PITTSBURGH -- Strong safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor will each miss his third consecutive game Sunday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals with the AFC North title on the line.
Neither player fully participated in a practice last week and Polamalu is out because of a knee injury while Taylor won't play due to forearm and shoulder injuries. Reserve tight end Michael Palmer is also out because of a groin injury.
Will Allen will start in place of Polamalu while Brice McCain will play in place of Taylor.
There are no surprises on the Bengals' inactives list even though wide receiver A.J. Green is dealing with a biceps injury and the flu swept through team headquarters last week. Veteran cornerback Terence Newman is the only Bengals player who won't suit up tonight because of an illness,
Newman will be replaced in the starting lineup by Dre Kirkpatrick, who intercepted Peyton Manning twice last Monday night, on the way to winning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The Steelers’ healthy scratches are wide receiver Justin Brown, defensive end Clifton Geathers, quarterback Landry Jones and guard Chris Hubbard.
The Steelers will claim the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs if they beat the Bengals and host the Baltimore Ravens next weekend in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Steelers will visit the Indianapolis Colts as the No. 5 seed next weekend if they lose to the Bengals.
