Steelers shut down Bengals' top receiver

Chad Johnson only caught four passes and did not score a touchdown.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PITTSBURGH -- Whether Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson is the best in the AFC is a matter of debate.
Steelers coach Bill Cowher certainly feels the fourth-year player from Oregon State is among the elite. Before Sunday's game at Heinz Field, Cowher and his staff decided that if the Steelers weren't going to win, it wouldn't be because of Johnson's plays.
"We were determined to take Chad Johnson out of this game," said Cowher. "He can turn a game in a hurry.
"It probably softened us up in run defense in the course of doing that but we wanted them to beat us running the ball and not let them beat us with Chad Johnson making plays down the field.
"And I think for the most part that we did," said Cowher after Johnson caught four passes from quarterback Carson Palmer for 54 yards -- the longest a 24-yard reception -- and no scores.
"He had a couple of back fades against us," Cowher said.
Double coverage and fakes created confusion, Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend said.
Showed different looks
"We showed a lot of different looks, some with a man on top then we'd roll off," said Townsend, explaining that safeties Troy Polamalu and Chris Hope took turns sticking with the Bengals standout. "And [linebacker] Joey [Porter] sometimes fell back."
Despite the extra attention, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis felt Johnson had his chances.
"We are doing things to get Chad the ball," Lewis said. "[I] thought it was one of those games where he had his opportunities."
Cowher's strategy negated Johnson's production but helped another Johnson -- tailback Rudi -- create impressive numbers. Rudi Johnson carried the ball 24 times for 123 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown in the third quarter that put the Bengals ahead 17-14.
Two interceptions
Palmer, 1-3 in four career starts, completed 20-of-27 for 164 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown to Jeremi Johnson in the first quarter. But in the final two minutes, the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California was intercepted twice.
The first one was by Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, Palmer's former roommate at USC.
"He was playing underneath and I just didn't even see him," said Palmer, the NFL's top draft pick in 2003. "He ran underneath T.J. [Houshmandzadeh] and he came up with the ball. He's a phenomenal player and he displayed it right there."
Cowher said that when Polamalu was at the 20, he would have preferred that his safety would have stopped.
"[But] then he kept going," Cowher said of the wild run. "He kind of baited [Palmer] into it. The kid has played well every game."
Polamalu's mad scramble put the Steelers ahead, 28-17.
"I wanted to run the ball," Polamalu said. "It is very seldom you get the chance to run the ball."