Steelers...24 Bengals...10

PITTSBURGH -- So there is a home-field advantage in the Bengals-Steelers rivalry, bad field in Pittsburgh and all.

Hines Ward caught two touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger to break the Steelers’ record for career scoring catches, and Pittsburgh ended a seven-game winning streak by road teams in their AFC North rivalry with the Bengals by winning, 24-10.

The Steelers (9-3) shook off an early 7-0 deficit to open a two-game division lead and all but eliminate the Bengals (4-8) for a third successive season.

On another rainy night in Pittsburgh -- the second in seven days for a prime-time game -- the Steelers’ offense and defense held up and so did their much-criticized playing field that was so bad for last Monday’s win over Miami that an NFL operations official stayed in town to monitor the conditions.

The field held up even as a steady rain began shortly after kickoff, causing Roethlisberger and the Bengals’ Carson Palmer to begin sailing throws.

Quoteworthy: “He was getting frustrated; we gave him a lot of different looks,” Aaron Smith, Steelers defensive end, on Carson Palmer