Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals Preview

By John Onan | Saturday, October 22, 2005 | ( 0 )

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In what has to be the biggest game played in the River City since the days of Boomer Esiason and Ickey Woods, the AFC North leading Cincinnati Bengals host their longtime rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon. The Bengals have a two game lead over the Steelers, thanks to a 34-23 victory in Tennessee over the Titans last week, while Pittsburgh was defeated in overtime by the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17.

After watching backup quarterback Tommy Maddox throw three interceptions, including one that was returned for the game-winning touchdown by the Jags Rashean Mathis, head coach Bill Cowher hopes Ben Roethlisberger is recovered enough from a hyper extended knee to retake the reigns this week.

Facing a defense that leads the league in interceptions, it is crucial Roethlisberger makes better decisions than Maddox did last week. To help offset the Cincinnati Bengals playmakers, the Pittsburgh Steelers will need to be more effective on the ground than they were against Jacksonville last Sunday. Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis were held in check, gaining only 59 yards on 25 carries.

Cincinnati's quarterbacking situation hasn't been this strong in a long time, as Carson Palmer is living up to the hype he generated when picked as the top overall selection in the 2003 NFL Draft. He is the highest-rated passer in the league, and has thrown 13 touchdowns and only been picked off twice. He is connecting on an amazing 73% of his throws for 1573 yards.

He and superstar receiver Chad Johnson will be looking to take advantage of a banged up Pittsburgh secondary, who will likely be without cornerbacks Deshea Townsend and Ricardo Colclough. Johnson has 39 receptions for 561 yards on the year, and has scored five times.

Also, an important part of the Bengals attack is RB Rudi Johnson and RB Chris Perry. Johnson has gained 544 yards on the season, while Perry has emerged from an injury-plagued 2004 to become an important receiver out of the backfield. He is the team's second-leading pass catcher with 27 receptions.

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