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Home Field Kind To Pittsburgh

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By ALAN ROBINSON, The Associated Press

Published: December 3, 2007

PITTSBURGH - So there is a homefield advantage in the Bengals-Steelers rivalry, bad field in Pittsburgh and all.
Hines Ward caught two touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger to break the Steelers' record for career scoring catches, and Pittsburgh ended a seven-game winning streak by road teams in their AFC North rivalry with the Bengals by winning 24-10 Sunday night.

Getting their offense back after being held to one touchdown in two games by the losing-record Jets and winless Dolphins, the Steelers (9-3) shook off an early 7-0 deficit to open a two-game division lead against the Cleveland Browns (7-5) and all but eliminate the Bengals (4-8) for a third successive season.

Two seasons ago, the Steelers won a wild-card playoff game in Cincinnati and, last season, kept the Bengals out of the postseason by winning there on the final day of the regular season. Now, the Bengals can finish no better than 8-8 during a 16th non-winning season in their last 17, and even a four-game winning streak probably wouldn't get them into the playoffs as a wild card.

The homefield win was the first in the series since the Steelers beat the Bengals in Pittsburgh 28-17 in 2004. Cincinnati failed to become the first team to win in Pittsburgh for three consecutive seasons since Heinz Field opened in 2001.

On another rainy night in Pittsburgh - the second there in seven days for a prime-time game - the Steelers' offense and defense held up and so did their much-criticized playing field that was so bad for Monday's 3-0 win against the Dolphins that an NFL operations official stayed in town all week to monitor the conditions.

Ward had 11 catches for 90 yards, including touchdowns of 2 and 8 yards from Roethlisberger. Ward's 64 career TD receptions are one more than Hall of Famer John Stallworth.

It was not raining at kickoff, but the rain began early in the first quarter. It rained during the evening hours leading up to kickoff, but not nearly as strongly as it showered the day of the Steelers' previous game Monday night. The field conditions for that contest led to a 3-0 Pittsburgh win against Miami in the mud.

The field Sunday was in much better condition. Patches of natural surface in the middle of the field were replaced since Monday.

Rudi Johnson's 1-yard touchdown gave the Bengals an early 7-0 lead they held at the end of the first quarter. The run capped a game-opening drive that lasted 12 plays for 75 yards, helped by Carson Palmer going 6-for-7 for 57 yards. After that drive, the Bengals' offense struggled during the next 2 1/2 quarters.

Roethlisberger scored with 8:31 left in the half which he dived into the end zone, from 6 yards out, eluding two defenders and tying it at 7.

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