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Sunday, November 26, 2000

By Joe Kay, The Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Kordell Stewart piled up nearly a season's worth of touchdown passes on Cincinnati's muddy field.

Stewart threw for a career-high three touchdowns -- one fewer than he had all season -- and ran for another as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 48-28 this afternoon.

	Steelers QB Kordell Stewart dives to a one-yard touchdown in first quarter action against the Bengals this afternoon. In addition he completed three touchdown passes today at Paul Brown stadium in Cincinnati. (Al Behrman, AP photo)

With thousands of Steelers fans waving "Terrible Towels" in the stands, Pittsburgh (6-6) emerged from a three-game losing streak and sustained its faint playoff hopes with a bold performance by Stewart.

The defense also chipped in a pair of fumble recoveries -- one setting up Jerome Bettis' 7-yard touchdown run and another that Jason Gildon returned 22 yards for his second career touchdown.

Pittsburgh hadn't scored so many points since a 49-31 victory in Cincinnati in 1995, when Stewart was a rookie in his "Slash" role as receiver/passer/rusher.

On one wet, raw afternoon, the maligned quarterback looked like a promising young passer all over again.

He threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward on Pittsburgh's first possession, a low-trajectory toss that was right on the mark. Stewart's 1-yard dive added another score the next time the Steelers got the ball.

Cincinnati (2-10) gave Stewart a lot of time to find open receivers, and there were plenty of those. Mark Bruener was uncovered for an 11-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, and Stewart threw an arching 45-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Shaw down the left sideline early in the second half.

The Steelers' defense then finished it off. Gildon sacked Akili Smith and forced a fumble on the Bengals' 7-yard line, and Bettis scored standing up on the next play.

A snap over Smith's head left the ball rolling around, and Gildon picked it up and ran it 22 yards for another touchdown on the last play of the third quarter, making it 45-21.

Stewart rested during the fourth quarter off after completing 11 of 20 passes for 182 yards. It was the third time in his career that he threw three touchdown passes -- he did it twice in 1997.

No one could have seen this one coming. Stewart and Smith were the two lowest-ranked passers in the AFC, and neither offense has done anything to brag about.

Smith made his first start in two weeks and completed 10 of 20 for 129 yards and was sacked four times. Scott Mitchell, who started last week in New England, had trouble dropping back to pass on his sprained left knee when he worked out before the game.

Both featured running backs went over 1,000 yards for the season.

Cincinnati's Corey Dillon ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the eighth player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons. Pittsburgh let Fred Taylor run for 234 yards last Sunday.

Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis had 93 yards for his seventh 1,000-yard season in his eight years.