(My Sportsbook) - The headset atop Marvin Lewis' team-issued baseball cap during games must feel like a crown of thorns for the Cincinnati Bengals' head coach. Lewis will adorn the headset once again this Sunday for the winless Bengals, who welcome the AFC North-rival Pittsburgh Steelers to Paul Brown Stadium.

The Bengals are 0-6 for the first time since losing their first seven games of the 2002 season under Dick LeBeau. They have started 0-8 on four separate occasions since 1978 and are trying to stay away from the worst start in franchise history established in 1993, when Cincinnati dropped its first 10 games under head coach Dave Shula.

Lewis has been feeling the heat as each losing week goes by, and may not last through October. The fans are certainly becoming impatient with the Bengals' ineptitude on offense, and it doesn't help that starting quarterback Carson Palmer will miss his third start in four weeks because of an injured right elbow. Backup Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the nod again under center for Cincinnati, which is near the bottom of the league in every major offensive category.

Cincinnati is coming off back-to-back road losses, including Sunday's 26-14 setback at the New York Jets. It will head to the bye week after hosting the rival Steelers this weekend.

Pittsburgh is sitting comfortably on top in the AFC North standings with a 4-1 record and is well rested after its bye week. The Steelers entered the break on a two-game winning streak after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, 26-21, in Florida. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has been bothered by a sore right shoulder, passed for more than 300 yards and finished with three touchdown passes against the Jags.

Roethlisberger, an Ohio native, is headed back to his home state to face a Bengals team he owns a 5-0 career mark against as the visitor. In fact, the former Miami-Ohio product is 10-0 all-time in Ohio, having recorded five wins at Cleveland without a loss.

He may not have Willie Parker again this week, after the speedy running back aggravated a knee injury that had sidelined him for two weeks plus the bye. Parker reportedly stepped in a hole during practice Monday and aggravated a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Parker's return would be a huge lift for the Steelers. He has ripped off three straight 100-yard rushing games at Cincinnati and is averaging 130.3 rushing yards per game as the guest against the Bengals.

With or without Parker, Pittsburgh is in good shape to match its best start since going 15-1 in 2004. According to head coach Mike Tomlin, Parker has looked good and the team will push forward despite his top back not being 100 percent.

Pittsburgh will begin a rough stretch of competition after visiting Cincinnati, with games upcoming against the New York Giants, Washington, Indianapolis, San Diego, New England and Dallas.

SERIES HISTORY

The Steelers lead the all-time regular season series with the Bengals, 45-30, including a sweep of last year's home-and-home. Pittsburgh was a 24-13 road winner when the teams met in Week 8, and took a 24-10 home decision in Week 13. The Bengals' last win in the series came in 2006 at Heinz Field.

In addition to their regular season advantage, the Steelers also scored a 31-17 road win over the Bengals in the 2005 playoffs.

Including playoffs, the Steelers are 7-0 in Cincinnati since last losing there in 2001.

Lewis is 3-8 all-time against the Steelers, while Tomlin is 2-0 against both Lewis and Cincinnati as a head coach.

WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL

Roethlisberger (947 passing yards, 7 TD, 3 INT) earned AFC Player of the Week honors for his performance against Jacksonville after passing for a season- high 309 yards and three touchdowns. He orchestrated an 11-play, 80-yard game- winning drive in the fourth quarter and capped it off with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward. In two AFC North games this season, Roethlisberger has thrown for 370 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and he's 19-4 as a starter against division foes. Roethlisberger also has five career 300-yard passing games, which is tied with Neil O'Donnell for second on the team's all-time list. He trails only Tommy Maddox, who has six. Ward (24 receptions, 316 yards, 4 TD) is shooting for his third straight game against Cincinnati with at least two touchdown receptions. He is coming off his best outing of the season, in which he caught seven passes for 90 yards and a score, and has caught a pass in a team-record 151 consecutive games. Ward surpassed the 9,000-yard receiving mark against Jacksonville and has 9,053 yards, the most in team history. Santonio Holmes (17 receptions, 1 TD) has reached the end zone just once this season and needs to be more involved in the pass attack. Holmes is averaging 105.5 yards per game in the past two matchups with Cincinnati. Another option Roethlisberger has is tight end Heath Miller (16 receptions, 1 TD), who caught one of his quarterback's three touchdown passes in Week 5 for the league's 23rd-rated passing offense.

