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down $150 for one person's dinner.
• ___

• CINCINNATI (AP) -- The top two running backs were gone. So were two offensive linemen. Safety Troy Polamalu was sitting on the bench along with all those other injured Steelers.
• So, what exactly did Pittsburgh have left? A determined defense. Some reserve running backs. And Ben Roethlisberger.
• That's enough, especially in Cincinnati.
• Roethlisberger threw for a touchdown, and Pittsburgh's defense clamped down on the Bengals' Dalton-to-Green connection for a 24-17 victory Sunday night that got the Steelers back into the thick of the AFC North race.
• For the Steelers (3-3), it was a significant win under tough conditions. Their first road victory of the season moved them into second place behind Baltimore (5-2), which lost to Houston 43-13 earlier Sunday.
• ___

• SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals sure have something about going down to final games this postseason.
• So it's fitting that the two previous World Series champions are playing a winner-take-all Game 7 for the chance to get back to baseball's biggest stage.
• Ryan Vogelsong struck out a career-best nine in another postseason gem in his biggest start yet, and San Francisco staved off elimination for the second straight game, handing St. Louis a 6-1 loss Sunday night to force the deciding game in the NL championship series on Monday.
• San Francisco's Matt Cain and St. Louis' Kyle Lohse are set to pitch in a rematch of Game 3, won by the Cardinals. There's a forecast of rain in the Bay Area during the day.
• "You've seen us the last couple years, it seems, unfortunately, we don't win until we absolutely need to," Lohse said. "So, it's one of those things where we would love to have taken care of business the last two games. We haven't. ... It's time to get it done."

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