Steelers on verge of division title

Jerome Bettis re-emerged in Pittsburgh's offense with 73 yards and two touchdowns.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- As safety Lee Flowers assessed the Pittsburgh Steelers' precarious position going into their game against Carolina, he was thinking about the holidays -- and it wasn't pleasant.
"It's a good thing we're in this division, or we'd be getting ready for Christmas," he said Sunday.
Instead, they're doing what they've done in all but three of coach Bill Cowher's 11 seasons: getting ready for the playoffs.
The Steelers' defense-driven 30-14 victory, coupled with the Browns' loss, didn't quite wrap up the AFC North for Pittsburgh.
Division scenario
But Pittsburgh's ninth division championship since it last won the Super Bowl in the 1979 season might soon be a reality. With a 1 1/2 game lead, the Steelers (8-5-1) can lose the title only if they lose their final two game and either the Browns (7-7) or Ravens (7-7) sweep.
"But, you know what, we don't care about the Browns," said running back Jerome Bettis, who re-emerged in Pittsburgh's offense with 73 yards and two touchdowns. "We've got two to go and we've got to win them. We're not worried about the Browns, we're worried about ourselves."
Tommy Maddox made only one major mistake, an interception that led to one of Dee Brown's two touchdowns and an early 7-7 tie.
Instead, Pittsburgh's defense made most of the big plays as Carolina turned it over four times. Fumbles by Steve Smith and Rodney Peete led to touchdown runs by Bettis, and whenever the Steelers needed key yardage, Maddox usually found it with passes to Plaxico Burress.
Burress made two acrobatic grabs on a first-quarter drive that ended with his 11-yard touchdown, and his 47-yard catch of an underthrown pass led to Jeff Reed's third field goal and a 23-14 lead in the fourth quarter.
Maddox said was aware that he might be benched for Kordell Stewart if he kept turning the ball over.
"During the week, I might have felt that a little bit," Maddox said. "I hear all the talk and I knew what was at stake.
"But [by Friday] I tried to get that out of my head ... and there was not a sense of panic. Plax and I talked, and he was excited about this game as I was."
Panthers no juggernaut
The Panthers (5-9) didn't generate much excitement -- or much scoring -- after Brown's 6-yard TD catch following the Maddox-thrown interception. Their offense was held to zero yards in the first half, and most of their 131 total yards came during a second-half drive that ended with Brown's 1-yard scoring run.
That score briefly cut Pittsburgh's lead to 20-14 and featured a rarity, three coaches' challenges on as many plays questioning whether a player got into the end zone.
What wasn't unusual was yet another dismal day in a mostly dismal season by Carolina's offense.
"Except for a couple of possessions, we didn't generate much," coach John Fox said. "That's a tribute to their defense. I don't think either one of our quarterbacks [Rodney Peete or Chris Weinke] was exceptional."