Champs Not Panicking About 1-2 Beginning

PITTSBURGH--The reigning Super Bowl champions have a record of 1-2 after Sunday's loss here to the Cincinnati Bengals. They're two games behind the unbeaten Bengals and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.

But the Pittsburgh Steelers weren't panicking in the aftermath of the 28-20 defeat to the Bengals. Even their ride to a championship last season was a bumpy one, and they know there's plenty of time to get things turned around.

"We left a lot of plays on the field," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "But we're together on this."

The Steelers are 0-2 since quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returned to the lineup after missing the team's season-opening triumph over the Miami Dolphins because he'd undergone an appendectomy four days earlier. Roethlisberger threw three interceptions Sunday after throwing two interceptions in last Monday night's shutout loss at Jacksonville. His passer rating for the season is 34.3

But the Steelers still might have won Sunday if they hadn't lost a pair of fourth-quarter fumbles, one by punt returner Ricardo Colclough and one by backup tailback Verron Haynes. Each set up a Bengals' touchdown, turning a 17-14 lead for the Steelers into a 28-17 deficit. The Steelers got a field goal to get back to within eight points, and were driving toward a possible touchdown and tying two-point conversion in the closing seconds when Roethlisberger threw an end-zone interception.

"They're a great team," Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. "They won the Super Bowl. They weren't going to just quit."

Tailback Willie Parker ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns Sunday and the Pittsburgh defense had its moments, but the Steelers made far too many mistakes on offense and special teams.

"The second half defensively, we did a very good job," Coach Bill Cowher said. "I think the momentum was clearly on our side before we muffed the punt."

The Steelers now have a bye week to try to sort things out, and the consolation for them is that they know they can bounce back. They had a record of 7-5 late last season and were on a three-game losing streak before gathering themselves to win their final four games of the regular season just to reach the playoffs. They also lost to the Bengals in Pittsburgh last season but won twice in Cincinnati, once during the postseason.

"We're 1-2," Parker said. "We lost to them last year. It's the same thing. We'll be all right. We just need to look at ourselves."...

Roethlisberger's final end-zone throw was headed toward wide receiver Nate Washington before it was intercepted by Bengals safety Kevin Kaesviharn.

Kaesviharn said the Steelers had used the same play during their first-round playoff triumph at Cincinnati last season.

"It was almost the exact same play they ran last year in the playoffs and scored a touchdown," he said. "They spread the field and try to clear the middle for Hines. I kind of played the odds and happened to be there in the right spot."...

The Steelers, led by linebacker Joey Porter, are master trash-talkers, and Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer lectured his offensive teammates on the sideline at one point to avoid trying to play a game of verbal one-upsmanship.

"They like to talk," Palmer said. "We got caught up in their game, talking too much. My message was, 'Just shut up and let's play.' "

By Mark Maske |  September 25, 2006; 10:53 AM ET  | Category:  Steelers
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