Surprisingly, the Bengals are fourth in the NFL in pass defense, allowing just 167.3 yards per game through the air. They picked off future Hall of Famer Brett Favre twice last Sunday and held him to 189 yards passing in a losing effort. Safeties Marvin White (37 tackles, 1 INT) and Corey Lynch (7 tackles, 1 INT) both had an interception against the Jets. Strong safety Chinedum Ndukwe (32 tackles, sack, 1 INT) returned a Favre fumble 15 yards for a touchdown and has filled in nicely for Dexter Jackson (6 tackles), who has missed the last five games because of a thumb injury suffered in a season- opening loss at Baltimore. Starting cornerback Johnathan Joseph (11 tackles) returned to lineup last Sunday for the first time since Week 2 and recorded three passes defensed. Joseph missed time with an ankle injury and leads the Bengals in with seven pass breakups in 2008. Reserve safety Herana-Daze Jones (4 tackles) has played the last two games after missing some time with a hamstring injury. The Cincy secondary, as depleted as it may seem, will match up well versus Ward, Holmes and Miller.

With Parker's status still up in the air, Tomlin will likely be forced to go with Mewelde Moore again at running back. Parker (263 rushing yards, 3 TD) has a pair of 100-yard rushing games in three contests played this season and has enjoyed a lot of success against the Bengals. Moore (118 rushing yards) had 99 yards on 17 carries against the Jaguars and kept Jacksonville's stingy defense off balance the entire game. It was Moore's first start as a Steeler and 12th of his career. Running back Najeh Davenport made his season debut against the Jaguars and will see action Sunday. Pittsburgh is 20th in the NFL in rushing (106.2 ypg) this season. In offensive line news for the Steelers, left tackle Marvel Smith is battling back spasms and is questionable for Sunday's game. If he is unable to play, Max Starks will most likely take that spot.

New Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is actually doing an impressive job despite the team's 0-6 record. The passing defense has been solid all year, but defending the run has left the team 28th in the NFL. Middle linebacker Dhani Jones (61 tackles) currently leads the league in stops and led the team in both total tackles (13) and solo stops (8) last week. Rookie linebacker Keith Rivers (37 tackles, 1 INT) had five stops on Sunday. Linebackers Rashad Jeanty (42 tackles) and Brandon Johnson (12 tackles) combined for seven tackles last week and will provide additional help in defending the run. The Steelers are without their top running back, but Moore and Davenport are not to be overlooked. Defensive ends Antwan Odom (11 tackles, 2 sacks) and Frostee Rucker (18 tackles, sack) each had a sack of Favre last week and should have more success this week against another immobile quarterback in Roethlisberger.

WHEN THE BENGALS HAVE THE BALL

Fitzpatrick (308 passing yards, 1 TD, 3 INT) hasn't been much help to the team with Palmer out nursing an injured elbow. Fitzpatrick passed for 152 yards in the loss to the Jets and has just one touchdown pass to three interceptions this season. The Harvard product managed to record a rushing touchdown last week, but that wasn't enough to lift the Bengals, who have the 27th-best passing offense in the league. Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski knows that Fitzpatrick has a good, accurate arm to get the job done, but will have to see more from the former Ivy League star to get a feel on if he is the one to lead the team with Pro Bowler Palmer (731 passing yards, 3 TD, 4 INT) sidelined. Palmer's inflamed right elbow doesn't need surgery right now, but the former USC star did visit with the New York Mets team doctor earlier in the week. Palmer and the doctors are studying the MRI results before deciding the next move. Until then, Fitzpatrick will be a starter on a week-to-week basis. With the quarterback situation up in the air, wideouts T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson are feeling the effects. Houshmandzadeh (38 receptions, 400 yards, 3 TD) injured his ankle in Sunday's loss at New York, but is expected to play this week. He had seven catches for 49 yards in Week 6 and aims for fifth straight game with six or more catches. Johnson (19 receptions, 1 TD) had his best day of the season against the Jets, amassing 57 yards on five receptions. He is trying to catch a pass for the 99th consecutive contest.

