STEELERS PREVIEW Playoff fever starting to mount

A win over the Jets could boost Pittsburgh toward home-field advantage.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- This game may not define or validate a season -- no, the Jets and Steelers seem long past that.
The mere presence of soon-to-be 13,000-yard rushers Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis could make today a special occasion, but then the teams themselves ensure that.
Reputations won't necessarily be made, either. Martin and Bettis were certifiable stars years ago, and quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Ben Roethlisberger may soon be in their upper-echelon class, too. Neither defense needs another sack or long shutout streak to authenticate its rigidity.
What this mid-December game between two similar, championship-potential teams may decide is which has the strength and resilience to still be playing in early February.
Playoff preparation
Coach Herman Edwards' team owns a two-game lead in the AFC wild-card race that it wants to maintain to gain more favorable matchups in the playoffs. But it won't be easy, not with the Seahawks (6-6), Patriots (11-1) and Rams (6-6) still to play.
The Steelers (11-1) are all but assured a division championship -- but, beyond that, little else. With the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots matching them victory for victory, even one slipup could cost them the potentially decisive home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
"This is a playoff-style game that will prepare both teams for the playoffs," Pennington said. "We both have a lot at stake. We are trying to solidify a wild-card spot and they are trying to protect home-field advantage. It is important to both teams."
The Jets have won three in a row, but the Steelers have won 10 straight behind Roethlisberger, one short of the team-record 11-game streak set during a 12-2 season in 1975.
To keep winning, the Steelers must play better against the league's best scoring defense than they have while scoring only 19, 16 and 17 points in their last three wins.
"We are going to have to play our best football to beat this team, I don't think there is any question about that," coach Bill Cowher said.
Offensive focus
Roethlisberger, a rookie who has yet to lose as a starter, has presided over a virtually mistake-free offense that has relied mostly on Bettis and running back Duce Staley, but has shown little ability to get the ball downfield quickly without receiver Plaxico Burress, who will miss a third consecutive game with a sore hamstring.
"Hopefully, this team is (being looked at as) a team that can do a lot of things and is a pretty dangerous team, but I think a lot of people still aren't giving us respect and that's fine with us," Roethlisberger said.
The same could apply to the Jets, who had low-scoring wins over the Browns (10-7) and Cardinals (13-3) before Pennington returned from a three-week shoulder injury layoff to throw two touchdown passes in a 29-7 victory over Houston.
"We're going to try to put the whole game in his (Pennington's) hands, try to take the run away as soon as possible," Steelers linebacker Joey Porter said.
That might not be easy. Martin has a league-high 1,305 yards, and both Martin and Bettis likely will surpass the 13,000-yard career barrier today, a total reached only by Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Eric Dickerson.
With 12,974 yards, Martin figures to pass the benched-again Bettis (12,980) and move into No. 5 in career rushing.
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