NFL Notebook | Steelers' defense stymies Bengals in 27-10 victory

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers honored defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau with a pregame ceremony for his 50 years as an NFL coach and player. His league-best defense found the best possible way to pay tribute to him.

The Steelers limited the depleted Bengals to six first downs following an early touchdown drive, then found just enough offense themselves amid the snow flurries to control the clock behind Ben Roethlisberger and beat Cincinnati 27-10 on Thursday night.

Pittsburgh (8-3) wasn't dominating — except defensively — in winning its fifth in a row over Cincinnati (1-9-1), its longest streak since an eight-game run in the early 1990s. The Steelers trailed 7-0 until Roethlisberger threw a 3-yard pass to tight end Heath Miller, their first touchdown in more than seven quarters, and didn't take control until backup running backs Mewelde Moore and Gary Russell led a third-quarter drive that made it 20-7.

"It just felt good to score," Roethlisberger said.

For the Steelers' defense, it felt good to throttle Cincinnati following an early TD drive.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, under constant pressure from a Pittsburgh defense that leads the NFL in almost every major statistical category, was below 100 yards passing until a short drive in the fourth quarter ended with Shayne Graham's 26-yard field goal. Fitzpatrick finished 20 of 37 for 168 yards, but the Bengals were outgained 364-208.

Not having wide receiver Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson made it a lot harder for the Bengals. He was deactivated for violating team rules following an apparent flare-up at a team meeting, though coach Marvin Lewis wouldn't explain what Ocho Cinco did.

"It's a curveball for us, but we had guys who stepped in and knew the game plan and knew how to execute it," Fitzpatrick said. "Nothing changed. It was more of a curveball."

Slippery field conditions helped slow a Bengals offense that was loaded with backups due to injuries. Reserves played most of the game at nine positions.

A different substitution

Chad Mustard really wants to begin his career as a high-school math teacher and he'd like to get some substitute jobs under his belt until he lands that full-time job.

But he can't say no when the NFL keeps calling.

"I'm living the dream. Who would turn that down?" Mustard said.

Mustard canceled three job interviews with school districts in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday and re-signed with the Denver Broncos after tight end Nate Jackson went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

This is Mustard's 11th pro contract and his sixth stint with the Broncos.

"We've been pretty lucky," coach Mike Shanahan said. "He's very bright, picks up our system very quickly. He's here in town, so it's worked out fairly well."

Mustard, a fifth-year tight end from North Dakota, has been waived 10 times in his NFL career, most recently by Denver on Nov. 4. Instead of $140 a day substitute jobs, he'll earn a weekly paycheck of about $36,500 with the Broncos.

Notes

• Cleveland QB Brady Quinn broke his right index finger during the first half of Monday night's game against Buffalo, but he stayed in and led the Browns to a 29-27 victory.

Despite the injury, Quinn will try to play Sunday when the Browns host Houston.

"At this point, it's just a little sore," he said before practice on Thursday. "Just doing the best we can to take all the precautions to make sure it's all right."

• Dallas rookie RB Felix Jones has a torn ligament beneath his left big toe, sustained two weeks ago while doing rehabilitation on the left hamstring he hurt Oct. 12. The hamstring is healed, but he will need season-ending surgery on the toe and up to six months to fully recover. Until Thursday, when announcing that Jones would be placed on injured reserve, Dallas had not reported the toe injury.

• San Francisco offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who publicly blamed the officials for the chaotic ending in the Nov. 10 loss against Arizona, has been fined $20,000 for those comments.

• New York Giants WR Plaxico Burress missed practice because of a hamstring injury. Coach Tom Coughlin was short in discussing Burress' injury, saying time would tell whether Burress plays Sunday against the Cardinals in Arizona.

• WR Greg Camarillo's breakout year with Miami has earned him a new contract. The $6 million, three-year extension keeps him under contract through 2011. He leads the Dolphins with 49 receptions for 538 yards and one touchdown after catching a total of eight passes in his first two NFL seasons.

• Former Green Bay CB Bob Jeter, father of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball coach Rob Jeter, has died. He was 71. Wisconsin-Milwaukee spokesman Kevin O'Connor said Rob Jeter told him by phone that his father was believed to have died of cardiac arrest.