With a chance to make a statement, the Cincinnati Bengals backed down and went for a field goal. Their decision to demur said it all. Hines Ward caught a pair of touchdown passes, and the Pittsburgh Steelers turned Marvin Lewis' conservative coaching decision into the pivotal moment of a 24-13 victory Sunday, their seventh straight in Cincinnati. From the top down, it was another case of down-the-river domination. The Steelers (5-2) solidified their hold on first place in the AFC North and pushed the last-place Bengals to the precipice. The Bengals are 2-5 for the first time since 2004, Carson Palmer's first season as the starting quarterback.

Defensive end Aaron Smith has been one of the Pittsburgh Steelers' most dependable players since his rookie season in 1999. The problem is Smith can't produce if he's not on the field and, for the first time since his rookie year, he won't be there Sunday in Cincinnati. Smith did not practice all week because of a sprained ligament in his left knee and won't play in the key AFC North game. Coach Mike Tomlin understands what losing one of the NFL's most consistent defensive linemen means. "Aaron is as good a football player as we have on this team, not only on the defense," Tomlin said. "You know what you are going to get from him. ... The level of his play is consistent and consistently high."

The Steelers' off week allowed three of the four injured starters who sat out their 21-0 victory over Seattle on Oct. 7 to heal. Wide receivers Hines Ward (sprained knee) and Santonio Holmes (hamstring) and safety Troy Polamalu (rib cartilage) not only are expected to play against Denver on Sunday night but likely will practice all week. Ward would return after missing two games. Nose tackle Casey Hampton (hamstring) will take it easy in practice Wednesday, but Tomlin is hopeful he will play. Backup cornerback Bryant McFadden (sprained ankle) probably won't go. Polamalu and Holmes have improved to the point where they probably won't be listed among the injured, Tomlin said. Of course, Polamalu and Hampton weren't on Tomlin's initial injury list two weeks ago, and neither played against Seattle.

Steelers running back Najeh Davenport is facing three charges for his alleged role in a domestic incident, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported Friday. Cleveland police charged the 28-year-old Davenport with domestic violence, endangering children and unlawful restraint during a custody dispute regarding his five-year-old son.

Cleveland police have charged Steelers' running back Najeh Davenport with three misdemeanor counts for his alleged role in an Oct. 4 domestic incident. Davenport, 28, is accused of committing domestic violence, endangering children and unlawful restraining during a custody dispute with Anita Person, 27, of Cleveland over their 5-year-old child. "I know [the investigators] had contact with at least four witnesses who claimed to be eyewitnesses to the incident," said Cleveland police Lt. Thomas Stacho. Davenport could face up to 180 days in jail and $1,000 in fines if convicted of domestic violence or endangering children, both first-degree misdemeanors and up to 60 days in jail and $500 in fines for unlawful restraint, a third-degree misdemeanor.

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't have their two best defensive players, their two starting wide receivers or much offense for the first half. With all that, they still had far too much for the Seattle Seahawks. Ben Roethlisberger, scrambling and improvising without his usual receivers, finally got the Steelers' offense going. He led three successive lengthy touchdown drives highlighted by Najeh Davenport's runs and Pittsburgh's undermanned defense dominated Seattle in a 21-0 victory Sunday. Roethlisberger finished 18-of-22 for 206 yards and a touchdown.

Safety Troy Polamalu and nose tackle Casey Hampton, the Pittsburgh Steelers' sole Pro Bowl defensive players last season, were inactive due to injuries for Sunday's game against Seattle -- only days after being left off coach Mike Tomlin's injury list. Polamalu (rib cartilage) and Hampton (hamstring) left last week's 21-14 loss at Arizona. Polamalu was injured on a fumble recovery.

Still slowed by a sprained knee, Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward will be sidelined for a second straight week on Sunday when the Steelers host the Seattle Seahawks. Ward has previously missed only four games in his career and the two contests that he will have sat out this season equal a career high. "As players, we hate to miss games," Ward said on Thursday. "These are games I can never get back. But, at the same time, you have to look at the big picture. We have a bye coming up and the stretch after that we have three division games and the Denver Broncos on the road. I have to be smart about it. That's the best thing for me to do for the team."