Steelers face pivotal game early

By Darrell Laurant  |   Wednesday, September 20, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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Nobody's panicking yet. There won't be any Heinz Field fans with paper bags over their heads when the Pittsburgh Steelers host division-rival Cincinnati on Sunday, and don't expect to hear any chants of "We Want Charlie (Batch)."

Nevertheless, the defending Super Bowl champions are currently 1-1, having lost 9-0 to Jacksonville on Monday night in a game that saw nobody score a touchdown.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, playing just a couple of weeks after an appendectomy, threw two interceptions. RB Willie Parker was held to 20 rushing yards (1.8 per carry), and his team to 26 -- its lowest rushing total since 1982.

So was Roethlisberger really ready to play? Probably not. He had a 100.4 temperature, for one thing, and wore protective padding around his midsection.

"A lot of it was my fault," said Big Ben afterward. "I told coach Cowher I was OK."

The stat sheet says a lot about the game Roethlisberger had. He threw only two passes to Hines Ward, one each to Heath Miller and Santonio Holmes. The bulk of his completions went to backs, with five going to Verron Haynes and three to Parker. This suggests that he was uncomfortable out there and trying to minimize the risk.

"I didn't get the offense going," he said afterward. "I have to apologize not only to our offense, but to our defense. We didn't keep them off the field very long."

It's early, but the game with Cincinnati looms large. A heated rivalry has grown up around the two teams from neighboring states, especially since the Steelers' Kimo von Oehlhofen (now a Jet) almost destroyed the knee of Bengal QB Carson Palmer on the first series of their AFC playoff game last season.

Palmer is back, albeit after arduous rehab, and had a strong game (352 yards passing) in a 34-17 victory over Cleveland last Sunday. Rudi Johnson also rushed for 145 yards.

But the Steelers are home now, and still smarting from being blanked on Monday Night Football. Even the defense had some mistakes to atone for, notably some missed tackles on Jaguar RB Fred Taylor that led to three Josh Scobee field goals.

"That was uncharacteristic of us," said linebacker Larry Foote.

Two losses in a row would be even more so.

The Steelers beat Cincinnati without Carson Palmer last January. It would be even more satisfying to beat them with him.

Get more on the Pittsburgh Steelers at RealFootball365.com
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