CINCINNATI (AP) – A low hit on Carson Palmer changed everything.

Steelers nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen dived into Cincinnati’s Pro Bowl quarterback at the knee on his first pass Sunday, knocking him out of the game with a torn ligament, and Pittsburgh rolled to a 31-17 victory that set up a rematch with the AFC’s top team.

Pittsburgh (12-5) will play in Indianapolis next Sunday, a chance to show how far it’s come in the past month. The Steelers lost at the RCA Dome 27-7 on Nov. 28, when coach Bill Cowher started the second half with a failed onside kick that seemed to be a sign of desperation.

Defending Super Bowl champion New England will play in Denver on Saturday night.

Pittsburgh was in jeopardy of not making the playoffs after a 38-31 loss to the Bengals at Heinz Field put Cincinnati in line for the AFC North title. The Steelers won their last four to get in as a wild card, and kept the momentum going against their up-and-coming rival.

The Bengals (11-6) had boasted after winning in Pittsburgh that they were now the team to beat in the division. Given a chance to prove it with their first playoff appearance in 15 years, they lapsed into some old-style bungling with their leader gone.

In his second playoff go-round, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was cooly efficient – 14-of-19 for 208 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

The crowd of 65,870 erupted, then went sickeningly silent on the Bengals’ first pass play – one that went down as the longest in Cincinnati playoff history, and the costliest.

Palmer held onto the ball a second longer than usual, allowing rookie Chris Henry to get open down the right sideline for a 66-yard reception. As the ball left Palmer’s hand, von Oelhoffen drove his shoulder into his left knee.

Even though Palmer wears a protective brace on the knee, it bowed inward, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. Palmer seemed to know it was serious when he was taken off on a cart, a grim expression on his face.

Now, it was up to his mentor to get it done. He couldn’t.

Jon Kitna led the Bengals to an 8-8 finish in coach Marvin Lewis’ first season, then took a back seat to Palmer the last two seasons. He played sparingly this season and was understandably rusty in a 37-3 loss to Kansas City last week.

Kitna, one of only 13 Bengals with playoff experience, kept the Bengals in it until their inexperience and lack of a Pro Bowl quarterback started to show in the third quarter.

First, the Bengals botched a field goal attempt because of a high snap. Then, Kitna knocked the ball out of his own hand while scrambling, scuttling a drive. Finally, a shanked 30-yard punt – something out of the old Bungles days – put the Steelers in position to take control.

Three plays later, they used a little sleight-of-snap to do just that.

Antwaan Randle El took a direct snap in front of Roethlisberger, ran to his right, turned and threw the ball back to the quarterback. Cedrick Wilson was 10 yards beyond the confused coverage for his 43-yard touchdown catch that put the Steelers up 28-17.

That was it.

The Steelers never let the Bengals get close again, harassing Kitna with a variety of blitzes that left him scrambling around the field. He finished 24-of-40 for 197 yards with two interceptions and four sacks.