”Jerome had some great one-yard runs today,” said head coach Bill Cowher. “There were a couple of times he was hit in the backfield and he was twisting and turning back there. For a big guy he still has some pretty good feet.”

Ben Roethlisberger completed 14 of 19 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns and managed the game with the precision that the offense needed.

“He made some big plays, some big scrambles, some good decision making,” said Cowher.  

One of the key plays of the game was when Roethlisberger hit Cedrick Wilson on a flea-flicker for 43-yard touchdown, sealing the win for the Steelers.

“We’ve had that play in there for a while,” said Cowher. “Whis (offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt) made a great call. It was the perfect situation for it. It was a good call by Whis. I have to credit him with a heck of a call.”

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer left the game after just the second offensive play after suffering a torn ACL according to early reports. Palmer was injured when Steelers defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen rolled into him after the pass.

“It was very unfortunate,” said a visibly upset von Oelhoffen after the game. “He is a good football player. I have a lot of respect for the kid. I wish it didn’t happen.”

The Steelers got the ball to start the game and came out running. Parker had a seven-yard gain off left end, but on the next play a false start backed them up five yards. Parker got the carry again, but for no gain, so the Steelers were forced to go to the air on third-and-eight. Roethlisberger hit Verron Haynes for 14 yards for the first down to keep the drive alive. The drive then stalled, and the Steelers were forced to punt.

On the Bengals second play from scrimmage Palmer fired a 66-yard bomb to Chris Henry to the Steelers 22-yard line. Palmer was forced out of the game with the knee injury on that play. Jon Kitna came in at quarterback and set them up for a Shayne Graham 23-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

False start penalties hampered the Steelers on their next drive as they were flagged on the first two snaps of the series and were quickly facing first-and-20. They were unable to get out of the hole, and the Bengals got the ball right back.

Kitna looked sharp on the ensuing drive, completing passes to Rudi Johnson for 11 yards and Kevin Walter for 14 yards. He then took it himself, scrambling up the middle for a 12-yard gain. He connected with Walker again for, this time for 15 yards, giving the Bengals the ball at the Steelers 20-yard line. It was then all Rudi Johnson who went off left guard for a 20-yard touchdown run, giving the Bengals a 10-0 lead.

The Steelers offense started to click as the second quarter started. Antwaan Randle El had a five-yard gain on a reverse and was hit out of bounds, tacking on another 15 yards on the personal foul penalty. Parker had runs for six and four yards, giving the Steelers a first-down at the Bengals 19-yard line. Roethlisberger hit Parker on a short pass, and he took it down the left sideline for a 19-yard touchdown, closing the gap to 10-7.

It didn’t take long for the Bengals to come firing back. Kitna hit on a series of short passes before finding Chad Johnson for a 24-yard gain to the Steelers 16-yard line. The defense stepped up the intensity and looked like they had them stopped on an incompletion on third-and-11, but Troy Polamalu was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving them first-and-goal at the eight-yard line. A false start call on the Bengals and a three-yard loss backed their offense up, but an illegal contact penalty on James Farrior gave the Bengals another first down inside the red zone. The Bengals took advantage of the penalty, with Kitna hitting T. J. Houshmandzadeh for a seven-yard touchdown, putting the Bengals up 17-7.

With the pressure on the offense, Roethlisberger stepped up and hit Wilson for a 54-yard gain to the Bengals 21-yard line. He then connected with Randle El for a 15-yard gain. The Steelers tried a bit of trickery, but it didn’t work out when Jerome Bettis’ pass to Heath Miller was incomplete in the end zone. On the next play, Roethlisberger hit Ward for a five-yard touchdown, closing the margin to 17-14 going into the half.

The third quarter was all the Steelers. The Bengals got the ball to start the half and moved the ball efficiently down the field. The defense was able to stop them at the Steelers 34-yard line, where Graham was called upon for a field goal attempt. A high snap, though, changed the flow of the game as the Steelers recovered and started to make the quarter their own. Roethlisberger completed a pass to Parker for nine yards and on third-and-one Jerome Bettis pounded it out for the first down. Three plays later another third-and-one meant it was Bettis time, and he came through again. On second-and-11 from the Bengals 45-yard line Roethlisberger’s pass to Randle El in the end zone was incomplete, but Kevin Kaesviharn was called for pass interference, giving the Steelers the ball at the five-yard line. Bettis then took it in to the end zone to give the Steelers their first lead of the game at 21-17.

The defense stepped up and shut the Bengals down on their next drive, and then the Steelers went for broke. On third-and-three, Roethlisberger lined up in the shotgun, with Randle El alongside of him. Randle El got the ball on the direct snap, went right, and then threw the lateral across the field to Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger then hit a wide-open Wilson for a 43-yard touchdown on a perfectly executed flea-flicker, giving the Steelers a 28-17 lead at the end of the third.

It was another strong stand for the defense, who gave the offense the ball back fast when James Farrior intercepted Kitna at Steelers 38-yard line and returned it 22 yards to the Bengals 40-yard line. Bettis looked like a young kid on an explosive 25-yard run, giving the Steelers a first down at the eight-yard line. They moved the ball to the three-yard line, where Randle El’s pass to Parker was incomplete. Jeff Reed hit a 21-yard field goal to extend the lead to 31-17.  

The Bengals had one final shot as Kitna steadily moved them, including a 24-yard pass to Walter. But on second-and-12 from the Steelers 45-yard line Polamalu made a diving interception to end any hope the Bengals had, securing their 31-17 win.

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