Bengals players video of egregious conduct from around the league as a way of trying to keep them in line. Exhibit A would be their game last December against the Steelers.The Bengals were penalized 13 times for a club-record 173 yards during another meltdown against Pittsburgh at Paul Brown Stadium. The Steelers overcame a 17-point deficit with the help of Cincinnati's damaging penalties T. J. Watt Jersey , finishing off a 23-20 victory that was their sixth in the row in the series .Penalties have figured prominently in the streak, including penalties on Vontaze Burfict and Adam "Pacman" Jones that helped Pittsburgh pull out an 18-16 playoff victory in the 2015 season."We can't have any dumb penalties, any outbursts, anything like that," cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. "We've got to stay focused. It's Pittsburgh week. Everybody's going to be hyped up, ramped up."The AFC North rivalry has big implications for a mid-October game. The Bengals (4-1) are off to their best start since 2015, when they won the division, and could put some distance between themselves and the Steelers (2-2-1) . A loss would essentially even things up. The teams end the season with a game at Heinz Field.For the Bengals, it's about keeping their cool when tensions escalate."Every game I've been in against the Steelers, there's been some type of aggressive hits or something dirty going on," said receiver Tyler Boyd, who has played against his hometown team three times. "You can't go out and play scared. You can't go play frightened. You've just got to go out and hit. It's hit or be hit."The Monday night game last December included nine major penalties and led to two suspensions.William Jackson got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty; Geno Atkins was flagged for roughing the passer; A.J. Green and Clayton Fejedelem got 15-yard facemask penalties; and George Iloka got an unnecessary roughness penalty for hitting Antonio Brown in the head. Iloka also got a one-game suspension that was reduced to a fine.Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell and Brian Allen were flagged for unnecessary roughness. JuJu Smith-Schuster got a 15-yard penalty for a blindside hit on Burfict, and another penalty for standing over the linebacker and talking trash. Smith-Schuster also got a one-game suspension.Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree says there's a difference between this rivalry game and all the others."Cincinnati game: I hit you as hard as I can, you hit me as hard as you can, but we're going to talk trash after the play," Dupree said. "It's a real-life fight out there."Both Lewis and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin talked to their teams after the game last December, trying to rein in the conduct. Some Bengals veterans are reinforcing the message that they can't let their emotions lead to another loss."The vets are going to be able to remind the young players of it 鈥?just talk about keeping your composure in games like this, things they probably did in college and big games Authentic Chukwuma Okorafor Jersey , too," defensive end Carlos Dunlap said.Lewis reminded his team of penalties this week. Cincinnati was able to overcome a 17-0 deficit and beat the Dolphins 27-17 on Sunday in part because of Miami's penalties. The Bengals' first touchdown drive was aided by Martrell Spaight's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and an unnecessary roughness penalty on T.J. McDonald."That's what the ramifications are 鈥?you're hurting our opportunity to win," Lewis said. "You're really putting a dagger in our opportunity to win."NO GIO AGAIN: Running back Giovani Bernard was held out of practice again Thursday as he recovers from a knee injury, an indication he won't be ready for the Steelers game. Bernard also sat out the win over Miami, putting the onus on Joe Mixon. Tight end Tyler Kroft also missed a second straight day of practice with a foot injury. Jackson (knee), receiver John Ross (groin) and offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi (wrist) were limited.AP Sports Writer Will Graves contributed to this report. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is over, but if you think the news surrounding the black-and-gold is over — think again. For the drama-filled Steelers, things are just heating up, and this is where the daily links article comes in. You might have missed some key news, and we fill you in and give you the latest, and sometimes greatest, news surrounding the Steelers.Today in the Black-and-gold links article we take a look at whether or not the Steelers’ offense could be better, possibly thrive even, without Antonio Brown. Some may shake their head in disapproval, but there might actually be something to this...Let’s get to the news:Joe Starkey: Steelers offense would survive, maybe thrive, without Antonio BrownBy: Joe Starkey, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteApologies for starting like a “30 for 30” episode here http://www.authenticspittsburghsteelers.com/cheap-alejandro-villanueva-jersey , but what if I told you there was an NFL offense with an elite quarterback, a legit No. 1 running back, a top-15 receiver, a good tight end and a very good line?You’d say it had the basic ingredients for success, no?There is an offense like that. More than one, actually. But the one I’m referring to is the Steelers’ offense — without Antonio Brown.To deny Brown’s greatness would be silly. He helped this team win a ton of games. Trading him would create significant challenges. But to pronounce the offense dead without him would be equally silly.Have you seen the New England Patriots lately? Tom Brady wins with lacrosse players, Colts castoffs, Julian Edelman and a 103-year-old tight end (Rob