Jeff Reed kicked three fields, helping the Steelers defeat the Lions 23-7 in both squads preseason opener.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh quarterback, who was plagued with legal problems during the off season, didn’t play.  Roethlisberger will miss the regular season’s first six games.  The NFL suspended him due to their personal conduct policy.  However he can participate in the Steelers training camp as well as the preseason.

The Steelers started Byron Leftwich.  He went 6 out of 10 passing for 43 yards.  Pittsburgh went 9-7 last year and finished as the AFC North’s third place team while missing the playoffs.  Isaac Redman rushed for 60 yards on 15 carries and scored a touchdown, while Antonio Brown caught three passes for 84 yards receiving and scored a touchdown.

For the Lions, Matthew Stafford was 8 out of 11 passing for 61 yards, and also had one interception and one touchdown pass.  Last season the Lions went 2-14 and finished as the NFC North’s last place team and second worst team in the NFL.  Rookie Jahvid Best rushed for 29 yards on six carries and Calvin Johnson caught two passes for 10 yards.

During the first quarter Reed kicked a field goal of 35 yards to give the Steelers a 3-0 lead.  However early second quarter Johnson caught a touchdown pass of two yards to give Detroit a 7-3 lead.

Later Reed kicked a field goal of 37 yards and Redman scored from one yard out to give the Steelers a 13-7 halftime lead, which started 1:37 early as a result of heavy thunderstorms pounding the area.

During the third quarter Reed kicked a field goal of 32 yards, giving Pittsburgh a lead of 16-7.

During the fourth quarter Brown had a touchdown catch of 68 yards from Dennis Dixon for the game’s final score.

The Pittsburgh Steelers prefer keeping their coaches for long periods of time.  It won’t be any different for Mike Tomlin.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ed Bouchette is reporting that the Steelers and Tomlin have agreed to a contract extension of three years, lasting through the year 2014.

The previous contract of Tomlin’s covered 2010, with the teaming having an option for 2011, giving Tomlin a $2.5 million per year average salary.  The final terms for Tomlin’s new contract have not been announced.

In 2007 the Steelers hired Tomlin to be their coach.  Over three regular seasons he has a 31-17 record and has won the Super Bowl.  Tomlin took over for Bill Cowher, who coached the Steelers 1992-2006.  Before Cowher, Chuck Noll coached the team 1969-1991.

In January Art Rooney II, Steelers president said, I think Tomlin will be the Steelers coach for a very long time.  That has now been backed up by Rooney.

A contrite and subdued Ben Roethlisberger, in a recent interview, said he lost what his true identity was and wasn’t prepared for the amount of fame he received after he helped lead the Steelers at 23 years old to winning the first Super Bowl out of two with Pittsburgh.

In Roethlisberger’s first detailed interview since the NFL suspended him, the 28 year old Roethlisberger told two TV stations in Pittsburgh that he wanted to apologize for his inappropriate behavior.

Roethlisberger said to WTAE-TV, to Steelers fans there are so many things I want to apologize for. For being young, for being dumb, for being immature. I know, in my heart, I have not been the very best person I could be.

In March, a 20 year old woman from Georgia charged that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her. A prosecutor didn’t charger Roethlisberger, stating there wasn’t enough evidence. However Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, suspended Pittsburgh’s quarterback for six games due to his violation of the personal conduct policy of the NFL.

Georgia police on Wednesday released an interview on video with the accuser of Roethlisberger. She claimed Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her inside a nightclub bathroom.

In the past Roethlisberger has admitted to behaving irresponsibly. However his attorney maintained in the case in Georgia that he was innocent. Roethlisberger was the first round pick for the Steelers in 2004. The following year he led Pittsburgh to the first Super Bowl title of two in four seasons. He says he wasn’t mature enough to handle his responsibilities off the field as his successes on the field grew.

Roethlisberger said, I didn’t know really what to expect when I got here. I was like a kid lost in the big city. When I was on the field I was “Big Ben.” When I wasn’t playing I still was Ben Roethlisberger.

However after his team won a Super Bowl, he wasn’t able to distinguish his true self from the “Big Ben” adored by the fans.

