Bengals Build Lead, but Lose Again : AFC: Pittsburgh rebounds from a 16-0 deficit to win, 24-16. Cincinnati still searching for first victory.

Neil O’Donnell apologized for his poor play, which put Pittsburgh down 16-0 in the second quarter. Then, he made up for it.

O’Donnell threw two touchdown passes in the last four minutes of the first half to turn the game around, then completed three clutch passes in the winning drive for a 24-16 victory Sunday over the winless Cincinnati Bengals.

No one was more pleased than O’Donnell, who threw an interception that Darryl Williams returned 97 yards for a touchdown and then fumbled away a snap to help put Cincinnati ahead 16-0.

The Bengals were hugging on the sideline and 51,202 fans were celebrating in the stands--all thinking this was finally their week to win--while O’Donnell apologized to his teammates.

“I kept the guys pretty calm in the huddle,” he said. “I told them, ‘Let’s take it one play at a time.’ In the huddle, I told them it was my fault, don’t worry, we’ll get going.”

O’Donnell completed three big passes in the winning drive, capped by Barry Foster’s one-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Gary Anderson kicked a 23-yard field goal with 4:31 remaining to clinch Pittsburgh’s sixth consecutive win over Cincinnati.

The biggest comeback under second-year Coach Bill Cowher was set up by big plays--O’Donnell completed 11 passes of 10 yards or more. Cincinnati’s unexpected blitzes kept the Steelers guessing early, but O’Donnell eventually figured things out.

“It took us a while to get the thing going, to understand what they were doing,” Cowher said. “They had made some adjustments.”

The victory gave Pittsburgh (5-3) a share of the AFC Central lead with Cleveland.

The Bengals fell to 0-8 for the third time in franchise history with one of their most bitter losses under second-year Coach Dave Shula.

The play that got Pittsburgh going was a 71-yard touchdown pass play to Eric Green, who froze Williams with a fake and caught the pass in stride for the longest reception of his career.

“I just read the blitz and threw it up there for Eric,” O’Donnell said.

After three incompletions by the Bengals, the Steelers got the ball back and went 58 yards in nine plays, capped by the touchdown pass to Merrill Hoge with eight seconds left.

Foster rushed for a season-high 120 in 25 carries. O’Donnell completed 14 of 34 passes for 244 yards.

Trailing 3-0, the Steelers drove to the Bengals’ six-yard line early in the second quarter. O’Donnell then passed to receiver Ernie Mills across the middle, but Williams read the play, stepped in front of Mills, and took the interception 97 yards untouched for a touchdown. Doug Pelfrey missed the extra point.