At the rate he is going, Jerome Bettis might do more than pass Tony Dorsett on the NFL's all-time rushing list. He might pass Duce Staley as the Steelers' leading rusher.

Staley is expected to miss his third game in a row because of a nagging hamstring injury when the Steelers (8-1) play at 1 p.m. Sunday in Cincinnati, allowing Bettis to remain the starter and seek his third 100-yard rushing game in a row.

"It doesn't look like it," Staley said when asked if he will play against the Bengals (4-5).

Coach Bill Cowher said Staley will be downgraded from probable to doubtful on the team's injury report, meaning there is just a 25 percent chance he will play. Staley said it is unlikely he will practice today.

Cowher acknowledged he is being extra cautious with Staley's injury because Bettis has performed so well the past two games, rushing for 252 yards on 62 carries in a starting role. Bettis (knee/probable) returned to practice yesterday.

"There's no question," Cowher said. "The way Jerome is running, and getting Verron [Haynes] back, and with Willie Parker, we got some depth. There's no question that plays into it."

Bettis needs 6 yards to pass Dorsett for fifth place on the NFL's all-time list.

Staley (707) and Bettis (381) have combined for 1,088 yards in nine games, the second-best total for a duo in the American Football Conference.

Haynes (turf toe), who did not play in the 24-10 victory in Cleveland, returned to practice yesterday and expects to play against the Bengals. Haynes, the team's third-down back, remains questionable on the injury report.

"It's still a little sore and everything, but, at this point of the season, everyone is a little nicked up," he said.

No reason to be upset
Do not expect the Steelers to be upset with Bengals receiver Chad Johnson, not the way they were last week with Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren.

In fact, most of the Steelers' secondary laughed when told Johnson had asked fans in Cincinnati to bring donations to cover the fine he'll receive for a planned touchdown celebration Sunday.

It was in direct contrast to the mood last week after Warren threatened to hit rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the head, even if meant being fined. The Steelers said they used that motivation to beat the Browns easily, 24-10.

"When you definitely try to take shot at somebody, that's different," said safety Chris Hope. "Maybe if [Johnson] would have personalized it and said he might beat somebody deep or somebody was trash at the corner position or something like that, but he was just having fun."

"He's an exciting player, and it's something to get them pumped up," said cornerback Deshea Townsend. "It's all entertainment. He lets you know he's got something planned if he does score. We want to win ballgames. The more we can keep him out of the end zone, the better for our team."

Johnson was the focal point of the defensive game plan in the Steelers' 28-17 victory against the Bengals at Heinz Field Oct. 3. Johnson had just one catch in the first half and finished with four for 54 yards.

But Wednesday, Johnson told Cincinnati reporters he will have a bucket for fans to make donations in the event he is fined for an end-zone celebration he has planned for the Steelers.

Last year, Johnson was fined $10,000 by the league when he scored a touchdown against San Francisco and pulled out a sign he had planted in the end zone that said, "NFL: Please Don't Fine Me." Last month, he sent bottles of Pepto-Bismol to Cleveland defensive backs the week leading up to the game, saying the Browns would get sick trying to cover him.

Johnson had the worst game of his career against Cleveland that day, and the inspired Browns beat the Bengals, 34-17.

Mixed emotions for Harrison
It has been an emotionally charged week for linebacker James Harrison, mixed with sadness, excitement and more requests than he could imagine.

Harrison made his first NFL start after Joey Porter was ejected before the game in Cleveland and responded with a team-high six tackles and a sack. The performance came near his hometown of Akron, Ohio, and not far from where he played in college, Kent State.

The night before the game, however, Harrison learned his good friend and former teammate, Roy Attieh, 24, was killed in a car accident earlier that morning. Attieh was driving home at 3 a.m. on Interstate 76 near Akron when his truck went over an embankment, rolling over six times.

Attieh and Harrison were signed as rookie free agents by the Steelers in 2003 and spent a summer together in training camp.

Injury report
In addition to running back Duce Staley and cornerback Chad Scott (quadricep/out), tight end Jay Riemersma (groin/questionable) and linebacker James Harrison (stinger/probable) did not practice. WR Hines Ward (foot blister/probable) and DE Kimo von Oelhoffen (back/questionable) returned to practice.