PITTSBURGH, Pa. - It seems borderline surreal, a role reversal as stunning as it is definitive. A year ago, the Cincinnati Bengals came to Heinz Field in December and emerged with a 13-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That propelled Cincinnati to a second straight post-season berth and sent its longtime nemesis into a downward spiral from which it is still trying to recover. Watch the Bengals vs. Steelers live on TSN with coverage starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. "I think (it was big)," Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green said. "The Steelers had our number every year, even when I first got here." Not anymore. Not by a long shot. If anything, the gap between the two franchises has only widened over the last 12 months. Cincinnati (9-4) can assure itself a third consecutive trip to the playoffs in Sunday nights rematch. The Steelers (5-8) need to win out just to avoid the clubs first losing season in a decade. Welcome to the new AFC North, the one where the balance of power is 60 minutes away from sitting well west of Pittsburgh and Baltimore — at a place that has spent most of the last two decades serving as fodder for the rest of the league. Those days are over. The Bengals, not the Steelers, are the ones with the young and athletic defence. The Bengals, not the Steelers, are the ones with the dynamic running game. The Bengals, not the Steelers, are the ones with the swagger of a champion. What better chance to show the world just how far theyve come than on national television? "Theres going to be more people watching," quarterback Andy Dalton said. "We have to put our best foot forward and be playing our best, show everyone what this team is and what were made of." The Steelers are trying to do the same. The meaningful portion of their season came to an end in a 34-28 loss to Miami last week that all but mathematically eliminated them from the chase for the AFCs second wild card berth. They insist, however, theyre not going to just play out the string. "Im motivated to play as hard as I can," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "Im sure everyone else is." Five things to look for as Cincinnati tries to cement its newfound perch atop one of the leagues better divisions. HARRISONS HOMECOMING: Bengals linebacker James Harrison returns to the place where he forged a career as one of the most talented and menacing players in the league. The Steelers cut Harrison last spring after failing to reach agreement on a restructured contract. He landed in Cincinnati, where hes found a niche as a role player on a defence that is one of the NFLs most aggressive. PITTSBURGHS PATCHY D: The Steelers are in danger of finishing outside the top 10 in total defence for the first time this millennium. Pittsburgh is 13th in yards allowed with three weeks to go. The biggest culprit has been an inability to stop opponents from ripping off chunks of yardage. The Steelers have given up 11 plays of 50 yards or more this season, the most in the league. DYNAMITE DALTON: Dalton is having the best season of his brief career thanks in part to an offensive line that makes sure his No. 14 jersey looks the same at the end of the game as it did at the beginning. Dalton has gone three straight games without taking a sack. Its not a coincidence the Bengals are 3-0 in those games and have gone over 40 points twice. "I think any quarterback throws the ball better when theres not a lot of people around him," Dalton said. "Our line has done a good job, and we have to keep that going." BALANCE WITH BELL: The Steelers rank just 31st in the league in yards rushing, though they insist theyre happy with the ground game. Rookie LeVeon Bell is averaging over 90 yards from scrimmage per game thanks in part to his versatility. He already has 39 receptions, most of them on what are basically extended handoffs. GREEN VS. TAYLOR: Green has emerged as one of the top wide receivers in the league, but hes had trouble at times against Pittsburgh veteran cornerback Ike Taylor. Green caught six passes for just 41 yards in a 20-10 victory over the Steelers at home back in September. If Taylor can keep Green under wraps, the Steelers have a chance to postpone Cincinnatis party, at least for a bit. ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.orgFake Yeezys . Lexie Lou earned a commanding 4 1/2-length win Sunday in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks. Fake Yeezys Boost . The Toronto Blue Jays star won his second consecutive Hank Aaron Award as the most outstanding offensive performer in the AL on Monday after votes by fans and a panel of Hall of Famers were tallied. http://www.fakeyeezysforsale.com/ . -- The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Cuban shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena to a $25 million, five-year contract Saturday. Fake Yeezy Boost 350 V2 . Englands only win in the four most recent trips north had been tight, and Scotland was expected after losing 28-6 to Ireland six days ago to show some venom against its archrival. Cheap Fake Yeezys .J. Ward appeared in court Friday on misdemeanour charges that he threw a glass mug at a bartender at a Denver strip club.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Before John Elway headed out to the golf course to take advantage of a sunny Sunday in the Rocky Mountains, the Denver Broncos general manager made yet another splash in free agency by signing wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to a three-year, $15 million contract. The Broncos have been the leagues most successful suitors so far, committing nearly $128 million to five players, including three thumpers who will reinforce a defence that was exposed in the Super Bowl: safety T.J. Ward, cornerback Aqib Talib, pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, and two receivers in Bubba Caldwell and Sanders. "They definitely did a great job from a free-agent perspective," Sanders said. "When I saw them bring in DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward, I was like, Theyre stacking up on defence. I knew with Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas and Wes Welker and (Bubba) Caldwell, I was like, I would fit with these guys really well. When my agent, Steve Weinberg, got the call, we were definitely fist-bumping. We were hoping that the numbers matched, and they matched. So yesterday was probably one of the best days of my life." A former Pittsburgh Steelers No. 2 receiver, Sanders can play both the slot and the outside in place of Eric Decker, who left Denver for the New York Jets. This latest move left several teams fuming, according to NFL.com, which reported that Sanders agent, Steve Weinberg, shopped is client around after agreeing to a deal with principle with the Kansas City Chiefs. A call from The Associated Press to Weinberg went straight to voice mail Sunday, and that mailbox was full. Sanders defended his agent, saying Weinberg did nothing wrong. He said he visited four teams and when he was ready to sign they reached out to all four of those teams to ask for their final offer. "And I guess the Chiefs felt like they had a deal. But we never officially had a deal," Sanderss said.dddddddddddd He said the fact that he was at the Chiefs facility at the time may have made them believe they had a deal in place. "There was no handshake. There was no kind of agreement ... we were close to a deal, but it wasnt anything official just yet," Sanders said. "In terms of shopping around, we didnt shop around. Teams were still calling. Teams were still trying to get involved. Thats what happened. Steve Weinberg, he did an exceptional job in terms of the whole free-agency process. At times, I was like, Steve, what is going on? Am I flying East Coast or West Coast? But I believe in him. Everything that he said was going to happen, happened. I ended up at the place that I needed to be." Elway said this sort of thing happens this time of year. "I will say this, we didnt know anything about it, but having been in this for the last three years, that stuff happens quite a bit, so miscommunications happens a lot of times," Elway said. Sanders, a third-round draft pick in 2010, had 161 catches for 2,030 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons with the Steelers. He also has 13 receptions for 172 yards in four career playoff games. Last year, he caught a career-best 67 passes for 740 yards and six TDs, including four over the Steelers final six games. Although not as big as Decker, Sanders is fast and elusive -- he ranked fourth in the league last year by causing opponents to miss 15 tackles. Elway said, "I think hes going to add a lot," to Denvers high-octane offence that shattered several records last year and was the envy of many a wide receiver who marveled at the numbers Manning put up week after week. "It was amazing and I remember sitting at my house saying, Man, thats what I want to be a part of someday," Sanders said. "It always works out as long as you work hard. They had a really good season last year and hopefully we can repeat the same things and this time finish it off." ' ' '