CINCINNATI, Nov. 21 -- Jerome Bettis ran for 129 yards and the Pittsburgh Steelers' blitzing defense created havoc Sunday, setting up a 19-14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals that kept the NFL's longest winning streak going.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played like a rookie, so Bettis and some solid defense bailed him out in Pittsburgh's eighth straight win. The Steelers are 9-1 for the first time since 1978, when they won their third Super Bowl in five years.
| _____ Week 11 Games/Finals _____
• Philadelphia 28, Washington 6
• Baltimore 30, Dallas 10
• Tampa Bay 35, San Francisco 3
• Denver 34, New Orleans 13
• Minnesota 22, Detroit 19
• Tennessee 18, Jacksonville 15
• N.Y. Jets 10, Cleveland 7
• Pittsburgh 19, Cincinnati 14
• Indianapolis 41, Chicago 10
• Carolina 35, Arizona 10
• Buffalo 37, St. Louis 17
• San Diego 23, Oakland 17
• Atlanta 14, N.Y. Giants 10
• Seattle 24, Miami 17
• Green Bay 16, Houston 13
• N.E. 27, Pittsburgh 19
Two-Minute Drill
• Week 11: News and Stats
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"Everybody expects us to be flawless," Bettis said. "Sometimes you're not going to have your best game. That's when you have to find a way to win."
The Bengals (4-6) had a season-high seven sacks and forced Roethlisberger to make poor decisions. Three times, he scuttled scoring chances by taking sacks, grounding the ball or fumbling.
"I wasn't flustered, just disappointed in my play," said Roethlisberger, who was 15 of 21 for 138 yards. "But it's a sign of a good team when you can win when you don't play well."
With Duce Staley sidelined a third straight game because of a sore hamstring, Bettis came through with his third straight triple-digit game to move ahead of Tony Dorsett for fifth place on the NFL's career rushing list with 12,863 career yards.
In the second half, Cincinnati's offense managed only 42 yards and two first downs, and the Bengals committed seven penalties for 75 yards.
Afterward, Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis uncharacteristically berated his team in the locker room.
"This is the angriest I've been," Lewis said. "We're not going to accept mediocrity. If we accept getting close, if we accept leading in the first half, we're not going to get any better."
