By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Marvin Lewis wants to see a sea of orange and black in Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday and not any yellow and black.

The Bengals will play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the sold-out stadium, and Lewis challenged Bengals fans not to sell their seats to Steelers followers. "The guys felt the atmosphere (at Oakland on Sunday) - they loved that," Lewis said of his players. "We need to have that atmosphere this week because this is a special week. And we've got to quit having all the people giving their tickets away to those people from up the river, you know what I'm saying?"

The Steelers have helped sell out all four of their games at Paul Brown Stadium since 2000. Thousands of their fans travel from Southwestern Pennsylvania and have provided the Steelers a home-field edge at many road games - including Cincinnati.

SO FAR, SO GOOD: Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson has 226 receiving yards after two games, a pace that will get him - barely - to his goal of 1,800 yards.

If Johnson continues to average 113 yards a game, he would finish the 16-game schedule with 1,808 yards. Johnson had eight catches for 131 yards at Oakland, and his 14 receptions rank him in a three-way tie for seventh in the NFL. His 226 yards are fifth in the league.

RECEIVER TALK: Lewis said he likes Pittsburgh's receiving corps - led by Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress and Antwaan Randle El.

Ward has 18 receptions for 237 yards, and Burress 13 for 231.

"It's a great challenge," Lewis said. "These guys are competitive guys that play hard snap to whistle every single play. They will knock your head off every single play if they get the chance to. They play with smiles on their faces. It's a hell of a competitive group. They have a defensive mentality."

INJURIES: Linebacker Riall Johnson (calf) said he would probably be out two to three weeks. Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hamstring) received more treatment Monday, but Lewis was hopeful he could return. Guard Victor Leyva (chest muscles) and tailback Rudi Johnson (thigh) also said they expect to practice Wednesday.

STAT CHECK: The Bengals might be 0-2, but they are ranked in the top 10 in four of the six major NFL categories. Not counting the Monday night game between the Giants and Cowboys, the Bengals are ranked No. 2 in pass defense, No. 5 in pass offense, No. 8 in total offense and No. 10 total defense.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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