NOTEBOOK | STEELERS VS. BEARS

Mud: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said playing on the slippery turf was an adventure. "It was interesting -- every time I took a snap, I was getting a faceful of mud. The ball was muddy and wet. It made it tough. I told Coach [Bill] Cowher to give the running backs some slack -- it's wet and it's muddy out there, and it's hard to hold onto the ball. It made it a little tough to throw the ball." Roethlisberger said he was hit twice at most during the game. "The [right throwing] thumb feels good -- I didn't get hit on it today. Hopefully we can get another week of rehab."Third-down magic: The Steelers converted seven times on 14 third-down plays. "We're pretty low in the league as far as third-down conversions," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "We made some huge third-down conversions."Riding The Bus: Jerome Bettis rushed for 101 yards for his 61st 100-yard game of his career (fifth all-time) and 50th as a Steeler. His two touchdowns give him 87. Late in the third quarter, Bettis broke free for a 39-yard gain, his longest since a 41-yarder against the Bengals in October 2002. Asked if he ran out of gas, Bettis replied, "I never had much gas. My job is to get all the yards I can and live to fight another day. I was able to make the safety miss, but I knew I wasn't going to make it to the end zone."Tied for second: Ward's 14-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter ties him with Lynn Swann with 51 for second place on the Steelers all-time list. John Stallworth's 63 touchdown catches is the record.Coming up: The Steelers (8-5) conclude the season with road trips to Minnesota (8-5) Sunday and Cleveland (4-9) on Dec. 24 and a home game Jan. 1 against Detroit (4-8 going into Sunday night's game at Green Bay). Mahoning County cable-TV subscribers will not be able to watch the Vikings game because CBS affiliate WKBN (27) will show the Browns-Raiders contest. FOX has next week's doubleheader, so WKBN is limited to one game.Injuries: Cornerback Deshea Townsend suffered a concussion when he collided with Bears quarterback Kyle Orton. "All reports are positive right now," Cowher said. He had a CT scan and everything is fine. I think he's still a little woozy. They were concerned about his neck."Tie-breaker to Bengals: The Bengals' 23-20 victory over the Browns gave Cincinnati (10-3) the tie-breaker advantage over the Steelers. The Bengals finished 5-1 against AFC North competition; the Steelers are 3-2 with one more game against the Browns. The only way the Steelers can win the division is if they win their three remaining games and the Bengals lose all of theirs.Wild card chase: Four teams are in the hunt for the AFC's two wild-card spots. The Jaguars are 9-4 record, one game better than the Steelers, Chiefs and Chargers.
Mud: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said playing on the slippery turf was an adventure. "It was interesting -- every time I took a snap, I was getting a faceful of mud. The ball was muddy and wet. It made it tough. I told Coach [Bill] Cowher to give the running backs some slack -- it's wet and it's muddy out there, and it's hard to hold onto the ball. It made it a little tough to throw the ball." Roethlisberger said he was hit twice at most during the game. "The [right throwing] thumb feels good -- I didn't get hit on it today. Hopefully we can get another week of rehab."Third-down magic: The Steelers converted seven times on 14 third-down plays. "We're pretty low in the league as far as third-down conversions," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "We made some huge third-down conversions."Riding The Bus: Jerome Bettis rushed for 101 yards for his 61st 100-yard game of his career (fifth all-time) and 50th as a Steeler. His two touchdowns give him 87. Late in the third quarter, Bettis broke free for a 39-yard gain, his longest since a 41-yarder against the Bengals in October 2002. Asked if he ran out of gas, Bettis replied, "I never had much gas. My job is to get all the yards I can and live to fight another day. I was able to make the safety miss, but I knew I wasn't going to make it to the end zone."Tied for second: Ward's 14-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter ties him with Lynn Swann with 51 for second place on the Steelers all-time list. John Stallworth's 63 touchdown catches is the record.Coming up: The Steelers (8-5) conclude the season with road trips to Minnesota (8-5) Sunday and Cleveland (4-9) on Dec. 24 and a home game Jan. 1 against Detroit (4-8 going into Sunday night's game at Green Bay). Mahoning County cable-TV subscribers will not be able to watch the Vikings game because CBS affiliate WKBN (27) will show the Browns-Raiders contest. FOX has next week's doubleheader, so WKBN is limited to one game.Injuries: Cornerback Deshea Townsend suffered a concussion when he collided with Bears quarterback Kyle Orton. "All reports are positive right now," Cowher said. He had a CT scan and everything is fine. I think he's still a little woozy. They were concerned about his neck."Tie-breaker to Bengals: The Bengals' 23-20 victory over the Browns gave Cincinnati (10-3) the tie-breaker advantage over the Steelers. The Bengals finished 5-1 against AFC North competition; the Steelers are 3-2 with one more game against the Browns. The only way the Steelers can win the division is if they win their three remaining games and the Bengals lose all of theirs.Wild card chase: Four teams are in the hunt for the AFC's two wild-card spots. The Jaguars are 9-4 record, one game better than the Steelers, Chiefs and Chargers.