With a flurry of passes, Philip Rivers beat Big Ben, wiped away the memories of "Martyball" and helped the San Diego Chargers make a pretty big statement. Rivers threw two touchdown passes, including a 22-yarder to All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates midway through the third quarter that boosted the San Diego Chargers to a 23-13 victory over the slumping Super Bowl champions Sunday night.

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ricardo Colclough will miss the rest of the season because of a neck injury that apparently developed during the bye week. Colclough's fumbled punt on only his fourth career return led to Cincinnati's pivotal score in the Steelers' last game, a 28-20 loss to the Bengals on Sept.

The Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday placed cornerback-returner Ricardo Colclough on injured reserve, ending his season.

In the latest mailbag, readers insist that Albert Haynesworth's five-game suspension wasn't punishment enough.

This is one week the Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest worry might not be defending against a player on offense, but one on defense. The Steelers' offensive line must try to contain 270-pound San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, a disruptive big hitter whose game is similar to that of Baltimore's Ray Lewis.

By John Pezzullo SportsTicker Pro Football Editor

Turns out David Letterman isn't the only guy with a Top 10 list. Ben Roethlisberger has one, too. Roethlisberger's list isn't as witty or comical as Letterman's -- unless, of course, the slapstick-like offensive play of the winless Oakland Raiders is taken into account. It exists only in his mind, and it includes the 10 teams that passed him over in the 2004 draft.

A number of Super Bowl contenders have already hurt their championship chances by giving in to temptation.

Nine catches, 99 yards. Normally, about an afternoon's worth of work for Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward. Instead, they are Ward's statistics for the first three games of a so-far disappointing season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's obvious Ward hasn't been himself, playing with a sore hamstring that he injured in training camp and is not yet healed.

Playing the San Diego Chargers on the road figures to be difficult enough for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's why coach Bill Cowher doesn't want them thinking about the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals, too. The Steelers (1-2) are down 2 1/2 games to Baltimore (4-0) and 1 1/2 games to Cincinnati (3-1) in the AFC North, but Cowher said Tuesday that it's way too early in the season to be...

After dismantling the Seahawks on Sunday, the undefeated Bears are atop the rankings for the first time.

James Brown talks with Terry Bradshaw, who knows a good-looking player and a good-looking man when he sees 'em.

Ben Roethlisberger's play has been so off this season, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback joked Wednesday that he's wondering whether his June motorcycle accident is affecting his play. "The doctors said there's nothing wrong with my brain, but I'm having brain (cramps) out there," Roethlisberger said.

The surprising thrashing of the Falcons on Monday night has catapulted the Saints into the rankings' top 12.

If the Giants continue to struggle with their pass rush, it will be a long season for the defense.

Carson Palmer made no secret of his hatred for the Pittsburgh Steelers during his rehab. After the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback sent the defending Super Bowl champions to a 1-2 start, the feeling might be mutual. Alternating between brilliant and awful, Palmer threw two touchdown passes to T.J. Houshmandzadeh less than a minute apart midway through the fourth quarter following Steelers turnovers...

PITTSBURGH – The Bengals continue to mature, winning a game at Pittsburgh they normally would have lost.

Carson Palmer wasn't about to lose this one. Not against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team he says he hates -- the team he spent eight exhausting months rehabilitating his mangled knee mostly for the chance to face. Alternating between brilliant and awful, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback threw two touchdown passes to T.J.

He hated the eight months of exhausting rehabilitation, and the team that made him go through it. Carson Palmer didn't play the way he wanted against the team he dislikes the most, but the result couldn't have been more satisfying. Alternating between brilliant and awful, the Cincinnati quarterback threw two touchdown passes to T.J.

The Pittsburgh Steelers deactivated running back Duce Staley for Sunday's AFC North game against Cincinnati, deciding instead to go with Najeh Davenport as a backup. The Steelers picked up Davenport after the Green Bay Packers cut him at the start of the season, but he did carry the ball in either of their first two games.