Last meeting
In Week 8, the Steelers rolled over the Bengals 24-13. WR Hines Ward caught two first-half TDs and RB Willie Parker rushed for 126 yards and one touchdown.
Streaks
The Steelers own a 44-30 series lead after winning five of the last seven games.
Last week
The Bengals defense finally matched the offense in a 35-6 victory over the Titans, holding Tennessee to 61 yards on the ground. WR Chad Johnson caught three touchdown passes from Carson Palmer, who went 32-of-38 for 283 yards. ... The Steelers kept the Dolphins winless -- barely. The ugly, weather-delayed game was played on a sloppy Heinz Field and the Steelers came away with a 3-0 win after kicker Jeff Reed nailed a 24-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining in the game.
Key matchup
Bengals WR Chad Johnson vs. Steelers CB Deshea Townsend. These familiar division foes know each other's games. Johnson's confidence got a boost last week when he caught three TD passes; he hadn't scored in the previous seven games. Townsend, who has two picks on the season, was very physical with Johnson in the teams' meeting last month. "There was no dancing in the end zone," Townsend said after the matchup in which he held the charismatic wideout to five catches for 51 yards and no touchdowns.
Did you know?
Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh leads the league with 83 receptions, and has collected four TDs in the past two games at Pittsburgh. ... In five career starts vs. the Bengals, Steelers RB Willie Parker has averaged 119 rushing yards. He's aiming for his fourth consecutive 100-yard game vs. Cincinnati. ... This is a matchup of the NFL's third-ranked passing attack (Cincinnati) and the league's best pass defense (Pittsburgh).
