Johnson Ready To Celebrate
The Cincinnati Bengals' are out to win their first division title in fifteen years. But they have lost three in a row and six of seven to the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4), including a 27-13 thrashing on Oct. 23. They need to put things straight at Heinz Field to move cloer to the AFC North crown.
Pittsburgh dominated in the October meeting, with 221 rushing yards and held Carson Palmer to his only sub one-hundred passer rating game of 2005. But Cincinnati receiver T.Houshmandzadeh insisted afterward the best team didn't win.
"We left some plays out on the field the last time," Willie Anderson said. "Give Pittsburgh credit. They totally shut down the groove we had on offense. It's on us to reverse that."
Pittsburgh's sputtering rushing game has averaged 78 yards in back-to-back losses. Coach Bill Cowher said, "We haven't played up to our standard all year."
Either way Chad Johnson is planning to entertain the fans with his best touchdown celebration yet.
"That is the Steel City, isn't it?" Johnson said. "The first time we played them, we all know we lost. We had some mistakes that we made early in the game. As far as I'm concerned, we have some things to iron out. The key word is 'iron out'. Everybody remember the key word, iron."
Heading into what amounts to a title showdown, Johnson isn't deviating from his routine of having a little fun with the next opponent. The bigger the game, the bigger the stage.
