It will be “Ocean's 14” at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday when the Steelers — and their hordes of fans — arrive to play the Bengals.

        Why Ocean's 14?

        Because the status of the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati franchises are oceans apart, and their current winning and losing streaks, respectively, add up to 14:

        Seven straight victories for the 12-2 Steelers. Seven straight losses for the 4-10 Bengals.

        “We're playing good football, and we don't want to lose that confidence and the way we're approaching every game,” said Steelers coach Bill Cowher. “We don't want to lose the edge. We want to come down to Cincinnati and hopefully find a way to win and recognize they're a team that can make their season by beating us.”

        Cowher takes the high road when discussing his franchise's penchant for never staying bad for long, whereas the Bengals already have locked up their 11th consecutive non-winning season.

        “We know what Cincinnati's going through; you get off to an optimistic start and lose some close games, and that's tough,” Cowher said.

        “A lot of our players, through the last couple years of not making the playoffs, (have gained perspective). You try not to get caught up in the negative things that are written about you. At the same time, you don't want to get caught up in the excitement that surrounds our situation here. Because then you lose sight of what you need to address every week.”

        Cowher isn't about to compare this team with any of the great Steelers teams.

        “I'm not going to reflect on this year — you don't do that when you're in the middle of something,” Cowher said. “We really haven't accomplished anything yet.”

        Luck does have a part in the winning streak.

        “We have had our share of good fortune,” he said. “Certainly there are some interceptions that (quarterback) Kordell (Stewart) could have had that people have dropped. We've squibbed a kick against the New York Jets that hits a guy and we recover. (But) we've created our own good fortune, too. We've been able to play good, consistent football.”

        The Steelers' new home, Heinz Field, is beginning to rival their old home, Three Rivers Stadium.

        Heinz Field got off to a slow start in the excitement department. It was playing “ketchup.” (Get it? Heinz...catch up?) Three Rivers was such a noisy, raucous place.

        “(But) it's (become) tremendous,” Cowher said. “That (game against the Bengals on Oct.7) was the first game. It was very close to Sept.11; we started the bombing campaign that day. So there were a lot of circumstances that led to the mixed emotions in the crowd.

        “I think, without question, there have been some games that have proven this stadium is very loud when it needs to be,” Cowher said. “We're looking forward to playing playoff games here.”

        If the Steelers beat the Bengals Sunday, the Steelers will clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

        How much emphasis has been placed on gaining that advantage?

        “We've emphasized it very briefly,” Stewart said. “But at the same time, we emphasize more just doing what we've been doing and just keeping the focus to a level where it's been, which is very high. We focus on the task at hand, which is going out and taking care of business regardless of who we're playing or their record. We know what we have at stake here.”

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