I got carried away with being “Big Ben.” I lost track with who I really am. I’m not proud of that.

At the beginning of the season Roethlisberger will be suspended for four games. However Goodell did say he might consider shaving off two games if Roethlisberger follows his behavioral improvement plan. However he said as well that he should consider making the ban longer if Roethlisberger didn’t show any improvement.

Roethlisberger has said he would like to become a better role model, becoming as good off field as on.

I’ve made lots of mistakes, so I owe the fans. I am very sorry with all my heart, if I have wronged just one fan. Truly I am very sorry. I will do everything I can not to let that happen ever again.

Somewhere buried towards the end of the column in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the suspension of Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers quarterback, was a prediction that was straightforward. The prediction was that Roethlisberger would be replaced by Bryon Leftwich during his ban of 4 to 6 games.

Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette wrote that it’s obvious that Byron Leftwich will be Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback to open the season.

Leftwich has an edge on Dennis Dixon, his competitor, in terms of arm strength and experience. In addition Byron took most of the OTA first reps before Big Ben was reinstated to the offseason workouts.

Still, it’s quite surprising that Dixon didn’t get a fair shake. The offensive line of the Steelers isn’t known for great pass protection. The superior mobility of Dixon’s would seem to make him fit better with the slow front five of the Steelers. Leftwich’s delivery is probably the slowest of all quarterbacks in the NFL.

Last season in his spot start in Week 12 Dixon didn’t embarrass himself while Roethlisberger was out recovering from a concussion. Dixon, faced with odds that were almost impossible in Baltimore, accounted for both of the touchdowns scored by Pittsburgh (one passing, one rushing) in the Steelers 20-17 loss.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is taking a conservative approach. When you consider the injury history of Leftwich, though, there’s still a good chance that Dixon will see some playing time early in the season before Roethlisberger returns.

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers there really isn’t anything Super about them anymore.

The defending Super Bowl champs lost their fifth game in a row, and their playoff hopes were thrown for a loop by the struggling Cleveland Browns. With their defeat of Pittsburgh 13-6 on Thursday night facing wind chills at subzero temperatures, Cleveland snapped a 12 game losing streak versus the rival Steelers.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got sacked eight times. It was his first defeat at the hands of Cleveland (2-11) in eleven career games. The Browns extended the longest losing streak of the Steelers in six years, defeating Pittsburgh (6-7) at home. It’s the first time that has happened since 2000.

The Steelers will need some help in order to make it into the playoffs. The free fall is stunning for the team that at the halfway point of the season had a record of 6-2.

The losses to Cleveland, Oakland and Kansas City, three of the worst teams in the NFL whose combined record is 9-28 has been completely unexpected, and has pushed Pittsburgh to the brink of missing the playoffs.

Hines Ward, Steelers receiver said, losing five games in a row after coming off last year’s Super Bowl is really embarrassing. There is nothing ever fun when it comes to losing games, especially when you lose five straight. We are a better team than that and should be playing a lot better. We have three games left. You will see who wants to really go out there and play for our city’s and organization’s pride and who really doesn’t want to be here.

Kicker Phil Dawson had two field goals of 29 yards each, and Chris Jennings, who started off the season on the practice squad for Cleveland, scored a 10 yard rushing touchdown, as the Browns snapped a losing streak of seven games as well as a home ten game losing streak to defeat Pittsburgh for only the second time in the last twenty games.

Ben Roethlisberger tried his best to rally his team, however a fourth down pass intended for Santonio Holmes with under two minutes to play in the game got knocked down by David Bowens, Browns linebacker.

When Holmes got tackled on the punt return as the final second of the game ticked off on the clock on the scoreboard, the frozen fans of the Browns, who were almost outnumbered by Pittsburgh Terrible Towel waving fans, danced for joy in the aisles. Some of the Browns players raced down field to the Dawg Pound and jumped into the section to celebrate.

Josh Cribbs, Browns receiver said, it means everything. There’s lots of Steelers fans in the city. I hope that people go into work and give those Steelers fans a kick.