Gronkowski’s only 29; he just runs like he’s 103).That isn’t new. I just watched one of those addictive NFL Network Super Bowl shows, on the Patriots beating Carolina with Deion Branch and David Givens catching the ball and Antowain Smith running it.Did you see last year’s Super Bowl? The Patriots got beat by Nick Foles, LeGarrette Blount and Nelson Agholor. So don’t tell me the Steelers cannot win a Super Bowl without “Tony Tap Out.”Did they win one with him?I heard Bill Cowher the other day, marveling at how the Patriots keep winning despite a dearth of game-breakers. Cowher told 93.7 The Fan the Patriots utilize a team approach, smart schemes and in-game adjustments.You cannot convince me an offense with Ben Roethlisberger, James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Vance McDonald and a relatively intact line would die. That does not include what the Steelers would add via the draft, free agency or trade (and they would need a No. 2 receiver, though James Washington showed promise late).Is Conner as good as Le’Veon Bell? Probably not, but before he got injured he replicated just about everything Bell did. Conner outperformed Bell in some areas http://www.authenticspittsburghsteelers.com/cheap-david-decastro-jersey , too, and they weren’t minor ones. They were average yards per run, average yards per catch, long runs and touchdowns.And you better believe JuJu is a top-15 receiver. I’m getting real tired of people attributing all of his success to Brown. They make it sound like 11 guys were chasing A.B. while JuJu ran free.Go back and watch JuJu rise like Lynn Swann along the sidelines to make that catch against Jalen Ramsey late in the Jacksonville game. Watch him turn an errant Roethlisberger throw into a spectacular touchdown in Oakland. Watch him turn all kinds of contested catches into something much bigger.(To read more, click the link in the headline...)Ron Cook: Roger Goodell has somehow put the NFL on solid groundBy: Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteSix questions relating to the officiating fiasco at the end of the Ram-Saints game. Two questions about Colin Kaepernick. One question about the Rooney Rule. One question about a Donald Trump tweet, although not one that you would expect. One question about the cancellation of the Maroon 5 pre-Super Bowl press conference, which was one more than about the national anthem, concussions, players leading with their head, roughing-the-passer penalties or television ratings.There’s a good reason Roger Goodell had it easy Wednesday as he delivered his annual State of the NFL address.“I think this season has demonstrated that there’s never been a better time to be a part of the NFL. As a fan, as a player, as a team and as a partner,” Goodell said in his opening remarks.I can’t argue.I can’t believe the NFL’s ability to not just bounce back from major controversy, but thrive.Goodell’s goal of making the NFL a $25 billion-a-year industry by 2027 seems back on track.Think about where the NFL was two years ago. Goodell had to answer for his mishandling of the Ray Rice domestic-abuse case with many suggesting Goodell be fired. There were fresh questions about Kaepernick and the anthem controversy. Deflategate was a topic. Concussions were very much in the news.Look where the NFL is now as it prepares for the Super Bowl on Sunday. Television ratings were up 5 percent this season from 2017. More than 180 million fans tuned in each week to watch the games. Concussions were down nearly 24 percent from the year before. Early-season complaints about the game becoming too soft with too many helmet-related and roughing-the-passer penalties — as Trump suggested in a tweet — turned out to be much ado about nothing. Perhaps most significantly, there wasn’t one Trump tweet after early September criticizing Goodell for his and the league’s handling of the anthem protests. Trump had been relentless with that criticism for the better part of a year.Somehow, Goodell made the anthem issue go away. The NFL looked foolish in May when it instituted, without input from the NFL Players Association http://www.authenticspittsburghsteelers.com/cheap-jordan-berry-jersey , a new policy giving players the right to stay in the locker room for the anthem but requiring they stand if they are on the field. The league looked even worse in July when it tabled the policy and pledged to work with the union to come up with a viable solution.Those must have been some meetings.Suddenly, there no longer was a controversy. All but a handful of players stood for the anthem. Even Trump was appeased. You almost could hear NFL owners exhale.(To read more, click the link in the headline...)Steelers’ Antonio Brown does some confusing interviews at Super BowlBy: Tim Benz, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewAntonio Brown is speaking again publicly. So that’s a recipe for disaster.Forget the big interview reveal, Brown is starting to do a bunch of little ones.Although Brown is not saying much. Mainly because I don’t know how capable he is of doing so.I thought he came off like a space cadet. Then again, maybe I’m just too focused on the blonde mustache.For instance, when Brown says all options are on the table, no they aren’t. Either the Steelers keep him, or they trade him where they want. That’s it. He’s not a free agent.Also, at first Brown talks about “keeping things quiet” and about “moving forward with “positivity” with a “business” like approach.That’s good.But then he refuses to say that he wants to come back to Pittsburgh, thus making all those other things impossible.And, again, THAT MUSTACHE! I ... can’t take ... my eyes ... off it!My attention is so drawn to it I don’t really know what he is saying. Maybe he doesn’t either. Custom New England Patriots Jerseys