STEELERS Reserves scrub up for Bills

Extending their winning streak may be less important than resting injured players.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers insist they'll play Sunday's game at Buffalo as if it is any other during their unexpectedly good season. If history is any indicator, doing so could be difficult.
With home-field advantage and a first-round playoffs bye secured, the Steelers (14-1) have little incentive other than extending a 13-game winning streak that is the longest in team history. They also can complete the first 15-1 season in team history.
Still, that's probably not enough motivation for coach Bill Cowher to play injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (ribs) and running back Jerome Bettis (ankle), even though both might play if the game were more meaningful.
It's also likely the Bills will see a lot more of players such as wide receiver Lee Mays, cornerbacks Ike Taylor and Richard Colclough, center Chukky Okobi, defensive end Brett Keisel and offensive tackle Max Starks. They rarely play with the regulars and, when they do, mostly fill situational roles.
"It's still an important game for us -- like I say every week, it's the biggest game for us," said Roethlisberger, who is 13-0 as a starter. "We still want to go out and win this game, no question about it. We're going to do everything we can to win this game."
Well, maybe not everything.
Need the same approach
Wide receiver Hines Ward, for example, doesn't expect to play the entire game, even though he almost certainly would if the Steelers had anything to gain.
"We can't go out there and lay down. We are approaching the playoffs so, mentally, we have to come out and take the same approach we've been taking all year," Ward said. "This is an important week, we can't have any falloff knowing we've got the bye."
The game is far more important to the Bills (9-6), who have won six in a row but must win to retain their playoff hopes. The Bills are loaded with former Steelers personnel, including general manager Tom Donahoe, coach Mike Mularkey and offensive coordinator Tom Clements.
"They're playing with a lot of confidence. And they're on a roll, so teams that are peaking at the right time going into the playoffs are tough. So it would be nice to keep them out of the playoffs," said quarterback Tommy Maddox, who will make his first start since Sept. 19.
The Steelers have lost some seemingly unimportant games that proved to be more significant than first thought once the playoffs arrived.
In 2001, a 26-23 overtime loss at Cincinnati -- one of only two losses in their final 14 games -- unveiled the blueprint for beating them as the Bengals spread their offense, loaded up with extra receivers and let Jon Kitna pass for 411 yards against the league's top-rated defense.
In 1994, a 34-27 loss at San Diego on Christmas Eve hardly seemed significant until the Chargers upset them 17-13 less than a month later in the AFC championship game in Pittsburgh.
The Chargers said beating Pittsburgh once gave them the confidence they could do it again.