PITTSBURGH – Those who were concerned about the Steelers' missing running game in the Monday night loss in Jacksonville now can rest easily. It was found running through the Cincinnati defense at Heinz Field Sunday.

Willie Parker ripped through the Bengals for 133 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns for the first multi-score game of his career. The Steelers totaled 170 rushing yards on the day.

After being manhandled by the Jaguars' defensive front in the 9-0 loss, the Steelers offensive line of tackles Marvel Smith and Max Starks, guards Alan Faneca and Kendall Simmons, and center Jeff Hartings usually were able to clear a path for the speedy third-year player from North Carolina.

However, the re-awakening of the Steelers' ground game was negated by two fourth-quarter turnovers that led to two Cincinnati scores.

Add some sub-par play by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw three interceptions, including one that killed a Pittsburgh scoring drive, together with too many dropped passes, and you'll get Sunday's 28-20 loss.

"It's a tough time, so I'm going to re-evaluate myself," Parker said after Sunday's loss. "There's no need to point fingers as a reason why we lost. The only thing I can do is look in the mirror and ask myself what I can do to help this team win the next game."

Parker and some stout play by the defense at critical times gave the Steelers a chance to knock off their AFC North rivals. He also recorded the eighth 100-yard game of his career and it was the fourth time in five regular season games that he crossed that threshold. But Parker wasn't about to hold his effort above the team's defeat.

"It's not about what I did," he said. "It's not about the yards. It's not about the touchdowns. We lost today, and we've got to come back Wednesday and regroup."

When Faneca was told that Parker ran for 133 yards Sunday, he agreed with the running back's sentiments: "It's great. I know everyone hangs their hat on a 100-yard rusher, but we still didn't win the game, so it doesn't mean much."

Parker's carries total of 31 Sunday, which was just 10 off of the team record set by Franco Harris in an October 1976 game with Cincinnati, seemed like a lot for a 5-foot-10, 209-pound running back. But Parker said he's ready to carry any load in the ground game.

"I'll do whatever it takes to help this team win," he said. "Whether it takes 15 carries, 30 carries, it don't matter."

The loss was hard for both Parker and Faneca to take, but they do acknowledge that the running game finally is going in the right direction and will be something to build upon as the team heads into the bye week.

"It was really important to establish the run," Parker said. "It opens up everything else. Today, we didn't execute our game plan like we could, but it's a start."

Faneca agreed.

"It's positive. We're moving in the right direction," he said. "That's shat we have to think about in the off week."