Many feel that Steelers -- Bengals games sometimes cross the line in terms of the intensity and physicality that oftentimes occurs on the gridiron between these two bitter AFC North rivals. Sunday's game was once again a physical affair, with Bengals' Vontaze Burfict once again in the middle of a few controversial hits that included one that temporarily sent Antonio Brown to Pittsburgh's sideline. Despite the physical nature of the rivalry, Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin decided to look at the competitive nature of the rivalry during his post game press conference following his team's 28-21 victory over the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.

"Man, that's big time AFC North Football," Tomlin said after his team's seventh consecutive victory over the Bengals and sixth straight win at Paul Brown Stadium. "We respect it. It's good for the game of football, and you saw why it's good for the game of football. There's two teams competing their tails off for 60 minutes and fighting for a lot of things. We kept it real simple today, though, for the victory. We were able to get that done through a lot of effort from all three phases. We made some big plays, we missed some plays -- that's life. It's good to learn while you win. Hopefully we're finding our rhythm. Hopefully that is a signature of our game moving forward, that we can learn and win. I'm appreciative of it today."

Tomlin's Steelers have won seven straight games against Marvin Lewis' Bengals.

As expected, Brown was asked about Burfict's helmet-to-helmet hit after the game. Despite the hit, Brown returned to the game and caught the game-winning, 31-yard touchdown pass with just seconds remaining.

"Just you know, a nasty hit," said Brown, who caught five of his six targets for 105 yards. "I was able to come back in the game and finish the game. Any time you come in here, they call it The Jungle, you know there's going to be some hard hitting and some things that are going to be challenging for us and the calls. I was grateful to get back up and come back in."

Did Brown feel like the hit was illegal?

"I don't know," Brown responded. "I couldn't really see how he hit me. I felt it, but I was able to get back up and finish the game."

While Burfict's hit on Brown received most of the attention, it wasn't like the Steelers weren't dishing out some licks, either. Among the heavy hitting from the Steelers included running back James Conner, who bulldozed his way to 111 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Conner has now rushed for over 100 yards on consecutive games.

"[Conner] had that look in his eye," Tomlin said after the game, "and he had a good week's work. James just wants to put his hand in the pile and be one of the reasons why we win. He wants to prove that, like a lot of young guys."

"James Conner was running into guys and bulldozing guys," added Brown. "Obviously there was a lot of talk, but that's Cincinnati ball."

While there was plenty of talk, there was also more physical play in a game that has become one of the most intense matchups in the NFL. It also continues to be a matchup dominated by the Steelers, who haven't lost to the Bengals in nearly three years.