Steelers News and Notes:

* As of today, Heath Miller is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. It's safe to assume Miller will sit out Week 14, and I sure hope that's the case. That was one nasty hit he took during Sunday night's win over the Ravens, and as important as he is to the Steelers offensively - in both the running and passing games - no need to do anything stupid here. Matt Spaeth, who himself has been sidelined with concussion symptoms, should be ready to go by Sunday. Don't forget about David Johnson either - the second-year seventh-round draft pick out of Arkansas State had the best game of his career with three receptions (two of which picked up first down yardage) and 37 yards

* Staying on the injury front...if the Steelers are going to make a return to the playoffs and a potential run towards Lombardi No. 7, they'll have to do so under similar circumstances to their '08 triumph. Without the services of their opening day punter. Daniel Sepulveda was lost for the year with an ACL injury. Not good news for a guy that's been plagued by knee problems in the past, though it's not at all clear yet if there's any long-term concern about Sepulveda's health. Anyway, you can breath a sigh of relief Sean Suisham: you won't be asked to handle the punting duties again. The Steelers signed Jeremy Kapinos on Tuesday. A quick tidbit on Kapinos:

Kapinos punted for the Green Bay Packers last season and briefly this year with the Indianapolis Colts. He beat out Ricky Schmitt in a tryout with the Steelers on Monday.

More on Kapinos later. 

* Stat of the Week compliments of Peter King's Week 13 Monday Morning Quarterback column:

* During Sunday night's win, I wondered if the Steelers should have gone for it on fourth-and-goal from the Ravens 1 trailing 10-3 with about 12 minutes remaining in the final quarter. The Steelers had just embarked on a 12-play, 79 yard drive, their first real taste of offensive success all evening. At the time, I wondered if the Steelers were going to have that good of an opportunity again to find the endzone against the Ravens defense. A field goal would make it a 10-6 game, but the Steelers still would need a touchdown or two field goals to win. Coaches will tell you that there's too much time left to not take the points, and there's mountains of evidence that confirms this logic. Still, under the circumstances, I was worried that we wouldn't have that good a chance again. I guess that's why they pay the coaches the big bucks while we watch from the sidelines. Everything worked out just fine. The real moral of the story though I suppose is that Tomlin believes in his defense's ability to change a game in their favor. He was right.

* How about John Harbaugh's decision to call a fake punt deep inside his own territory in the first quarter? Wow. Everything was lined up to perfection. The Ravens had the right play dialed up, and it definitely would have gone for first down yardage and more. Hold the phone. False start, and the Ravens have to bag the idea. As much as I applaud the chutzpah of Harbaugh, I do think it was a mistake to show that call so early in the game. You know things are going to be close in the second half, even if you do execute that play and it leads to points. Why not hold on to it until later in the game? Also, considering how the first few series played out for the Ravens offensively, there was hardly any guarantee that they'd be able to sustain the drive after the fake punt in order to position themselves for points. A successful fake still doesn't get them anywhere near midfield. Again, great idea, wrong time and place to unveil it in my opinion.

* More soon on the other Week 13 developments around the NFL, as well as what lies ahead for the Steelers heading into the final quarter of the 2010 regular season.