NOTEBOOK STEELERS-BENGALS

Injuries: Steelers linebacker James Harrison injured his right ankle on the Steelers' first punt. Kick returner Quincy Morgan injured his right ankle on their first return. The Bengals lost quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Chris Henry with knee injuries on the Bengals' first drive.
Crowd factor: The Steelers were penalized for false starts three times on their first two possessions (left tackle Marvel Smith and wide receivers Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El).
Records: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger set one record and tied another two as a Bengals playoff opponent. His three touchdown passes tied Kenny Stabler's record from Oakland's 31-28 win in 1975. The 54-yard pass to wide receiver Cedric Wilson tied the mark of Buffalo's Joe Ferguson (to Jerry Butler in 1982). And his 148.7 passer rating eclipsed Stabler's 121.1 mark from 1975. "He's having fun," Ward said of Roethlisberger. "Last year, everything was just new to him so he was just winging it. Now he's preparing himself, he's having fun, he's becoming a leader out there. And he's a great situational guy. That's what he does, that's the intangible that he brings. I'll take him over anybody." Last year, Roethlisberger struggled in a playoff overtime win against the Jets and the AFC Championship game loss to the Patriots.
Unhappiness: Palmer's injury bothered several Steelers, including von Oelhoffen. "They had a right to be upset [because] they had just lost their best player," the former Bengals lineman said. "My apologies to him and his families. I wish it hadn't happened to him, but that's the risk we all take." Steelers tailback Jerome Bettis, who led the Steelers with 52 yards on 10 carries, added, "My heart was with them. It looked really bad so we were hoping that he would be OK. [But] Kitna is battled-tested and a veteran, and we knew it was going to be a tough test."
Tom Williams