Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Steelers receiver Hines Ward stands over Tory James after leveling the Bengals cornerback during the Steelers 27-13 victory at Cincinnati. Click photo for larger image. More Steelers Palmer calls Bengals 'better team' even after loss Steelers Notebook: Ward pokes fun at Johnson with end-zone jig Game photos: Game Six photo journal More NFL News NFL Notebook: Tomlinson's TD streak ends at 18 games AFC North: Bears use stingy defense to edge Ravens AFC North: Garcia gains some revenge against Browns AFC: Manning sinks Broncos with last-second TD NFC: Hope still floats for troubled Vikings NFC: Eagles pull Chargers plug NFL Roundup: Cowboys throw victory to Seattle Stats and scores from Forecaster

CINCINNATI -- The Steelers still must look up this morning in the standings to see the Cincinnati Bengals on top of the AFC North Division. That's what it says on paper, anyway.

Yesterday, the Steelers made the Bengals look like paper lions, ransacking them in Paul Brown Stadium, 27-13, in the biggest football game played in Cincinnati in 15 years.

"The City of Cincinnati was abuzz, you could see all the excitement around," Steelers receiver Hines Ward said. "It was a big game for us, for our team, for the organization, just to let them know, hey, we were 15-1 last year. We're still the AFC North champions. The champion has to go through Pittsburgh."

The Bengals will get that chance Dec. 4 in Heinz Field, but they blew an opportunity for a running head start in the division yesterday. The Bengals slipped to 5-2 while the Steelers lurk at 4-2 after winning a team-record 10th consecutive road game.

"We just let them know we haven't gone anywhere," linebacker Joey Porter said.

The Steelers did it the old-fashioned way, with a formula they perfected last season. They ran, ran some more, and then ran some more. The Steelers ran 47 times for a season-high 221 yards as Willie Parker sprung to 131 yards and a touchdown, and Jerome Bettis 56.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, making his return after he missed the loss to Jacksonville last week with a knee injury, threw only 14 times, completing nine for 93 yards, including touchdowns to Ward and tight end Heath Miller. He also threw his first interception of the season. Miller (six) and Ward (three) were the only receivers to catch passes.

"That is low," Roethlisberger said, "but we were running the ball so well. The play-action worked for us, and the linemen really sold it."

And their defense cut Carson Palmer off at the pass. Cincinnati's young quarterback was poised to break an NFL record if he could produce a 10th consecutive game with a passer rating of 100. He had little more than half that, 53.8, as safety Chris Hope and defensive end Aaron Smith each intercepted him in the third quarter, ending Palmer's streak of 169 passes without one.

Those two interceptions turned the game loose as the Steelers scored 17 third-quarter points to put away the Bengals, who muffed two opportunities early.

The Steelers clung to a 7-6 lead when cornerback Tory James intercepted Roethlisberger's pass on the second play of the second half. It gave the Bengals a first down at the Steelers' 49. Three plays later, Hope picked off a Palmer pass and returned it 55 yards to the Bengals' 15.

Jeff Reed turned that into a 10-6 Steelers lead by kicking a 27-yard field goal.

Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Steelers defensive end Travis Kirschke sacks begals quarterback Carson Palmer for a 9-yard loss. Click photo for larger image.

Cincinnati reached midfield again three plays later before former Bengal Kimo von Oelhoffen tipped a Palmer pass from his spot at defensive end and fellow end Smith smothered it at the 47.

Three plays later, Parker swept off right end, shook off a tackle and, behind a Ward block, completed a 37-yard run into the end zone. Just like that it was 17-6, a rout was in the making and Willie Parker was back. Parker burst to 272 yards and a 5.8-yard average in his first two games, but had only 136 in his next three with a 2.8 average.

"He never left," Bettis said. "He's still running. It's just you have to give him an opportunity to run. We were really pounding the football, so that gave us an opportunity to get inside, get outside and make some plays."

Ward, returning to start after missing his first NFL game last week with a hamstring injury, caught his fifth touchdown pass of the season. He caught a 37-yard pass from Roethlisberger in the end zone in the third quarter, but the ball popped loose when he hit the ground. Officials ruled it came out earlier. A Bengals penalty on that third-down play gave the Steelers another chance, and Ward caught a 4-yard scoring pass on the last play of the third quarter for a 24-6 Steelers' lead.

It was their last pass of the game. Content to grind things out, they managed Reed's 39-yard field goal, and the Bengals finally scored a touchdown with 1:57 left on Palmer's 4-yard run.

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Running back Jerome Bettis tries to fend off Bengals safety Ifeanyi Ohalete. Bettis helped jump start the Steelers offense in the second quarter and finished with 13 carries for 56 yards. Click photo for larger image.

"It was a game we simply had to win," Bettis said. "We had to go back to basics, make sure we got the ball, pound it in, and we were successful. It wasn't the prettiest win, but it was really effective."

The Bengals helped early when they had chances to get a quick lead and did not.

Chad Johnson dived and caught a perfectly thrown pass from Palmer in the deep left corner of the end zone. Coach Bill Cowher challenged the touchdown call, and it was overturned when replay showed Johnson's left hand landed out of bounds before he could get both feet in.

Chris Henry, a rookie receiver from West Virginia, then dropped a pass in the end zone after cornerback Willie Williams fell down. Shayne Graham made it worse when he missed a 30-yard field goal to loud groans from the record Cincinnati crowd of 66,104.

The Bengals roared back on their second series to a first down at the Steelers' 10, but again had to try a field goal, and this time Graham made it from 26 yards for a 3-0 Cincinnati lead.

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger salutes Steelers fans at Paul Brown Stadium as he leaves the field after the Steelers's 27-13 victory. Click photo for larger image.

It would be their last.

Miller, flourishing at tight end the past several games, caught one pass for 20 yards to get the next series going and ended it with a 2-yard touchdown catch. He was wide open in the end zone as Roethlisberger made a perfect play-fake.

"We felt Danny [Kreider] or him would be open," coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said. "One guy took Danny and left him open. We knew it would be a good play, but, obviously, you like to see them when they open up like that."

Graham kicked another, from 39, to make it 7-6 at the half. But Palmer and the Bengals came undone in the third quarter.

"That's a good football team we played today," Cowher said. "They're the real deal."

They just have not been able to prove it to the Steelers.