Pittsburgh, who lost some of their spirit as well as much of their toughness on defense when Troy Polamalu, Pro Bowl safety injured his knee, left the football field completely stunned.

Holmes said, it’s very hurtful. I never thought we would lose five games straight. Those guys will definitely continue fight over our last three games. I hope we will be able to get back together this summer and regroup and just start all over again.

It was only the second win for Eric Mangini, the embattled first year head coach of Cleveland. He definitely helped his cause for job security with the Browns defeat of Pittsburgh. The last Browns coach to do so was Chris Palmer when he did nine years ago.

From the wildcat formation Cribbs had 87 yards rushing and 104 return yards. He also caught a nine yard pass and picked up a critical first down during the fourth quarter when a run of 14 yards when Cleveland was trying to hold the ball and milk the clock.

After the game, Cribbs soaked up the biggest win of his career. He knew that the 2 ½ hour bus ride for the Steelers back to Pennsylvania was not going to be fun.

Cribbs said, they will be hearing the engine of the bus all the way home. It’s a lonely ride. For years I have ridden it. Now it’s time that they hear the engine on their way home as they are looking at the stat sheets.

With 6:16 left to play, the Steelers got the ball at their 21 yard line needing to get a touchdown to tie the game. Roethlisberger, who in the past has broken the hearts of Cleveland, began to lead the Steelers down the field with his short passing. However at midfield he was sacked during the last two minutes of the game and also had his last pass batted away.

Browns quarterback Brady Quinn, who was making the first start of his career against the Steelers, only completed one pass during the second half. He finished the game 6 for 19 for a total of 90 yards.

Roethlisberger was 18 for 32 for a total of 201 yards. The swirling winds that blew over twenty mph on a consistent basis, gave him trouble throwing, while the running game of the Steelers was never established against Cleveland’s 32nd ranked defense.

The first half of the game was dominated by the Brown’s defense. Roethlisberger was sacked five times and he was pressured on practically every play.

The Super Bowl Champs are losing their self confidence just as fast as they are losing leads and games. Meanwhile, the Raiders are suddenly winning with surprise finishes and remarkable comebacks just like the old days.

With nine seconds left to go in the game Louis Murphy caught a touchdown pass of 11 yards from Bruce Gradkowski, his second score during the last 5 ½ minutes of the games, as Oakland scored three touchdowns late in the game to stun the Steelers on Sunday 27-24 and hand Pittsburgh their fourth loss in a row.

Pittsburgh (6-6) is now in danger of not making the playoffs following their second Super Bowl win in four seasons. The Steelers went ahead in the game 24-20 on a touchdown pass of 11 yards from Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward with just 1:56 left in the game, only to see Oakland (4-8) rally to win the game.

The Raiders came into the game as a two touchdown underdog. The come from behind victory was even better than the upset 20-17 win two weeks before over the Bengals. During that game Murphy had a touchdown catch of 29 yards and during the last 33 seconds Sebastian Janikowski had a field goal of 33 yards.

Last season Gradkowski was over matched versus his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. He became Oakland’s first quarterback to have three touchdown passes during the fourth quarter since December 3, 1979 when Ken Stabler did during a Raiders 42-35 victory over the Saints after Oakland trailed in the game 35-14.

Does Gradkowski think he is George Blanda, former comeback kid for the Raiders? Coming into the game Oakland had only five throwing touchdowns for the entire season.

Last December while playing with Cleveland, Gradkowski only completed two passes. His passer rating was 1.0 as the Browns lost to the Steelers 31-0. On Sunday Gradkowski went 20 for 33 for a total of 308 yards and a 121.8 passer rating.

Todd Watkins, Raiders wide receiver said, our receivers coach was giving up a message. He brought up Mike Tyson getting knocked out by Buster Douglas, Miracle on Ice, things that were totally unbelievable. The people that were able to do it believed that they could.

At midseason, Pittsburgh had a record of 6-2. During the past three weeks they have lost to the Raiders and Chiefs (3-9), two of the worst teams in the NFL, and have fallen three games behind the AFC North leading Bengals (9-3).

