Mewelde Moore hit the end zone twice and Byron Leftwich even got into the act as the Steelers turn the Bengals into creamed kitty, 38-10. Speaking of hitting, Ryan Fitzpatrick hit the turf seven times thanks to the efforts of LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison, Lawrence Timmons and James Farrior, while for the first time this season Ben Rothlisberger was not sacked at all.
Moore had a 120 yard rushing day with two touchdowns on the ground. He also added 14 receiving yards and another touchdown on five catches. At this point, I have to ask -- if Willie Parker does come back from his close encounter with a hole in time to face the Giants next weekend, would it be worth it to put him in as the starter over Moore, who has had two fantasic games? I have nothing but respect for Parker and want to see him back on the field, but Moore has delivered in the starting role, and I'm not so sure it would be wise to take him out and put in a guy who hasn't played in a month. I say give Moore the start against New York, and if Parker is healthy, have him ready to play in the secondary slot. Put Najeh Davenport or Gary Russell in the third-string role. At this point, I don't think we're going to miss Rashard Mendenhall. I think we could afford to trade him in the offseason after he heals.
Was Hines Ward a cornerback in another life, or is he secretly an MMA fighter? Ouch!
Not much else to say about this game. The Bengals are now 0-7, and even if they run the table after this they'll just be playing for next year. I think Marvin Lewis should be seriously considered as fodder for the headsman. It's not all his fault, but with the weapons he has at his command -- Cedric Benson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, The Wide Receiver Formerly Known As Chad Johnson and so on -- he should have been able to cobble something together at this point. The axe is falling all over the league this year; it might as well fall in Cincy too.
Next week: the Champs invade the Steelers' house. Will the home turf and the Terrible Towel be enough to lift the Black and Gold past the reigning Giants, who look to be serious about repeating? We shall see!
