Bengals Learn Cold, Hard Facts

PITTSBURGH — The wind-chill factor was nearly zero and, on a day made for the cold-weather Pittsburgh Steelers, so were the Cincinnati Bengals’ chances of winning.

With snow flurries and an icy wind disrupting both teams’ passing games, the Steelers needed a half to warm up before Kordell Stewart threw two touchdown passes to lead a 20-3 victory Sunday.

“I like it cold, but not that cold,” said Jerome Bettis, who ran for 101 yards. “Who-o-o, it was cold.”

The Steelers (8-3) won for the seventh time in eight games and assured the Bengals (3-8) of a seventh consecutive nonwinning season. Cincinnati, which had won two in a row, hasn’t finished above .500 since 1990.

Pittsburgh remained tied for first in the AFC Central with Jacksonville, a 17-9 winner over Tennessee.

The Bengals, losers of 12 of their last 14 to the Steelers, probably knew when the NFL schedule was announced this would be difficult. The Steelers are 9-0 in November home games under Coach Bill Cowher and have won 11 consecutive AFC Central home games since losing to the Bengals in 1995.

“Sometimes, it’s not very fun for a visiting team to play here this time of the year,” safety Darren Perry said.

The Steelers led 6-0 at halftime before Stewart, who finished 11 of 22 passing for only 128 yards with no interceptions, connected with Yancey Thigpen for a 20-yard touchdown. That made it 13-0 and forced the Bengals to abandon a recently discovered running game that had totaled 318 yards in their previous two games.

Stewart later passed to tight end Mark Bruener for a five-yard touchdown. It was Bruener’s fifth touchdown in 10 receptions this season.