James Farrior, linebacker said, I can’t even begin to describe how frustrated we are to be at 6-6. At this point in the season we thought we would be doing much better. But we are exactly what our current record says that we are.

For the fifth time out of six losses, Pittsburgh wasn’t able to hold a lead during the fourth quarter. The Steelers had leads of 10-6 and 17-13 as well as 24-20.

Deshea Townsend, cornerback said, as a defense we want to be really dominant. The way for us to be really dominating is when our team needs us to finish.

Following three quarters of not much scoring or action, along with a crowd that was unusually quiet, the fourth quarter saw two revived offenses engaged in a duel that went back and forth, with five lead changes during the last 8 ½ minutes of the game.

Jon Condo of Oakland said, we would score, then they would score, then we would score.

It all began when Chaz Schilens caught a scoring pass of 17 yards from Gradkowski with 8:21 left to play to make the score 13-10 and give the Raiders their first lead

Oakland, who during their first five games on the road was held to just 49 points, and the second worst ranked offense in the NFL, once again fell behind in the game 17-13 on a touchdown run of 3 yards by Rashard Mendenhall, following a 57 yard pass from Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes the play before. Earlier in the game Holmes had given the Steelers the lead 10-3 on a scoring catch of 34 yards.

The Raiders were able to answer again when Ike Taylor got ahead of Murphy to score on a touchdown pass of 75 yards to make the score 20-17 with just 5:28 to play. However, it wasn’t over yet.

In seven plays the Steelers drove 80 yards and Ward scored a touchdown. However there was still nearly three minutes left on the clock, enough time for the Raiders to get a win with the type of drive that they have rarely been able to mount all season long, much less doing it three times during a single quarter.

Gradkowski connected with Murphy on a 19 yard pass down to Pittsburgh’s 40 yard line, and then a 17 yard pass play down to the 23 yard line. Ryan Mundy, backup safety, was then penalized for a late hit to give the Raiders the ball at the 11 yard line with a first down. Murphy was then able to get free behind Mundy, who was playing in place of Troy Polamalu who missed his three game in a row with an injured knee. Murphy scored the game winning touchdown.

Gradkowski said, that was very exciting. I can’t put how I feel into words. Gradkowski’s first two starts versus Pittsburgh in 2006 and then 2008 only resulted in three points along with five interceptions and no wins.

Played just 17 days before the 37the anniversary for the Immaculate Reception, Pittsburgh had one last chance. On the last play of the game, from midfield Roethlisberger threw for the end zone. However Hiram Eugene was able to knock the pass down that was headed for Limas Sweed.

This time there was no miracle finish versus the Raiders.

Mike Tomlin, Steelers coach said, at critical times we played poorly. When that happens you lose.

In one of the fiercest rivalries over the last ten years featuring some of the NFL’s most notable players, it was a few backup players that made their marks in very memorable fashion.

Dennis Dixon, third string quarterback, can be added to the list of notable Steelers that already includes Troy Polamalu, Plaxico Burress, Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward.

Paul Kruger can be welcomed to the club that includes Shannon Sharpe, Tony Siragusa, Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.

With 6:42 left to play during overtime, Kruger intercepted a pass from Dixon to set up Billy Cundiff’s field goal of 29 yards to give Baltimore a 20-17 victory on Sunday night over Pittsburgh.

Dixon was the starting quarterback because Roethlisberger was sidelined due to a concussion along with Charlie Batch, the backup, out due to his left wrist being broken. In two seasons Dixon had only thrown one pass before starting versus the Ravens.

Dixon, for most of the game, did his best to impersonate Roethlisberger. He connected with Santonio Holmes on a touchdown pass of 33 yards and added a running touchdown of 24 yards to give the Steelers a fourth quarter 17-14 lead.

Mike Tomlin, Steelers coach said, throughout the game I liked his demeanor. He made plays. He represented himself well.

However during overtime the only turnover by Dixon led to Baltimore (6-5) getting the victory.

Ray Rice, Ravens running back who rallied his team during overtime said, this boosts our confidence. Not only to get the win against a team this great with their legacy, but also against a division opponent. Right now it’s a season of five games for us.

