By Alan Robinson
The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - Jon Kitna. Jon Kitna. Jon Kitna. Ever since the Steelers allowed Cincinnati's journeyman quarterback to throw for 411 yards against them late last season, they've heard how Kitna's success in the spread offense spurred other teams to do the same thing against Pittsburgh.

But as the Steelers (1-3) prepare to play the Bengals (0-5) Sunday in Cincinnati, they're not nearly as worried about Kitna's ability to beat them as they are that of running back Corey Dillon.

Dillon, the AFC's fourth-leading rusher, ran for 164 yards and two touchdowns in Cincinnati's 28-21 loss Sunday to Indianapolis. In eight career games against a Pittsburgh defense that is traditionally tough in stopping the run, he has gained 694 yards on 159 carries - a 4.4 average. He has two 100-yard games and six of 78 yards or more.

Corey Dillon. Corey Dillon. Corey Dillon.

"We definitely have to go out there preparing to stop Corey Dillon," linebacker Joey Porter said. "We know Kitna's going to try to do a job on us, but I guarantee you the first thing they're going to try is Dillon. If they're successful with the run, they're going to keep with it. If we stop the run, then it will be, `OK, let's go with the spread again."'

Dillon had 155 yards on 40 carries against Pittsburgh last season, and his consistent production has helped the Bengals win four of their last eight against the Steelers. That's a better record than the other AFC North teams; the Ravens are 3-6 and the Browns, who rejoined the NFL in 1999, are 2-5 against Pittsburgh since 1998.

"The Bengals have always had our number and always played us tough," running back Jerome Bettis said. "If there's one game they want to win, it's this game and we understand that."

Of course, just as the Steelers are focusing on Dillon, the Bengals will key on Bettis, who has eight 100-yard games in 11 starts against them since joining the Steelers in 1996. He ran for 153 yards in his only game against them last season.

Bettis' slow start this season mirrored that of the Steelers themselves, as he gained only 100 yards in three games. But the Steelers stayed with the run for most of their 32-29 loss Sunday at New Orleans, and Bettis ran for 84 yards and scored once on 19 carries.

"I thought we ran it efficiently, but we can do better," coach Bill Cowher said.

While the Steelers' own running game is getting better, their run defense is not. The Saints' Deuce McAllister (23-123-2) and the Browns' Jamel White (16-105-1) each had 100-yard games against them the last two weeks; by comparison, the Steelers allowed only one 100-yard rusher last season.

"Corey's coming off a big game last week and I know he's feeling comfortable and coach (Dick) LeBeau is going to try to get him 25 carries," Porter said. "We just can't let him have the big runs on us he had last week.

"We've got to stop the run and put it on Kitna's shoulders and see if he can do it again. Kitna's a poison, but he's not a tough poison like Corey Dillon is. We feel our defensive backs are good enough to go out there and stop their receivers, so our big thing is stopping Corey Dillon from running all over us."

Porter dismisses the notion the Bengals learned the secret to beating the Steelers during their 26-23 overtime victory on Dec. 30, when they rallied from 13 points down with less than three minutes to play. The Steelers were 12-2 going into that game, but have since lost five of eight.

"We thought the game was over, thought they were going to shut it down but they kept fighting us," Porter said. "When a team is fighting you like that, you've got to take them all the way out. We didn't think it would turn it into that type of game, but they spread it out and kept coming back and next thing you know, they found a way to win."

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