NOTEBOOK Steelers vs.Bengals

Fine catch: T.J. Houshmandzaheh's first touchdown reception covered 43 yards in the first quarter and tied the score at 7. Despite being closely guarded by cornerback Colclough, Houshmandzadeh reached above the cornerback to pull in quarterback Carson Palmer's throw at the 3 and then stepped into the end zone.Coming up: Next Sunday, the Steelers will welcome the Chicago Bears (9-3) to Heinz Field for a 1 p.m. game. The Steelers conclude the season with road trips to Minnesota (7-5) Dec. 18 and Cleveland (4-8) Dec. 24 and a home game Jan. 1 against Detroit (4-8).Cheering for the Browns: The only way the Steelers can defend their AFC Division championship is for the Browns to defeat the Bengals in Cincinnati. A Bengals' win would give them a 5-1 division record and the tie-breaker edge. The Steelers have two division losses (to the Ravens and Bengals) and would lose the division record tie-breaker if the Bengals defeat Cleveland. The Bengals finish with home games against the Browns and Bills and road trips to Detroit and Kansas City.Big Ben: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passed 386 yards, his career best. In last December's 33-30 victory over the Giants, Roethlisberger passed for 316 yards. Giveaways: In the second quarter, Roethlisberger threw into triple coverage trying to hit Quincy Morgan. Linebacker Brian Simmons tipped the ball and pulled in the deflection. "It was just zone coverage, it wasn't really anything special," Simmons said. "We knew we had to win the turnover margin. Against a team like Pittsburgh, you can't turn the ball over two, three times. On the flipside, [if you] don't create turnovers, [don't] think you're going to come out of here with a win." The Bengals did not fumble and Palmer was not intercepted. "Give Cincinnati credit -- they played well," said Steelers running back Duce Staley who had three carries for 2 yards. "We made too many stupid mistakes. We can't do that. We can't get behind because we know what kind of team we are."Spreading the ball: Palmer's 22 completions were to seven different receivers. Houshmandzaheh, Chad Johnson and Chris Henry each had five. Running back Rudi Johnson rushed 21 times for 98 yards. "They've got a lot of weapons -- Chad's not the only weapon that they go to," Steelers linebacker Larry Foote said. "Houshmandzadeh is a great receiver. And the line is doing a good job of blocking for Palmer. They had a good day -- that's a good team, a playoff-bound team. Working with a short field, we've got to hold them to field goals no matter what. We have to buckle down and make them kick a field goal -- we did not do that today."
Fine catch: T.J. Houshmandzaheh's first touchdown reception covered 43 yards in the first quarter and tied the score at 7. Despite being closely guarded by cornerback Colclough, Houshmandzadeh reached above the cornerback to pull in quarterback Carson Palmer's throw at the 3 and then stepped into the end zone.Coming up: Next Sunday, the Steelers will welcome the Chicago Bears (9-3) to Heinz Field for a 1 p.m. game. The Steelers conclude the season with road trips to Minnesota (7-5) Dec. 18 and Cleveland (4-8) Dec. 24 and a home game Jan. 1 against Detroit (4-8).Cheering for the Browns: The only way the Steelers can defend their AFC Division championship is for the Browns to defeat the Bengals in Cincinnati. A Bengals' win would give them a 5-1 division record and the tie-breaker edge. The Steelers have two division losses (to the Ravens and Bengals) and would lose the division record tie-breaker if the Bengals defeat Cleveland. The Bengals finish with home games against the Browns and Bills and road trips to Detroit and Kansas City.Big Ben: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passed 386 yards, his career best. In last December's 33-30 victory over the Giants, Roethlisberger passed for 316 yards. Giveaways: In the second quarter, Roethlisberger threw into triple coverage trying to hit Quincy Morgan. Linebacker Brian Simmons tipped the ball and pulled in the deflection. "It was just zone coverage, it wasn't really anything special," Simmons said. "We knew we had to win the turnover margin. Against a team like Pittsburgh, you can't turn the ball over two, three times. On the flipside, [if you] don't create turnovers, [don't] think you're going to come out of here with a win." The Bengals did not fumble and Palmer was not intercepted. "Give Cincinnati credit -- they played well," said Steelers running back Duce Staley who had three carries for 2 yards. "We made too many stupid mistakes. We can't do that. We can't get behind because we know what kind of team we are."Spreading the ball: Palmer's 22 completions were to seven different receivers. Houshmandzaheh, Chad Johnson and Chris Henry each had five. Running back Rudi Johnson rushed 21 times for 98 yards. "They've got a lot of weapons -- Chad's not the only weapon that they go to," Steelers linebacker Larry Foote said. "Houshmandzadeh is a great receiver. And the line is doing a good job of blocking for Palmer. They had a good day -- that's a good team, a playoff-bound team. Working with a short field, we've got to hold them to field goals no matter what. We have to buckle down and make them kick a field goal -- we did not do that today."