Pittsburgh (6-5) have lost three games in a row, their longest losing streak since 2006 when they lost three straight.

Tomlin said, we won’t go gently. We aren’t going into a shell. We will be in attack mode. That’s what is needed.

Kruger, playing for Terrell Suggs, injured linebacker, intercepted the pass and was able to return the ball 26 yards down to Pittsburgh’s 28 yard line. Six plays later the game winner was delivered by Cundiff, giving the Raven’s their first win in overtime since November 2005 versus the Steelers.

Kruger, a rookie who was playing in just his fourth game said, to be part of this win is really big for me. The play was designed to be a blitz with me being the dropper who was in the right place and at just the right time.

The situation was that they had been disguising the blitz all throughout the entire game, said Dixon. We did see it. Basically I tried to just trust my instincts. Their guy made a very good play.

The last two losses for Pittsburgh have come during overtime. Dixon was 12 out of 26 for a total of 145 yards. Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 95 yard in 24 attempts.

Tomlin said, don’t talk about moral victories to me and things like that.

Joe Flacco went 23 for 35 passing for a total of 289 yards with one touchdown. The win keeps Baltimore right in the middle of the hunt for the playoffs.

Flacco said, you need to be ready for playing 60 minutes. We played more today. It feels good. That is what we needed to have. It was even bigger against this team.

The game on Sunday featured a rematch of the AFC championship game last season when Pittsburgh finished off a sweep of three games against the Ravens with their 24-13 win.

With Roethlisberger on the sidelines in full uniform looking on while Dixon, the third string quarterback, on third down and five ran to the right for a touchdown from the Ravens 24 yard line to give Pittsburgh their first lead in the game, 17-14, with only 6:24 remaining.

However, the Ravens were able to come back. Flacco, facing a fourth down and five from the Ravens 46 yard line, connected with Rice on a 44 yard pass, setting up a field goal of 24 yards by Cundiff with just 1:51 left to play.

On the last play in regulation, Cundiff was short on a field goal attempt of 56 yards.

During the third quarter the Steelers were able to close the game to 14-10 with Jeff Reed’s field goal of 44 yards, capping a drive of 24 yards that featured a pass of 20 yards from Dixon over to Mendenhall.

Late second quarter Baltimore went ahead 14-7 on a drive of 89 yards. Flacco completed 11 and 54 yard passes to Mark Clayton, and then connected on a 10 yard scoring pass with Derrick Mason.

On Pittsburgh’s first possession Dixon’s first pass was almost intercepted by Baltimore. They were forced to punt. Then Willis McGahee capped a drive of 73 yards with a run of 2 yards to give Baltimore their first offensive touchdown during the first half since October 4.

On the second drive for Pittsburgh, Dixon’s 31 yard impromptu run was wiped out due to a holding penalty. However the next time Dixon got the ball there weren’t any flaws. Dixon went a perfect 3 for 3 and a total of 60 yards, capped off with his touchdown pass over to Holmes.

When the very last player to be taken in the 2009 draft came out onto the field, 2008’s best team was doomed.

On Sunday, just a few minutes following Ben Roethlisberger wobbling off the field due to a possible concussion, a field goal of 22 yards was kicked by Ryan Succop with 8:28 left to play in overtime, as Kansas City snapped a 10 home game losing streak, with a 27-24 win over a stunned Pittsburgh team.

A catch and run of 61 yards by Chris Chambers set Succop up. Mr. Irrelevant was able to boot the game winner through for Kansas City (3-7) whose stadium was full of towel waving Steelers (6-4) fans.

Roethlisberger had 398 passing yards along with three touchdowns before he was kneed in the helmet while Derrick Johnson was sacking him. Charlie Batch came in to replace him. Mike Tomlin, Steelers coach said, he wasn’t sure how severe the injury was.

Tomlin said, he took a harsh blow. It was concussion oriented. I doubted he would come back to the game. I don’t have much information about where he is at or his availability. As we proceed we’ll have more information.

Right before the big play by Chambers, Ike Taylor, Steelers cornerback dropped a potential interception.

