When Ben Roethlisberger plunged into the end zone on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 3 minutes left in the third quarter giving the Steelers a 20-9 lead, many thought, "Same old Bengals... at least they stayed in the game this long."

However, Cincinnati wouldn't quit. The Bengals scored twice in the final period and held Pittsburgh off the scoreboard to take home their first win at home against the Steelers in 10 tries 23-20. It wouldn't be easy as Cincinnati used almost all of the time on the clock to complete their comeback.

In crunch-time quarterback Carson Palmer led the Bengals on a 16-play, 71-yard drive against one of the league's best defenses. His 11-yard pass to running back Brian Leonard on fourth down moved the ball to the 4. After a spike to stop the clock, Palmer found Andre Caldwell open in the middle of the end zone to take the 23-20 lead.

"We've got a quarterback who's comfortable at those points in the game," coach Marvin Lewis said. "He's got a calm about him."

Palmer was 20 of 37 passing for just 183 yards, but he did was he needed to do when it counted. However, that's not to say that this was an easy task by no stretch of the imagination. The Steelers certainly gave them a chance to succeed.

The defending champs dominated most of the game but wasted chances to put Cincinnati away. Kicker Jeff Reed missed another field goal, and Limas Sweed dropped a pass in the end zone, keeping it close to the end.

"If we score touchdowns in the first half, it's not even a game," said Steelers receiver Hines Ward. "It's 24-0 or 24-3. It's not very good. You've got to put up seven points instead of 3s. That's how you finish a team off."