Steelers (4-2) at Bengals (2-4)
Kickoff: 1 p.m., Paul Brown Stadium (FieldTurf, 65,500). 

Forecast: Sunny, high of 59 degrees

Story line:  The Bengals try to climb back into the AFC North race against the team that knocked them out of the playoff hunt last season. Cincinnati ended a four-game losing streak last week by beating the woeful New York Jets, but they needed 28 consecutive second-half points to do it. The Steelers will be a much stiffer test.

What's at stake:  The Bengals' viability as an AFC North contender. A victory would put Cincinnati only one game behind the Steelers. A loss would drop the Bengals three behind. With nine games remaining after this week, and Cleveland and Baltimore also ahead of them in the standings, that would be an untenable situation.

Series:  Pittsburgh leads 44-30 and has won the past six in Cincinnati.

On the hot seat:  WR Chad Johnson, for a number of reasons, many of them invalid, Johnson has become a lightning rod. Today's game is a major opportunity to quiet his critics. Pittsburgh's pass defense is ranked third in the NFL, but the Steelers have traditionally put more emphasis on stopping the run. The Bengals will need to establish a passing game to keep safety Troy Polamalu away from the line of scrimmage in run support.

Key matchup:  Bengals C Eric Ghiaciuc vs. Steelers NT Casey Hampton.  Hampton is a load, a squatty, low-center-of-gravity force who is difficult to move. Ghiaciuc, with help from guards Bobbie Williams and Andrew Whitworth, will have to move him if the Bengals are to create creases for Kenny Watson.

Streaks/slumps:  The Bengals offense ranks fourth in the NFL with 371.7 yards per game. The defense is ranked 29th, yielding 384.7 yards per game. … The Steelers lead the NFL in fewest yards and points allowed, giving up only 250.3 and 13 per game, respectively. … Pittsburgh has not allowed an opposing rusher 100 yards in 31 games. … In Pittsburgh's past five games against Cincinnati, the Steelers have averaged 169 yards rushing.

The Bengals win if:  They create a couple of turnovers, which would allow their defense breathing room. It's too much to expect the Bengals to stymie Ben Roethlisberger's throwing and Willie Parker's running consistently without causing some fumbles or interceptions. Offensively, the Bengals will prevail if Johnson or T.J. Houshmandzadeh has a huge game and Watson provides enough of a running game to keep Pittsburgh honest.

The Bengals lose:  They allow Pittsburgh to get an early lead. If that happens, Pittsburgh will pound the ball, and that will wear down the Bengals defense. If Cincinnati can't get its passing game going, it will have little chance, because Pittsburgh is so stout against the run.

Prediction:  PITTSBURGH 31, CINCINNATI 17
The Bengals gained a needed confidence boost with last week's win, but the Steelers are not the Jets. Cincinnati hasn't shown it can play with an elite team, and Pittsburgh has fewer weaknesses than the Bengals.

Columbus Dispatch