Bengals' Johnson wants to face best

Pittsburgh's Deshea Townsend hasn't been ruled out of Sunday's game.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, always the chatty one, was talking with some Pittsburgh reporters when he learned Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend might not start Sunday in Cincinnati because of a sore hamstring.
Some wide receivers would be pleasantly surprised to hear they might not go against an opponent's top pass defender. Johnson's reaction was entirely the opposite.
"You're hurting my feelings right now, seriously," Johnson said. "Is he down?"
Townsend hasn't been ruled out, but was pulled during the first half of the Steelers' 23-17 overtime loss Sunday to Jacksonville and didn't return.
Commentary
"He's their veteran leader at corner and he's someone that I've faced on a consistent basis for the past two or three years," said Johnson, second in the NFL with 39 receptions. "He makes me play at the top of my game and now you're telling me he's not playing."
Townsend is also on Johnson's list -- a game-by-game scoresheet Johnson keeps in his locker, marking whether he played better than the opposing cornerback or vice versa. The Steelers have made note of that.
"You've got to respect him, but it adds another level of competitiveness to the game," safety Chris Hope said. "He says he's going to dance or he's going to beat you, you try that much harder not to let it happen so you can say, 'Well, he didn't dance on us.' "
The Steelers (3-2) are usually at the top of their game against the AFC North rival Bengals (5-1), winning eight of the last 10 -- with a 2001 loss coming in a late-December game that was meaningless to Pittsburgh.
This time, it's Pittsburgh that is uncharacteristically chasing Cincinnati, with the Steelers in danger of falling 21/2 games out of the division lead if they lose. The Steelers have talked all week about needing to be at their best but, if Townsend can't play, they won't field their best lineup.
The threats
If that happens, the Steelers might have to defend against Chad Johnson (five touchdown catches), Chris Perry (27 catches) and Chris Henry (14 catches, two touchdowns) with first-year starter Ike Taylor and a possible first-game starter in rookie cornerback Bryant McFadden, plus 13-year veteran Willie Williams.
Taylor and McFadden made potential touchdown-saving plays late in the fourth quarter Sunday, with Taylor breaking up what looked to be a certain touchdown catch and McFadden making a drive-stopping interception.
The Bengals' receivers will be the best the Steelers have seen, and Carson Palmer (13 touchdown passes, two interceptions, 72.6 completion percentage) is spreading the ball among them.
"They put up a lot of points and put up a lot of yards," Taylor said.
And wasn't it during training camp that Johnson said the Steelers had no one who could defend him?
His niche
"I wouldn't say he's the best receiver in the league, but he's one of the best," Williams said. "He's the best route runner. One day he probably will be the No. 1 receiver in the NFL."
Johnson had nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown in two games against Pittsburgh last season. The Steelers won both games and, to win again Sunday and tighten up the division race, Williams said they must control Johnson.
"Our key right now is to keep everything in front of us and not let them get behind us," Williams said. "He's a guy who goes out there and works hard for his quarterback and he wants the ball thrown to him every time. You can't get too physical with him because if you miss and he gets behind you, he's gone."
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