Brian Batko

Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is self-aware enough to know that old adage: Be where your feet are. And right now, the Steelers are preparing for Sunday Night Football in Cincinnati, in the jungle, against the Bengals.

"There's nothing like this division. I probably said the same thing when I was in the other divisions," McCarthy grinned before Thursday's practice. "But divisional football is the best. I love it."

He's probably right that when he was entrenched as the head coach in Green Bay, he felt like the NFC North was the upper echelon of the NFL. And when he was in Dallas, he appreciated the rivalries within the NFC East.

But the difference is McCarthy isn't from Wisconsin or Texas. He wasn't raised on watching the Packers or the Cowboys every Sunday. This time around, coaching in these AFC North knock-down, drag-out fights, McCarthy is right where he's supposed to be.

"Growing up as a kid here, when it was the AFC Central, I can definitely relate to the history of all these franchises," McCarthy said. "You know, Baltimore's replaced 'Luv Ya Blue' down there in Houston, but these are great games. I've competed in Cincinnati before, but to go in there in a prime-time game, huge division game, these are the games you look forward to. These are games you talk about. Hopefully, this will be a game we're talking about for some time."

And the Steelers enter it armed with confidence. That's the word McCarthy used for how much the Steelers have changed since their Week 3 win against the Bengals to now.

The Steelers improved their record to 2-1 that Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium and handed the Bengals their first loss. But they fell to 2-2 a week later and have ripped off four consecutive victories since then.

"Confidence, you know, that comes with winning," McCarthy said. "Every time you win, a chunk of confidence goes with it."

But McCarthy knows that also means coaching your team to handle success. Never get too high on the highs or too low on the lows.

The Steelers are riding high. A game of this magnitude will require the utmost focus. It's the whole NFL world watching, a hostile home crowd and an opponent looking to defend its territory.

"It's part of your job, frankly, as a head coach, to make sure your guys are ready to go. Because at the end of the day, this is all about making sure the players are ready for this opportunity and that the confidence is as high as it can possibly be," McCarthy said. "And then, make sure we're doing the things in-game to keep our flow going and and playing to our play style.

"We just want to go to Cincinnati and play the way we want to play, and play the game on our terms. They're going to challenge us to play the game on their terms. That's why, at the end of it, you line up and compete."

That's the name of the game. McCarthy added that he remembers watching last year's Steelers-Bengals matchup in Cincinnati in real time, another night game, albeit on a Thursday. Joe Flacco started in place of Joe Burrow, who has yet to play a home prime-time game in his seven-year NFL career.

The Steelers lost that battle but won the war, wearing the AFC North crown at the end of the regular season. McCarthy was told the "atmosphere was incredible" and recalled that it was a white-out at Paycor Stadium. It will be again Sunday, and the Steelers hope to be the eraser.

"Cincinnati's in an incredible rhythm right now," McCarthy acknowledged. "Obviously, the individuals speak for themselves. The talent, the production, their experience, I think you can see how the whole operation is going, so they're playing at a very high level. This is a challenge for us, but it's a challenge we're looking forward to."