CINCINNATI — Playing big games is nothing new for the Cincinnati Bengals.

"We've played in some big games around here," 10th-year offensive tackle Willie Anderson said matter-of-factly on Wednesday. "Just unfortunately for us, we haven't won those games."

In Marvin Lewis' first two seasons as head coach, they've had chances to finally escape their 1990s-era futility by winning a pivotal game. Each time, they crumbled.

It's the last thing holding them back in their transformation from pathos to playoffs. They haven't yet learned what it takes to win a big game, one where the intensity rises and the season rides on every play.

They get another chance Sunday in Pittsburgh to show that they've finally learned a thing or two — or, nothing at all. With a breakthrough win, the Bengals (8-3) would open a daunting two-game lead over the Steelers and put themselves in line for their first playoff appearance since 1990.

"I think we can beat them," said quarterback Carson Palmer, who is 0-3 career against Pittsburgh. "Everybody on this team thinks we can beat them."

They also thought so on Oct. 23, when the Steelers came to town already trailing by a game and a half. The Bengals had a chance to take control of the division on their home field — the perfect setting to show they can indeed win a big one.

Pittsburgh 27, Cincinnati 13.

"We thought we could go out there and play the same against Pittsburgh as the way we did the previous four games, and that's not the case," Anderson said. "Pittsburgh is not going to be like going out to the park and tossing a ball around with my dad.

"It's not going to be that type of game. It's a fight, and Daddy can't help you."

A few things are different this time around.

Anderson challenged his teammates to play more like men after the loss to Pittsburgh. They responded by pushing the Baltimore Ravens around while sweeping their two-game series, a sign of growth.

A 45-37 loss to Indianapolis followed by a 42-29 win over Baltimore last Sunday left them full of confidence heading into their biggest game in 15 years. A victory in Pittsburgh would clinch their first winning record since 1990.

The Steelers sense that things have changed.

"I think where they are now, there's no question they're a more confident team than they've ever been down there, particularly this late in the season," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "And they're playing at a very high level. So this will be a big challenge for us."

The biggest question is whether the Bengals have figured out how to approach it. There are mixed signals so far.

Before the first game against Pittsburgh, a relaxed Lewis talked about how his years with the Steelers shaped what he's done in Cincinnati. He even deviated from his usual script about how each game is only one of 16.

"It's an important game," Lewis said, leading up to that first game. "I don't think you can run from it or hide from it. It's important."

This week, he's wary of saying anything worth remembering. During his news conference on Monday, Lewis wouldn't even acknowledge that he had deemed the first game a little more important than most.

"I didn't acknowledge that it was a big game at all," he said. "I said they're all big games."

And, this one?

"We are a game ahead of them right now, I guess — or a half a game, I don't know what it is — so it's important," Lewis said, feigning ignorance of the standings. "But there's still a lot of football left to be played after this."

His players all know the stakes — Lewis has pointed them out — and what's at stake for a team that hasn't won a big game in a long, long time. They're not sidestepping the enormity of this one.

"Maybe last time," defensive lineman John Thornton said. "Not this time."