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PITTSBURGH -- The Cincinnati Bengals insist theyre past the meltdown that cost them so dearly in a playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last January.Yet nine months later, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick still cant quite believe it.Yes, that really was Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict belting Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown high, hard and late to draw a flag.Yes, that really was cornerback Adam Jones drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after being goaded by Steelers outside linebackers coach Joey Porter.Yes, that really was Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell kicking a 35-yard field goal with 14 seconds left to give Pittsburgh an 18-16 win .I watched that film, and every play it was something, Kirkpatrick said. Every play. It was to the point where I was like, `We really were doing that? But hey, we know what kind of game it is, so we know what we have to go out there and do.One in which both sides are trying to downplay the noticeable rise in tension during Cincinnatis ascension to consistent contender as the Bengals prepare to visit Pittsburgh on Sunday.Everybody knows the fines that are associated with this game, Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams said. Everybody knows the professional hatred we have with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Bengals have with us.The one thing Pittsburgh has that the Bengals do not is a long run of postseason success. After last Januarys debacle, the franchise remains winless in the playoffs since the 1990 season.And while another shot is a long way off, Cincinnati (1-0) could make an early season statement by beating the Steelers (1-0) in Pittsburgh -- and keeping its cool while doing it -- for a second straight year.Thats rarely been a problem for the Steelers.Were a pretty cool team, defensive end Cam Heyward said. We dont get too high or too low. We try to stay pretty focused on the goal, thats to win the game. All that ulterior stuff is hoopla. We dont pay attention to it.Other things to look for as both teams try to get to 2-0 and an early edge in what should be another tight division race.MISSING IN ACTION: Both sides will be short-handed. Burfict is serving a three-game suspension that came as part of the fallout of his vicious hit on Brown. Steelers running back LeVeon Bell is also out three games for violating the leagues substance-abuse policy, though it hardly seemed like an issue as the 33-year-old Williams ran for an NFL-high 143 yards and a pair of scores against Washington in a Monday night romp.PITTSBURGH KID: Theres one Bengal looking forward to playing at Heinz Field. Receiver Tyler Boyd grew up in Clairton, Pennsylvania, and played many games at Heinz while attending Pitt. The Bengals drafted him in the second round. He had a pair of catches for 24 yards in the opener.I actually cant wait, Boyd said. Hopefully I can make a touchdown coming back to my hometown. Hopefully the people there cheer for me and root for me no matter what.Its just surreal to me. Ive played on that field so many times its like I know the tracks. I grew up playing there, so hopefully I can come up with a lot of big plays.DROPPING DALTON: While the Steelers defense kept Washington in check for the most part, the one thing Pittsburgh failed to do was get to quarterback Kirk Cousins. Pittsburgh blitzed less frequently than normal in an effort to protect a young secondary, though Heyward says that isnt an excuse. Cincinnatis offensive line was shaky at best in a narrow victory over the Jets in Week 1, a game in which Dalton was sacked a career-high seven times.You can cover up a lot when youre able to hit the quarterback, Heyward said. Weve got to put Andy on his butt.PERFECT START: The Bengals are trying to open the season with a pair of road wins for the first time in franchise history. Theyve opened a season with back-to-back road games three times and failed to go 2-0. Theyd be the first team to do it since Miami in 2013. They won at Pittsburgh last season and were 6-2 away from Paul Brown Stadium in 2015. They lost three games at home, two of them against the Steelers.Anytime you go on the road, its tough to win, Dalton said. Everything is stacked up against you, especially in Pittsburgh. Its a division game, their crowd gets into it. Youve got to be poised and youve got to play throughout the whole game.---AP Sports Writer Joe Kay in Cincinnati contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Yeezy Boost 700 v2 NZ . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Yeezy 700 Mauve NZ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. http://www.yeezyshoesnz.com/ . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Yeezy Boost 350 For Sale NZ . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. Yeezy Shoes NZ . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. CINCINNATI -- After a sloppy opening win, No. 11 Xavier spent its time working on defense. It was much improved the second time around.J.P. Macura scored 18 points and the Musketeers took advantage of 38 personal fouls by Buffalo, pulling away for an 86-53 victory on Monday night.The Musketeers (2-0) quickly opened a double-digit lead and got the balance back in their offense after relying on career highs for points by Trevon Bluiett and Edmond Sumner in their opening 84-81 win over Lehigh. Bluiett and Sumner had 13 points apiece on Monday.We took a step forward today, said Rashid Gaston , who had nine points and seven rebounds.The defense was much better, too, allowing few uncontested shots.Practice these last past couple days have really geared toward defense, Gaston said. We had to play more team defense.Buffalo (1-1) couldnt keep up with Xaviers quickness and quickly got into foul trouble. The Bulls trailed 42-22 late in the first half and had more fouls (23) than points.Two Bulls fouled out with 8 minutes left in the game, and Xavier went 28 of 38 at the line. Macura made all of his 10 free throws.Our team used Buffalos aggressiveness to our advantage, coach Chris Mack said.Nick Perkins led the Bulls with 15 points, and they shot only 31 percent from the field. Some of the Bulls complained about the many fouls called, but coach Nick Oats didnt see it that way.We need to learn to play defense without fouling, Oats said. Our guys said they got (bad calls), but those officials worked the tournament. They didnt cost us 30 fouls.With the big lead, Mack was able to use some of the freshmen who struggled in the opening win. Guard Quentin Goodin was tentative in the opener, but had 11 pointss and four assists after the coaching staff urged him to relax.dddddddddddd wasnt really scared, just hesitant, Goodin said. Tonight I played loose, started having fun, and it worked out. I just played the way I did when they recruited me.A LOT OF WHISTLESThe officiating crew of John Gaffney, Brent Hampton and Alfred Smith also called 21 fouls on Xavier for 59 total. The Bulls went 13 of 21 on free throws.TOUGH AT HOMEThe Musketeers improved to 218-31 at the Cintas Center.POLL IMPLICATIONSXavier slipped from No. 7 -- the highest preseason ranking in its history -- to No. 11 in Mondays poll, based upon the Musketeers sloppy win over Lehigh. They looked much better in this one.BIG PICTUREBuffalo: Blake Hamilton, the Bulls top returning scorer and rebounder, missed most of the preseason workouts with a broken non-shooting hand. He had 11 points and eight rebounds in a 76-66 win over Niagara on Friday. Hamilton fouled out against Xavier with eight points and three rebounds.Xavier: The Musketeers had three turnovers and defensive lapses in the final 61 seconds of their win over Lehigh, so holding onto the ball was a point of emphasis. They turned it over only nine times.The biggest part with the turnovers is we just had to settle down, Gaston said.UP NEXTBuffalo: Hosts Nazareth on Thursday, the Bulls only home game out of their first nine. Their next home game is Dec. 10 against Coppin State.Xavier: Plays Missouri on Thursday in the opening round of the Tire Pros Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '