PITTSBURGH – Finally, after 15 folly filled years of doing it worse than almost every other team in pro sports, the Cincinnati Bengals proved they belong among the best.

The Bengals went into Pittsburgh in December, stood up to the team they rarely beat and all but secured their first division championship in 15 years, riding Carson Palmer’s three touchdown passes and a defense that forced four more turnovers in an all-important 38-31 victory over the Steelers yesterday.

Rudi Johnson ran for Cincinnati’s final two scores, one after a 94-yard Tab Perry kickoff return and the other following Ben Roethlisberger’s third and most costly interception, as the Bengals (9-3) seized a two-game lead in the AFC North with four games to play.

The Steelers (7-5) got a gutty effort from Roethlisberger (29-of-41, 386 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions) despite a possible fractured right thumb, but dropped their third in a row and now are in danger of not making the playoffs a year after going 15-1.

That’s how pivotal this game was for both teams – if the Steelers had won, they would have effectively been in the division lead by virtue of tiebreakers, but now they face an uphill climb to get in as a wild card.

The Bengals came into their biggest game in 15 years with the division lead despite losing convincingly to Pittsburgh at home 27-13 on Oct. 23. And no team has beaten up on the bad-for-years Bengals like the Steelers, who were 20-7 against them under coach Bill Cowher.

But even on a day the Bengals seemingly had everything going against them – the crowd, the cold, nasty weather and an inspired game by a badly injured Roethlisberger – they responded, like good teams are supposed to do. Like Bengals teams almost never do, especially so late in a season.

With Roethlisberger passing better than he has all season despite a black-and-blue thumb that was encased in a splint and covered by a glove, the Bengals came back every time Pittsburgh scored in a game that was unexpectedly high scoring.

The Steelers led 7-0 and 14-7 and also tied it at 24 after trailing 24-17, but the Bengals – assuring themselves of their first winning season since 1990 – repeatedly answered, twice scoring touchdowns within four plays of getting the ball back.

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