, that we're planning on. He helped out a lot."
"Guys ask about different plans and the guys they're going against," Ogunjobi added. "I can give them a couple tidbits… I think the (offensive) guys are really focused and locked in, so I'm excited to see them play, as well."
The Steelers are 6.5 point underdogs. The Bengals have Super Bowl aspirations. Pittsburgh is rebuilding. All of the juice is, seemingly, on the Bengals side.
But it is a new season. It's the opening week. And Ogunjobi is looking forward to spoiling the part in Southwest Ohio.
"I think it's always good when you have a challenge," he said. "They went to the Super Bowl last year, they have a lot of special players on that team. So I think it'll be great challenge for us to go out there, and play Steelers football."
