CINCINNATI -- These teams could see each other again soon.

Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals felt incomplete because of the first-quarter injury to Andy Dalton. His absence, if lengthy, could shift the power hierarchy in the AFC North after the Steelers' 33-20 win over the Bengals.

Let's say Dalton misses a few games with the right thumb injury, the Bengals (10-3) drop at least one more game and the Steelers (8-5) work their way into the playoffs. The two could revisit this insanely physical matchup for a 4-5 or 3-6 seed matchup in the AFC wild-card round. That would be "an exciting matchup," Antonio Brown said.

Hope it happens. Man, do these teams hate each other. The Bengals tried to intimidate the Steelers all game. Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt said that's not possible, that "if anything, we can intimidate a team."

Did that happen Sunday?

"The scoreboard really tells it," said Tuitt, who jumped Andy Dalton's shovel pass for a key interception.

And the Steelers kept the game out of reach throughout, prompting a fan exodus from Paul Brown Stadium with five minutes left.

What it means: So what if the Bengals' injuries created a one-sided matchup? This was still a gutsy win for Pittsburgh. Knocking off a top-three team on the road is always difficult. This game was stocked with late hits and shoving -- chippy just doesn't cover it -- yet Pittsburgh overcame the animosity for a measured, thoughtful win.

With an attitude, of course.

"We're not going to let nobody punk us," safety Robert Golden said.

Nobody on offense was spectacular, but collectively it was a threat all game. The Bengals' defense covered the deep ball, so Ben Roethlisberger worked it inside for most of the game. Roethlisberger said the Bengals mixed and matched coverages well, forcing some checkdowns.

"Your first read's not always going to be there," Roethlisberger said. "That's when every guy needs to be ready to make a play."

What were they thinking? Antonio Brown's 15-yard personal foul for crack-back blocking nearly pushed the Steelers out of field goal range in the first half and set a tone of uncharacteristic play from a team caught up in a heated rivalry early on.

One reason to get excited: Save a 66-yard A.J. Green touchdown, the defense was solid and opportunistic with three turnovers. Yes, this game might have been different with a healthy Dalton and Tyler Eifert. But the Steelers bottled up the running game with 32 yards allowed on the Bengals' first 10 tries.

One reason for concern: The Steelers weren't great in scoring range, with just two touchdowns on six tries from inside the Bengals' 30. The Steelers had a breakthrough against the Indianapolis Colts but couldn't convert those same opportunities. Not overly concerning -- Cincinnati covered the deep ball well -- but it's something to monitor.

Fantasy watch: Heath Miller re-enters the conversation. The Steelers tight end received 10 targets and converted all 10 for 66 yards. He's an easy safety valve for Roethlisberger when defenses play the deep ball.

Ouch: Outside linebacker Bud Dupree left with a tailbone injury. Safety Will Allen hurt his neck but returned to action.