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Just a month ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were floundering amid a three-game losing streak, head coach Mike Tomlins job was in jeopardy and there was serious talk about missing the playoffs.But then the Steelers rediscovered LeVeon Bell and the running game, and now Pittsburgh (7-5) is knocking on the postseason door. And all is well with everyone in the Steel City who waves the Terrible Towel.Thats bad news for the Cincinnati Bengals, who need a lot of things to go right if they are going to make the playoffs for the sixth straight season.After going winless in November, Cincinnati (5-7-1) has reeled off two straight victories to have just a minuscule chance at the playoffs.Now the road gets tougher for Cincinnati with Sundays home game against Bell and the Steelers. AFC North rival Baltimore comes to town before the Bengals close out the regular season with a road game at Houston.There are three big weeks left and it will be a challenge, tackle Andrew Whitworth said. Its three really good teams, and so well have an opportunity to really put our will forward. We have a great opportunity with Pittsburgh coming to our place and what should be a big battle.After running roughshod over the Buffalo Bills last week, the Steelers control their own destiny as they took over sole possession of first place in the North.Pittsburgh turned its season around when the coaching staff committed to Bell taking pressure off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and shouldering the offensive load.Against Buffalo, Bell set a franchise record with 236 rushing yards with an additional 62 receiving yards. He scored three touchdowns.In the past four games that coincided with the Steelers becoming a serious contender again, Bell has averaged nearly 30 carries and 115 rushing yards. Theres nothing more valuable than a workhorse running back in wintry conditions.Its December football, Bell said. We understand everybody is fighting for position. We just want to get the job done. Thats all there is to it.The Steelers control their own fate with games left against AFC North rivals Cincinnati, Baltimore and Cleveland.We are in a good situation right now, but we obviously have to win this game and (get) better, Bell said.During the Steelers four-game losing skid that preceded the winning streak, Bell was the forgotten man. In each of those games, he was held to 81 yards or fewer; in three of those four losses he was held to 60 yards or fewer.I cant say enough about the run game, and when I talk about the run game, its not just LeVeon Bell -- our guys out front did a heck of a job, Tomlin said. Fullback Rosie Nix and our big personnel packages did a really good job of blocking a myriad of fronts because as the game wore on, they threw a lot at us.The Bills challenged Roethlisberger, who struggled in the snow and wind at Orchard Park as he completed just 17 of 31 pass attempts for 220 yards and three interceptions. Roethlisberger will need to be more efficient this week against a Bengals defense that is all too familiar with the Steelers signal-caller.The past couple of times the two teams have met, there have been accusations of dirty play as players on both sides have been injured.I hope its not dirty, Roethlisberger said. We expect a physical game. Thats what we want it to be. We expect them to be the same way. We are not going to be a dirty team. We are going to go out and play football and play hard and physical, not retaliate. Just play this game the way its supposed to be played. If there are a lot of nasty things going on, I guess we will know why.Against Cleveland last week, Andy Dalton wasnt at his best -- but he didnt have to be as Cincinnati ran for 213 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per carry. Jeremy Hill ran for 111 yards and a touchdown as the Bengals earned a second consecutive win for the first time this season.And they won both those games without All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Green, who was out with a hamstring injury. Green could return against the Steelers but was listed as doubtful on Fridays injury report. On Wednesday, he took part in practice for the first time in 24 days.Cornerback Adam Jones (ankle) did not take part in Wednesdays practice, but will play Sunday.Dalton has 17 touchdown passes this season. He knows if the Bengals are to stay in the race until the end, he has to be at his best in the last three games. But Dalton is looking ahead -- not behind.We wasted some opportunities early in the year, he said. We cant worry about that. For us, its all about finishing strong.Both defenses are coming off solid performances.Running against the Steelers is going to be a challenge for Hill, despite the Steelers missing Cameron Heyward, their best defensive lineman.During their four-game winning streak, they havent allowed a team to rush for 100 yards. Buffalo was the top rushing team heading into Sunday, but the Bills were held to just 67 yards. Running back LeSean McCoy was held to 27 yards on 12 carries.The Steelers also recorded five sacks and an interception.Cincinnati held the Browns to 10 points and was led by defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording two sacks and five tackles.The Cincinnati defense has held its last four opponents to under 15 points per game.Neither Vontaze Burfict nor Bell played in Week 2 when the two teams tangled in Pittsburgh, a 24-16 Steelers win. The Bengals also were without tight end Tyler Eifert.One Bengal who did play, kicker Mike Nugent, was released on Tuesday. Cincinnati claimed veteran Randy Bullock on waivers, oddly enough from the Steelers.Safety Shamarko Thomas (concussion) and wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) will both not play Sunday. New York Mets Store . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. New York Mets Shirts . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/ . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Wholesale Mets Jerseys . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Custom New York Mets Jerseys .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. The Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) has come roaring back from last season with upsets, tight series and some incredible comebacks even before League play begins. This past Saturday, the top 64 of the North American RLCS Open Qualifier played out to give us the eight teams that will move on to League play, and further, in the next three months.The winners bracket seemed to be going according to plan early on with the expected performers -- G2, Kings of Urban, Exodus and Revival -- looking to go through easily. That is, until G2 Esports, the current world champions, ran up against the boys from Take 2. In what was possibly one of the biggest upsets in the entire tournament, Take 2 managed to bring G2 down with a convincing 3-1 win, and qualify for League play.Following that shock, Kings of Urban comfortably sent Selfless to the losers bracket to qualify, reestablishing business as usual. In the third qualification match, Revival, gifted a qualification due to the previous weekends troubles of Trinity and Genesis, faced off against Thats Pretty Neat (TPN). In what was expected to be a clean victory for Revival, TPN managed to take it to game five before Revival found their form and closed out the set. The final winners bracket qualifying match, featuring Exodus and the upstart Deception, ended in a rather expected win for Exodus.The losers bracket was a much more unexpected wild ride for the teams and viewers alike. In qualifier match 1, G2 pulled their own take 2 and rode the 3-0 over Classic Stanley to move into League play and avoid a very lackluster performance ovverall.ddddddddddddQualifier match 2 ended up being the match of the tournament. Vendetta, who had lost to Deception in an upset, found themselves playing Selfless, who were the clear favorites. In a very tight five-game series, Selfless, the rising stars of the Rocket League scene, were defeated by Vendetta. Vendetta qualify off the back of a shaky tournament overall, but the win over Selfless will give them the hope to perform much better in League play.Qualifier match 3 pitted Genesis against TPN with Genesis coming off the back of a strong 3-0 against Trinity and TPN coming from a very tight 2-3 loss to Revival. Genesis took the match 3-1 and qualified into League play hoping to continue their recovery of form. The final match featured the high-flying Deception who sought to qualify when in reality no one had expected them to even come this close. Wild Card were in a similar position, but in the end Deception took the series 3-0 and in the surprise of the day managed to qualify for RLCS League play.RLCS is most definitely back in full force with the underdog stories and upsets ready to wow once more. Can G2 show the level of play they have showed in the past when it matters? Can Take 2 continue playing at the very highest level? Will Deception manage to rise to the challenge of the League play? All of these questions will be answered over the coming months as teams from North America and Europe compete for $250,000 in prizes over the season. ' ' '