Todd Haley, Kansas City rookie coach said, this job’s not for the faint hearted.

Matt Cassel, Chiefs quarterback, had a terrible first half. He only passed for 35 yards and had four completed passes. However during the last two quarters as well as overtime he came through, finishing the game with a total of 248 passing yards along with two touchdowns.

Haley said, I have to give Cassel credit. The kid is a real fighter. Haley grew up going to Steelers training camp with his father who was a personnel executive with Pittsburgh. During the Super Bowl last year Haley lost to the Steelers while was the offensive coordinator for Arizona.

Haley said, it’s nice getting rewarded against this type of team. The guys showed a lot of guts and heart.

Facing third down, Cassel connected on a pass to Chambers, signed just three weeks ago from San Diego off waivers. Chambers moved the ball 61 yards until he got pushed out on the 4 yard line.

Ryan Succop, who was the last player selected this April, came into the game and clinched the first home win for the Chiefs in over a year. Late third quarter Succop had a field goal of 27 yards to tie the game at 17.

For the Steelers, it was their second straight loss. They have also lost to the Bengals, their division rivals twice, and were playing without Troy Polamalu, their Pro Bowl safety, who is injured. Chris Kemoeatu, guard, also left the game due to a knee injury.

During regulation, Pittsburgh (6-4) held onto the ball for nearly 19 minutes more than Kansas City (3-7) and also out gained the Chiefs 463-206. Kansas City stayed in the game with the 97 yard return by Jamaal Charles during the opening kickoff as well as an interception return of 94 yards by Andy Studebaker.

Hines Ward, Steelers wide receiver said, during the third quarter we lost some momentum with all of our turnovers and things like that. Ward caught 10 passes for a total of 128 yards and one touchdown. When you allow a team like that to hang around, you give them the chance. Whenever you give that team hope, the feed off of the crowd noise. In overtime they did what they needed to do.

Studebaker, who was making his first start in the NFL, intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger inside the end zone during the third quarter, returning the ball down to Pittsburgh’s 8 yard line before he was drug down by Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers running back.

Studebaker said, once I had the ball picked off, 100 yards seemed like a very long way. That was a very fun play.

During the next three plays, however, Cassel got sacked twice. Kansas City settled for a field goal of 27 yards by Succop.

A touchdown pass of 8 yards from Roethlisberger to Mendenhall gave Pittsburgh the lead back at 24-17 after Pittsburgh recovered a turnover by Cassel at the 27 yard line.

However, Kansas City, who was playing without Dwayne Bowe, their suspended wide receiver, came back. Cassel connected with Lance Long on a pass of 30 yards, and then a 47 yard pass to Chambers to set up a touchdown pass of 2 yards over to Charles to tied the score at 24 with less than 5 minutes to play.

Cassel had a touchdown pass of 21 yards to Leonard Pope as well early third quarter.

Jamaal Charles, who got the first rushing touchdown for the Chiefs the week before, this week got the first kickoff return touchdown for the Chiefs in four years. Charles got the ball on the opening kick off near the 3 yard line, then veered to the right and was barely touched, for the fourth kickoff touchdown return allowed by Pittsburgh in five games.

It was Kansas City’s first home victory, and first defeat of an opponent with a record over .500 since defeating Denver in 2008 during the fourth week last season. In addition, it was the first time posting consecutive wins since October 14-21, 2007.

Succop said, to beat the Super Bowl champs is a really great feeling. Lots of hard work went into this. Our players, coaches and everyone has bought into it.

It might not have been a concession speech, but it did sound like one. For a majority of the past twenty seasons the Bengals have been chasing the Steelers. It’s now turned around. It’s Pittsburgh this time that realizes it’s an uphill battle.

It’s clear they are the division’s best team, said Steelers safety Ryan Clark on Sunday after Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh 18-12 and took control of their division, the AFC North. I would give up my left arm just to get a chance to play them one more time.

Who would have imagined the Super Bowl champs saying such a thing about a rival that they have in large part dominated and intimidated at times since the 1980s? Particularly with only seven games remaining in the season.

