CINCINNATI (AP)Vontaze Burfict refused to shake the Steelers’ hands at midfield last October Infant Hjalte Froholdt Jersey , and added to the insult by kicking one of them during the first quarter. Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell tweeted after Pittsburgh’s 29-14 win that the Bengals linebacker ought to be kicked out of the NFL. There’s no holding back in this rivalry. The AFC North rivals get a chance to add a few more flourishes – for better or worse – to a nasty series that has played out not only on the field, but in social media exchanges and end zone celebrations as well. The Steelers (9-2) and the Bengals (5-6) don’t like each other, and they don’t hide it. It’s on Twitter. It’s on the field. It’ll be back at Paul Brown Stadium – the scene of the rivalry’s most memorable moment – on Monday night in the game the Bengals need to win to have a chance of salvaging their season. ”It’s all about the story lines,” Bengals safety George Iloka said. ”Will we play well in primetime? Will we get the game that we need? How many games have we lost to them in a row? I know the story lines.” So do the Steelers, who are off to their best start since 2004. They’ve won five straight against Cincinnati and eight of nine in the series, a span that includes the Bengals’ playoff meltdown at Paul Brown Stadium during the 2015 season. That’s the one in which Burfict hit Antonio Brown in the head in the closing seconds, moving the Steelers in range for the winning field goal. They’ve been going at it ever since, even when they’re far away from each other playing other teams. In November, Bengals receiver A.J. Green was ejected in Jacksonville for grabbing cornerback Jalen Ramsey around the neck, tackling him and punching him. The Steelers’ reaction? In their next game against Indianapolis, Bell and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster celebrated a touchdown by re-enacting the Green-Ramsey confrontation . ”I thought it was funny, so we wanted to make it a celebration,” Bell said this week. ”We weren’t trying to downplay them or make A.J. Green feel a certain way. We just thought that situation was funny how it turned out and ran with it.” They weren’t laughing in Cincinnati, where several story lines will play out Monday night. PRIME-TIMERS The Steelers love the night-time stage . They’ve won 10 straight prime-time games, including three already this season against the Lions (Sunday night), the Titans (Thursday night) and the Packers (last Sunday night). Following their game in Cincinnati, they host the Ravens on Sunday night. ”All your peers are watching Hjalte Froholdt Jersey Draft , all your family is watching, your friends, people all over the world,” Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger said. ”So it’s fun when you put on a good show.” For the Bengals, it’s been a horrific time slot. They’re 11-23 on Monday night, dropping their past three, and 3-14 on Sunday night. PATS ON THE BRAIN? Steelers coach Mike Tomlin raised eyebrows when he openly talked about Pittsburgh’s Dec. 17 meeting with New England during a taped interview before the Steelers narrowly escaped the Packers. Roethlisberger downplayed it, calling it part of a coach’s job to look down the road. Safety Mike Mitchell however, thinks it’s only natural to have what could be the game of the season in the AFC highlighted. ”I’m going to prepare for the Cincinnati Bengals because that’s who we play this week,” Mitchell said. ”But you’re … not the smartest human in the world if you’re not thinking about them.” GET `EM DOWN: The Steelers have the league’s fourth-ranked defense, but they’ve allowed a touchdown of at least 50 yards or more in each of the past three games, including two last week to unproven Green Bay backup quarterback Brett Hundley. Pittsburgh has to get that part fixed. ”It’s fitting to get real,” linebacker Bud Dupree said. ”So these next couple months is the most important months of the year.” BURFICT’S BEHAVIOR: Burfict’s kick at Steelers running back Roosevelt Nix in the October game drew a $12,154 fine. Burfict wasn’t a factor in the Steelers’ 29-14 win. He was on the field for all 69 defensive plays and finished with only four tackles, no sacks, no pass breakups and no tackle for a loss. How will he put his mark on this game? NO `INT’ IN DALTON: Andy Dalton threw an interception during the third quarter of the loss at Heinz Field, and hasn’t thrown another since then. He’s gone five games and 140 attempts without being picked off Hjalte Froholdt NFL Jersey , the longest streak by a Bengals quarterback since Akili Smith in 2000. Dalton is only 3-10 against the Steelers with 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. During the second half of the loss at Pittsburgh, the Bengals managed only one first down and 19 yards total. — AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report. — Preseason week 3 Patriots vs Panthers: Quick-hit thoughts on New England’s 25-14 snoozefest against Carolina The Carolina Panthers destroyed the New England Patriots 25-14 and it wasn’t even that close. The Patriots didn’t look like they cared, which is fine since it’s the preseason, but they also didn’t look like they could have executed if they were trying, which is not fine.Here are my quick takeaways after the game.The Patriots defense was awful in the first halfWhen the Patriots starters were on the field, the Panthers gained 77 yards, 58 yards, 7 yards, and 59 yards. The three extended drives resulted in field goals for Carolina. It’s great that they tightened up in the red zone, but the Patriots first team defense spent the first half getting gashed every which way by the Panthers offense. Carolina waltzed their way up the field over the first 10 minutes of the game with four third-down conversions. Then they gained 28 yards on consecutive plays on their second drive. And then they ran the hurry-up to score right before the half. They were able to move however they wanted by running the ball, passing to receivers, or passing to their tight end. Bill Belichick won’t be too happy.The Patriots offense was also awful in the first halfThe Patriots went three-and-out on their first drive, stalled inside the red zone on their second drive and settled for a field goal, and then gained a mere 44 yards on 14 plays before Stephen Gostkowski pushed his field goal attempt wide. That was the Patriots entire first half. Tom Brady was accurate enough, but his receivers weren’t able to get open down the field. Julian Edelman dropped two passes, while Chris Hogan had 1 catch for 10 yards. The tight ends didn’t catch any of their 3 targets. Mike Gillislee and Jeremy Hill gained a weak 28 yards on 11 carries (15 of those yards came on a single Gillislee carry, meaning they averaged 1.3 yards on their other 10 attempts).It wasn’t their best performance.Phillip Dorsett looked really good!Dorsett was one of the lone bright spots in the first half for the Patriots as he collected all 4 of his targets for 36 yards. Those catches included 16 yards on 1st-and-10 and a 6-yard gain on 4th-and-3. He looked quick with the football in his hands and he was able to contribute on short passes- a sign of development after only really being a deep ball target in 2017.With Julian Edelman suspended for the first four games of the year Hjalte Froholdt NFL Draft , Dorsett really has a chance to be the Patriots leading receiver, which is kind of a scary thought- but is closer to reality than anyone could have projected last year.Here are some young players that look to be in the running for playing time:Keionta Davis started on the defensive line opposite of Deatrich Wise Jr. and they’re likely to be the top defensive ends behind Trey Flowers and Adrian Clayborn. Derek Rivers is likely to get a year to prove himself. Ja’Whaun Bentley got some playing time behind Elandon Roberts, but both seem like strong bets to make the roster.Eric Rowe started opposite of Stephon Gilmore and should be the presumed starter.On offense, Dorsett was the only youngster that really made any strong claim. Here are some veterans looking in from the outsideThe Patriots sprinkled in some Eric Decker didn’t play until the second half, and while Cordarrelle Patterson played in the first half with the first team, he was also playing late into the fourth quarter.Jeremy Hill suffered an injury that could hand a roster spot to Mike Gillislee. Hopefully it’s not serious.Offensive linemen Luke Bowanko, Brian Schwenke, and Matt Tobin were all playing in the second half and will have a hard time making the roster.Will Tye did not make the most of his opportunities, getting blown away as a run blocker and not pulling down his target opportunity.Marquis Flowers was playing behind both Roberts and Bentley, which should be slightly concerning since he hasn’t played much this preseason.Jason McCourty was with the second-team cornerbacks opposite of Keion Crossen. Cyrus Jones was the slot receiver. We could be looking at a top five of Gilmore, Rowe, McCourty, Crossen, and either Jonathan Jones or Cyrus Jones.