No substitute for experience

Pittsburgh overcame a slow start to earn a second-round date with the top-seeded Colts.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CINCINNATI -- Huffing and puffing Sunday after surrendering 17 points on the Bengals' first three possessions, the Steelers found their second wind against a playoff-inexperienced team and responded like postseason veterans by scoring 24 unanswered points to earn a playoff date in Indianapolis.
Despite the loss of Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer on their second offensive play, the Bengals, at least at first, didn't miss a step as backup Jon Kitna directed three scoring drives for a 17-7 lead after his team's first three possessions.
But a bad snap on a Cincinnati field goal attempt early in the third quarter sparked the Steelers, who responded by pounding the injury-walloped Bengals for 17 second-half points in Sunday's 31-17 victory at Paul Brown Stadium.
Getting tricky
Part of the comeback was a trick play that stunned the Bengals late in the third quarter.
Wide receiver Antwaan Randle El took the snap and then lateraled to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who found wide receiver Cedric Wilson for a 43-yard touchdown and 11-point edge.
"We've been [practicing] that play for about two months," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "Whiz [offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhut] made a great call in the perfect situation."
Sunday at 1 p.m., the Steelers (12-5) will play the AFC's top-seeded Colts (14-2) in a divisional game at the RCA Dome. The Bengals, the AFC North Division winners, saw their season end at 11-6.
Wilson's touchdown gave the Steelers a 28-17 lead and drained most of the emotion from Paul Brown Stadium as the hometown fans watched the Bengals' first playoff game in 15 years.
Whisenhut said the play -- fake-38-direct-quarterback -- was dusted off and used because the "mindset in the playoffs of leaving nothing in the bag.
"Sometimes you'll get up in games and you won't call [trick plays], you'll save them for next week. And that's what happened with this play -- it carried over [from a late-season four-game winning streak]."
Roethlisberger said he saw a cornerback come at him while waiting for the lateral.
"I played possum and he started running after Antwaan," said Roethlisberger, who was starting his third playoff game in 13 months. "The ball seemed like it was in the air forever."
When it came down into Wilson's arms, the Steelers had crushed the Bengals' hopes.
Struggling early
The Steelers won despite struggling to run the ball in the first half as the Bengals limited them to 38 yards in the first half on the ground.
"This was a big challenge for our team coming in and kind of weathering the storm early in the game," said Cowher, referring to first-half deficits of 10-0 and 17-7.
On the Bengals' second offensive play, Palmer hit wide receiver Chris Henry on the fly for a 66-yard gain. But after he released the ball, Palmer was rolled into by defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen.
"They made it seem as if that play was intentional," Steelers linebacker Joey Porter said of the hit that tore the Pro Bowl quarterback's anterior cruciate ligament. "That was a clean play between the whistles."
Porter said the Bengals' sideline staff "were just so mad that they [were] yelling 'cheap shot,' cussing. You hate to see anyone go down with an injury like that.
"They made it seem like Kimo did it on purpose. That wasn't what happened," Porter said. "Stuff happens, man -- it's football."
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis called the circumstances around the Palmer hit "unfortunate."
Palmer said he "knew right away it was bad. I felt my whole knee pop [but] I didn't feel a lot of pain.
"It wasn't really painful at all physically," the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner said. "It was just a sickening feeling because I knew what it was and that my season was over."
Backup role
Kitna completed 14 of 20 passes in the first half as the Bengals grabbed a 17-7 lead.
"Jon did a good job of handling the first half," Lewis said, citing the botched field goal attempt as the turning point. "We ended up getting [into the red zone], but not getting anything out of it."
The Bengals began the third quarter playing the way they did for much of the first half. Kitna ran off 11 plays before the drive stalled at the Pittsburgh 5.
The Bengals set up for field goal and a high snap by Brad St. Louis went beyond Kyle Larson's grasp. Graham recovered the ball for a 19-yard loss.
The Bengals didn't come close to scoring again as the revived Steelers defense took charge.
"I feel that we as a football team need to learn from this," Lewis said. "We need to understand that it is about working through tough times. We handled the first part of the game, then we let them right back into the football game."
williams@vindy.com