Steelers beat Bengals 23-7

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley returned interceptions by Carson Palmer for Pittsburgh’s only touchdowns and the Steelers sent Cincinnati to a franchise record-tying 10th consecutive defeat, winning 23-7 on Sunday.

The Steelers (10-3) couldn’t get into the end zone on offense despite dominating the time of possession — a 9 1/2-minute drive produced no scoring — but it didn’t matter as they closed in on a playoff spot by playing just well enough to beat the Bengals (2-11).

Palmer threw three interceptions, two to Polamalu, as Cincinnati matched the David Shula-coached 1993 Bengals by losing 10 consecutive games in the same season. The overall franchise record is 11 consecutive defeats from 1992-93.

Full story appears in Monday’s edition of The Vindicator.