Did anyone recognize the Pittsburgh Steelers football team on display — on national television no less — against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday evening?

Where has that team been this year?

I understand I kind of buried the Steelers in last week’s column, with the thinking that how they were playing through the first five weeks was not going to cut it the rest of the way — unless the team was eyeing golf courses to play in January.

But Sunday, while the Steeler offense and defense started poorly, both closed with a resounding slam.

Consider:

n A strong defense shut down a very potent Bengal offense led by a pair of second-year up-and-comers, quarterback Andy Dalton and receiver A.J. Green

n The same defense that has blown three fourth-quarter leads that led to all three Steeler losses (to the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans).

n But the biggest impression I came away with was the team’s ability to move the ball late, killing the final 3 minutes, 57 seconds of the game. Even better, the Steelers limited the Bengals to two three-and-outs over the final 12 minutes of the quarter, controlling the clock for 9:49 of the final 12:24.

Granted, the Steeler offense did not score in that frame, but they broke a 17-all tie inside the first minute of the fourth quarter and made it stand.

This was an offense that had averaged about 75 yards per game rushing — an injured Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman at running back, plus a banged-up offensive line did not help the cause — but finished with 167 yards on 29 carries.

Jonathan Dwyer rolled for a very Jerome Bettis-like 122 yards on 17 carries to shoulder the load. Also, the addition of speedy Chris Rainey, who had 17 yards on four carries and scored his first professional touchdown, gives the Steelers a blend of power and speed.

Along with the 29 rushing attempts, the Steelers attempted 37 passes, which seems typical for a Ben Roethlisberger team, but the rushing helped extend several drives and eat more valuable clock time.

It was a great performance and coupled with the Baltimore Ravens’ loss to the Houston Texans, pulls the Steelers a little closer. The Steelers are 1½ games back as the Ravens and Bengals enter their bye weeks. A win against the Washington Redskins this weekend would put the Steelers one game behind the Ravens and one game up on the Bengals in the AFC North.

The biggest question now is where do the Steelers go from here? Can they continue their style of play like they showed against the Bengals? Getting healthier would certainly help and that could make a difference as the team nears the end of the first half.

I still believe the Steelers will go as far as the Ravens will allow them. The Ravens will still set the pace of the division.

Performing the way they did this past Sunday will allow the Steelers keep that pace.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.