PITTSBURGH (5-2) At CINCINNATI (2-5)
Monday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
OPENING LINE – Steelers by 3 1/2
RECORD VS. SPREAD – Pittsburgh 4-3; Cincinnati 2-5
SERIES RECORD – Steelers lead 48-32
LAST MEETING – Bengals beat Steelers 18-12, Nov. 13, 2009
LAST WEEK – Steelers lost to Saints 20-10; Bengals lost to Dolphins 22-14
STEELERS OFFENSE – OVERALL (27), RUSH (11), PASS (29)
STEELERS DEFENSE – OVERALL (5), RUSH (1), PASS (25)
BENGALS OFFENSE – OVERALL (11), RUSH (20), PASS (6)
BENGALS DEFENSE – OVERALL (19), RUSH (23), PASS (20)
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – Bengals swept season series last year for first time since 1998, running table in AFC North to become division champs. … Steelers 38-22 in Monday night games, winning five straight. Pittsburgh 5-2 against Cincinnati on Monday night. Bengals 9-18 overall in Monday night games. … Steelers 5-0 on Monday night under fourth-year coach Mike Tomlin. … QB Ben Roethlisberger 11-2 in home state of Ohio, including playoffs. He’s 6-1 in Cincinnati, 5-1 in Cleveland. Roethlisberger went to Miami of Ohio. … WR Hines Ward can extend his streak to 186 consecutive games with a catch, passing Terrell Owens for third-longest in NFL. Ward has 14 career touchdown catches against Bengals, his highest total against any opponent. … Steelers have allowed only eight touchdowns in seven games. They rank first in league in run defense, allowing only 58.9 yards per game. Pittsburgh has allowed only one 100-yard rusher in its last 41 games – Ray Rice last season. … Bengals will by trying to beat Steelers for third time in row, something they haven’t done since 1989-90. … Bengals have started 2-5 or worse in four of coach Marvin Lewis’ eight seasons. It’s 14th time in last 20 years they’ve gotten off to such a bad start. … Owens has 50 games with 100 yards in catches, tied with Don Maynard for fourth in league history. Jerry Rice leads with 76. … QB Carson Palmer is AFC’s lowest-rated passer on third down, completing only 48.8 percent of throws for rating of 62.6.
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