"It's been the tale of our season -- defense plays great, offense (stinks), basically," he said.

Actually, on paper, the Bengals came into Heinz Field with a fairly imposing offense -- but only if the paper in question was a list of the team's inactive players. Quarterback Carson Palmer (elbow injury), receiver Chad Ocho Cinco (suspension) and offensive tackle Levi Jones (knee injury) were among Cincinnati's missing. So was starting guard Andrew Whitworth (ankle).

Ocho Cinco, who had played in 113 consecutive games, was not available because of a violation of team rules. Various reports alleged he was late for a team meeting Wednesday night, had a verbal confrontation with coach Marvin Lewis and was sent home.

Lewis would not reveal any details but said he expects Ocho Cinco to rejoin the team today. Houshmandzadeh was asked if Ocho Cinco might have helped against a banged-up Steelers secondary.

"I'm sure he would have helped, but, ah, we lost eight games with him, so I don't know how much," he said.

All the injuries left a patchwork group that didn't exactly evoke images of the 1992 Dallas Cowboys, the 2005 Bengals or even the 2008 Detroit Lions. It included rookie fourth-round pick Anthony Collins making his first start at left tackle -- opposite Steelers All-Pro linebacker James Harrison -- and undrafted rookie Nate Livings, who'd never played a NFL game, at left guard.

That's a heck of a way to make a Livings.

To make matters worse, the Bengals' top reserve lineman, Scott Kooistra, was out with the knee injury.

Cincinnati came in ranked dead last in the NFL in total offense and didn't figure to improve its lot against the league's top-ranked defense, one that had recorded seven sacks in the teams' first meeting this season.

That's why it was so stunning to see the Bengals drive right down the field on their second possession, capping an 11-play, 62-yard march with Ryan Fitzpatrick's 10-yard pass to Ocho Cinco's replacement, Glenn Holt.

It was Holt's first catch of the season. It also was the Bengals' last truly impressive offensive play until the fourth quarter. For most of the night, Cincinnati's offense lived down to its ranking, rolling up paltry totals of 208 yards and 11 first downs.

Aside from the TD drive, the Bengals managed just 32 yards in the first half. In the third quarter, they gained precisely 11 yards on 10 plays from scrimmage.

The good news?

They allowed only one sack. Collins fared well against Harrison, who had three tackles and was not able to add to his sack total of 12.

"I stopped him, but he's a great, great player," Collins said. "He talked to me after the game and said, 'Keep on working.' He knew my nickname ('A.C.'). You could tell he did the research on me."

During the forgettable third quarter, Fitzpatrick took a knee on a first-down play, losing a yard. He apparently thought a Steelers lineman had jumped, but there was no infraction on the play.

Cincinnati failed to capitalize on some favorable matchups against the Steelers' secondary. Holt dropped passes. Fitzpatrick misfired on several others or had them tipped at the line of scrimmage. The Steelers focused on controlling Houshmandzadeh, who came into the game with an NFL-best 73 catches but finished with only four, worth 20 yards.

Once upon a time, back when the Bengals were downright dangerous, Houshmandzadeh wiped his shoes with a Terrible Towel. On this night, he couldn't find a towel of any kind when he went from the showers to his locker.

"That's what happens when you lose," he said.