CINCINNATI - From third overall in the NFL to among the worst in Bengals history, Cincinnatis defence has taken a great fall this season. And theres little time left to put it all back together again.The Bengals are tottering atop the AFC North following a 42-21 loss to Pittsburgh at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati (8-4-1) has a half-game lead over Pittsburgh and Baltimore with three to play. The Bengals finish the season in Pittsburgh.The Steelers piled up 543 yards on Sunday. Its the third time this season that Cincinnati has given up 500 yards in a game, a franchise record, according to STATS. Only twice before had the Bengals allowed a pair of 500-yard games in a season, and those were in 1968 and 1969, when they were an expansion team.It gets worse.Linebacker Vontaze Burfict went on the injured reserve list on Tuesday, ending his season. The Bengals have severely missed their best defensive player, who was limited to only five starts because of a pair of concussions and knee surgery.The defence has played very well at times, looking like the unit that ranked in the top seven during each of the last three playoff seasons. When things go badly, it has a tendency to implode.One of the messages I am going to give the guys, that I have been telling them, is we have to be better when the odds are against us a little bit, co-ordinator Paul Guenther said. When things arent going quite as smoothly as we want them to go, we have to go out there and buckle up and play good defence.The defence has been pushed around in all four of Cincinnatis losses. The Bengals play at Cleveland (7-6) on Sunday.The Bengals retained the core of a defence that finished third overall in yards allowed last season. The only significant loss to free agency was defensive end Michael Johnson. Their linebackers have been hurt and tackle Geno Atkins has been slow in recovering from knee surgery.The Steelers piled up 25 points and 229 yards in the fourth quarter alone on Sunday. Ben Roethlisbergers 94-yard touchdown pass was the decisive play.I think thats the first time (since the season opener) that we gave up a deep ball, and thats not like us, safety George Iloka said. Well work on that as a secondary. Thats not how we play championship defence.Right now, it ranks among the leagues worst defences.The Bengals are on pace to give up 6,000 yards overall for only the second time in franchise history. After Sundays blowout loss, theyre in danger of failing to make the playoffs.So you go and you say, Hey, these are the things we need to correct, Guenther said. But we need to move forward.Notes: Quarterback AJ McCarron was added to the active roster on Tuesday. Hed been sidelined since training camp because of a sore passing shoulder. The fifth-round draft pick has practiced with the Bengals for the last three weeks. ... Coach Marvin Lewis apologized again on Tuesday for calling Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel a midget during a radio show on Monday night. Lewis said his remark was insensitive and offensive.___Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFLYoan Moncada Jersey . Peter Dawson took his long before he started the job. "I was playing an American one year at Oxford Golf Club, and he introduced me to this travelling mulligan," Dawson said. Carson Fulmer White Sox Jersey . -- Cole De Vries had a couple of key strikeouts during what could have been the inning that doomed him to defeat against the Kansas City Royals, allowing him to escape further damage and keep the game tied up. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/1784e-red-...-white-sox.html. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Eddie Collins White Sox Jersey . -- The Chiefs have signed seven players to reserve/future contracts, including running back Joe McKnight, a former fourth-round pick of the New York Jets. Harry Hooper White Sox Jersey . That assertion is getting harder and harder to make, especially given the way 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari has been playing this season.CLEVELAND -- Before leaving frigid Progressive Field, Nick Swisher delivered a final message in his signature style. "Happy Bro-pening day everyone," he yelled. Swisher made the Indians home opener one to remember. Clevelands first baseman with the infectious attitude hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, two batters after Yan Gomes connected for a solo shot, leading the Indians to a 7-2 home-opening win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday. Swishers homer off Mike Pelfrey (0-1) allowed the Indians to cap a day of pomp and pageantry as they celebrated Progressive Fields 20th anniversary. Before the sixth, the Indians had been shut out by Pelfrey and were in danger of disappointing a sellout crowd that stuck around following a 2-hour, 13-minute rain delay and plummeting temperatures. But Swisher, who added a run-scoring double in Clevelands four-run seventh, helped the Indians win their first home opener since 2008. "I was just so proud of the way the guys fought, man," Swisher said. "Maybe that will be the identity of this team -- the fact that were gonna fight. And regardless of the situation or the obstacle in front of us, were always gonna take that head-on." Indians reliever Josh Outman (1-0) recorded two outs after coming in for starter Danny Salazar in the sixth and got the win. Michael Brantley hit a two-run single in the seventh for the Indians, who were flat and hitless through four innings. But Gomes and Swisher woke the Indians up in the sixth when they finally figured out Pelfrey. "Guys were talking in the dugout and theres the fifth inning, were down 2-0, havent even gotten a hit at that point," Swisher said. "Guys were saying, Hey, we stick around long enough, were gonna get this. And thats a great feeling to have." Chris Colabello homered for the Twins, who jumped on Salazar for two runs in the first inning and were coasting toward a win when Pelfrey fell apart. "It kind of ruins the whole day, no matter how the first four innings went," Pelfrey said. "The game got away from me. It was kind of like a kick in the stomach." Gomes got things started in the sixth with his leadoff homer, a lined shot innto the centre-field bullpen to trim Minnesotas lead to 2-1.dddddddddddd Lonnie Chisenhall walked and Nyjer Morgan sacrificed. Up came Swisher, who fell behind 0-1 before belting his homer, a towering fly pushed deeper into the right-field seats by the gusty winds. Swisher posed to watch the balls flight and then punctuated the homer by flipping his bat as he headed down the first-base line. After crossing home plate, the Ohio native saluted Clevelands crowd by raising his arms and making an "O" and then "H" an "I" and "O." It was typical Swisher -- animated and enthusiastic. "I think everybody gets a kick out of it," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Swishers theatrics. "Maybe not the other team. But I think our guys like it." Said Swisher: "Im going to be who I am." Before the game, Swisher complimented Clevelands front office for signing All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis to a six-year, $52.5 million contract hours before the opener. "Bro, I think its awesome, so amazing," he said. "I feel that were starting to create an identity of who we are." That process began last season, when the Indians won their last 10 games to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007. They lost the wild-card game to Tampa Bay, but Cleveland entered this season with expectations to go even further this October. Until then, Swisher wants everyone to stay warm. "Everybody go home and get a hot cocoa," he said. NOTES: Cleveland has won seven straight over Minnesota. ... Kipnis signing means 16 of the 25 players on the Indians roster are signed through at least 2016. ... Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has a special fondness for Progressive Field, known as Jacobs Field for most of its history. "I love this place," he said. "Its a beautiful atmosphere with the city in the background and the dude banging on the drum out there. Not too many ballparks have fans sitting right next to your dugout in a glassed-in area offering you a beer." ... Former Indians manager Mike Hargrove threw out the ceremonial first pitch, skipping it to first-base coach Sandy Alomar, who played for Hargrove. ' ' '