Pittsburgh has been a tough team to throw on this season, as evidenced by its 3rd-ranked pass defense. It held the Jaguars to 175 passing yards in its last game and is allowing 164.8 yards through the air this season. Safety Troy Polamalu (25 tackles, 3 INT) leads the unit with three picks and can also deliver the big hit when the time is right. Cornerbacks Ike Taylor (22 tackles) and Bryant McFadden (25 tackles, 2 INT) will get their first look at the 2008 version of the Bengals, especially Chad Johnson and Houshmandzadeh. It will be tough against those speedy wideouts on the road. Safety Ryan Clark (27 tackles) finished with five tackles (4 solo) against Jacksonville.

Cincinnati has been terrible running the ball this year and hasn't had a 100- yard rusher yet in 2008. The last time the Bengals went the first six games of the season without a 100-yard rusher was 2003, when Rudi Johnson broke the century mark in rushing during the seventh game against the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals, who suffered through a stretch of 67 straight games from 1992-1997 without a 100-yard rusher, are 31st in rushing this season with 72.2 yards per contest. Fitzpatrick led the ground attack against the Jets with 23 yards and a touchdown on six scrambles, while Chris Perry (253 rushing yards, 2 TD) ended with 14 yards on 11 carries. The fumble-prone Perry hasn't had much success finding the holes and has been sharing carries with Cedric Benson (36 rushing yards) and Kenny Watson (32 rushing yards). Cincinnati will struggle mightily against the Steelers' tough run defense.

The Steelers have the second-best run defense in the NFL and are allowing only 66.8 rushing yards per game this season. They have allowed just three 100-yard rushers over the previous 71 games, including the postseason, and Jacksonville top rusher Fred Taylor ended with 19 yards on 10 carries against the unit in Week 5. Pittsburgh has a talented linebacker unit led by James Harrison (31 tackles, 6.5 sacks), who is coming off a busy game in which he posted four stops, a sack, a pass defensed and a forced fumble. Harrison leads the AFC and ranks second in the NFL in sacks. Fellow linebacker LaMarr Woodley (23 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 1 INT) had a pair of sacks against Jacksonville and owns 4 1/2 sacks over the past three games. The Steelers have 18 sacks this season, the most in the AFC. They had 36 in 2007. Nose tackle Casey Hampton (groin) hopes to return this week after missing the team's last two games, while end Brett Keisel (5 tackles) is expected to return to the starting lineup after a calf strain forced him to miss the previous three games.

FANTASY FOCUS

The Steelers have a lot of players worth a starting nod against a winless Bengals team this weekend. Roethlisberger will most likely throw for three touchdowns for the second straight week, with Ward, Holmes and Miller the likely targets. Ward and Holmes are definite starts, while Miller's value isn't as high for this week. Moore is another option if fantasy rosters are scrambled because of the some teams having a bye week. Chad Johnson and Houshmandzadeh are still starts in most leagues despite the elbow injury to Palmer. Don't even look at Fitzpatrick as an option for quarterback.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Pittsburgh is one of the best teams in the AFC right now and will not miss a beat against the lowly Bengals because Tomlin has too much pride to allow that to happen. Even though this matchup features two AFC North rivals, the Steelers will prevail with a strong running attack and another precise passing show from Roethlisberger against a decent Cincinnati secondary. It's hard to believe the Bengals are that good at defending the pass, but Big Ben will find a way to spoil the show at Paul Brown Stadium, where he is 5-0. The spotlight will be even brighter on Lewis when the Bengals come one loss closer to matching Shula's 1994 squad's dubious team record.

My Sportsbook Predicted Outcome: Steelers 27, Bengals 17