Cincinnati (7-2) was able to pull that off by defeating Pittsburgh (6-3) at their very own game and in their stadium, where the Steelers have won their last 10 games. They shut down the running game of Pittsburgh as well as Ben Roethlisberger, gave up just four Jeff Reed field goals, and were able to convert the only big play of a very tight game, a 96 kickoff return by Bernard Scott to score a touchdown.

Marvin Lewis, head coach of the Bengals said, I have never experienced a more grinding football game.

Pittsburgh was playing without Troy Polamalu, their star safety, for all except the opening series of the game. He aggravated his injured left knee that had sidelined him previously for four games. Polamalu had an MRI exam performed, but there wasn’t any word immediately regarding his status.

Whether they are going to have Polamalu the rest of the season or not, Pittsburgh realizes that they are in big trouble.

The Bengals with their sweep of the season series with Pittsburgh, the first since 1998, gives them effectively a two game lead over the Steelers due to the fact that they own a tiebreaker as well as a 5-0 record in their division for the very first time in history. By this time in the season they are usually playing for next season.

Chad Ochocinco said, it’s really refreshing to be where we are at this point in the season. We have a reason to play and it feels great.

Especially when it seemed that the Bengals were almost waiting for something bad to occur. They settled for four Shayne Graham field goals, following one deep drive after another not producing any touchdowns.

They also had to play the second half of the game without Cedric Benson, their star running back. However they still were able to find a way for following up on their September 27th 23-20 victory over Pittsburgh, and in the city where the Bengals have only won 13 times over the last 40 years. A majority of those wins came in the 1980s.

Graham said, it’s very hard to describe this feeling. You’ve been through this so many times, leaving the stadium, holding your head down after you’ve lost the game.

Cincinnati, with a dismal record last season of 4-11-1, has swept both Pittsburgh and Baltimore just one season after the two teams played in the AFC title game. They are 4-0 in their road games and have won seven out of their last eight games.

Kyle Cook, Bengals center said, we lost these types of games in the past.

For Pittsburgh, the defeat was very frustrating after winning five games in a row and scoring a minimum of 27 points in those games. If they had won the game they would be leading the division and controlling the momentum. Clark concedes that now they might be playing just to get a wild card spot unless Cincinnati collapses.

Deshea Townsend, cornerback said, we still need to find some way of getting into the playoffs. We have plenty of veterans to help us get there. We are chasing the Bengals. Hopefully we will see them once again.

Cincinnati was very Pittsburgh-like in a football game where the combined offense for the two teams was only 444 yards. They seemed to be copying from the playbook of Dick LeBeau, defensive master. Cincinnati didn’t allow Pittsburgh to convert on any of their last ten third downs and pressured Roethlisberger all day who was just 20 out of 40 passing for 174 yards and was sacked four times. They also contained Rashard Mendenhall who only rushed for 36 yards on 13 carries. In Denver the week before he rushed for 155 yards.

Mostly the Bengals didn’t allow the defense of the Steelers to dictate, despite them gaining only a total of 218 yards. They were even able to get away with botching up on an extra point for the second game in a row versus the Steelers.

The most critical drive of the game came late and lasted over four minutes, capped by a field goal of 43 yards by Graham. Earlier he hit field goals from the 23 yard line and the 32 yard line twice.

With just under two minutes left, Pittsburgh got the ball. However, Roethlisberger threw four incomplete passes in a row from the 33 yard line, and it was all over.

Roethlisberger said, something was just missing all day long. I am not sure what it was. There was something weird that day. May it was the warm weather for November. We didn’t make plays that we usually make.

Chad Ochocinco caught 2 passes for a total of 29 yards, while Carson Palmer went 18 for 30 for a total of 178 yards. Neither play really got going. However the Bengals didn’t have any turnovers. The Steelers had one, and it did make a difference.

On Pittsburgh’s first drive in the second half, Frostee Rucker intercepted a Roethlisberger pass and returned the ball to Pittsburgh’s 14 yard line. However, they played to the familiar script and only got a field goal from Graham.

This time, however, things were different. They didn’t settle by losing the game.