"For the second straight year at Heinz Field, the Bengals defense held the Steelers without an offensive touchdown. Then again Ben Roethlisberger & Co. really didn't need to produce one on Sunday. Not on a day when Carson Palmer gave the Steelers early Christmas presents with two Pick 6's. Those two touchdowns, three Shaun Suisham field goals and an ugly afternoon on offense were the catalysts for a 23-7 Pittsburgh win. "You can't turn the football over and you certainly can't stop them 14 points like we did today. That's too difficult to overcome and led to our demise here," coach Marvin Lewis said. The loss is the 10th straight for the 2-11 Bengals and ties the team record for the longest in-season losing streak in team history (Dave Shula's 1993 squad started 0-10). A loss next week at home to Cleveland would tie the overall mark of 11 set in 1992-93. Pittsburgh, which won its third straight, improves to 10-3 and maintains its one-game lead over Baltimore in the AFC North. Wins by Buffalo and Detroit on Sunday also mean the Bengals move into sole possession of the second pick in the NFL Draft. With fans already wistfully dreaming of Andrew Luck or Cam Newton being available when the Bengals go on the clock, Palmer's performance on Sunday didn't do anything to allay talk or concerns about his future. For the second time in his career, he had two interceptions returned for touchdowns with the other being a 2007 game against Arizona. He leads the league in Pick 6's on the season (five) and since 2004 (15). Palmer, who was 20 of 32 for 178 yards and a TD, had three picks on the day, which ties him with Brett Favre for the league-lead with 18. It is also his third three-interception game of the season. The 48.7 passer rating was his second under 50 in the last three games." Read more: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20101212/SPT02/312120051
