Longtime rivals meet with something on the line

The Bengals-Steelers rivalry will be played today for the 80th time in 40 seasons -- including one playoff game and one season in which they met only a single time -- and what a series it's been. And hasn't been.

It's been colorful, filled with famous names (Paul Brown, Chuck Noll), long names (Ben Roethlisberger, T.J. Houshmandzadeh), big names (Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Anthony Munoz). The franchises once played in stadiums that not only looked alike and sounded alike, Riverfront Stadium and Three Rivers Stadium, but were located alongside the Ohio River.

What they have almost never shared is first place so deep into a season. For only the third time since the rivalry began, the Bengals and Steelers will play with first place on the line during the second half of a season -- and one previous instance, 1990, deserves an asterisk because the Oilers also were tied.

"Every game is big, but this game is real big," Steelers defensive end Nick Eason said.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin apparently agrees, because he referred to the game as being big nearly 20 times during a 20-minute press conference.

The series usually is so one-sided, with the Steelers controlling the 1970s, 1990s and this decade and the Bengals dominating in the 1980s, that the games often are mere stepping stones to bigger ones. Not this time. Today's winner will have the chance to be in control the rest of the way.

"It all comes down to a showdown in Pittsburgh, and we'll be ready," Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said. "They'll be ready. It's going to be a great game."

More than that, Ochocinco said. "This will be an event, not a football game," he said.

• Less than 24 hours before kickoff, outspoken Miami linebacker Joey Porter was ruled out of today's game vs. Tampa Bay because of a coach's decision. He made no tackles in last week's loss to the Patriots after calling them cheaters and saying he hated them.

• The Buccaneers will be without receiver Antonio Bryant and defensive end Stylez G. White today.