AFC NORTH Steelers eye playoffs, but stretch run far from easy

Pittsburgh wants more out of an offense that has sputtered the past three weeks.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers still haven't lost since Tommy Maddox was their quarterback. That doesn't mean they look as unstoppable, or as unbeatable, as they did when they dismantled New England and Philadelphia in consecutive weeks.
Ben Roethlisberger is playing more like a rookie, rather than the best quarterback to come along since Dan Marino or Peyton Manning. The offensive line, so in control all season, is yielding sacks -- 11 in two games. And the offense has become dependent on its oldest component, running back Jerome Bettis.
The Steelers (10-1) are unbeaten since Week 2 and own their best 11-game record since 1975, but they hardly have reason to relax as the season winds down. The AFC North may be virtually locked up -- they lead Baltimore (7-4) by three games with five to play -- but they still are positioning themselves now for the all-important playoff seeding.
Though the Steelers currently hold the edge over the New England Patriots (10-1) for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, one slip-up or badly played game between now and Jan. 2 could change that. Lose the home-field edge, and they might have to beat a quality opponent such as the Colts (8-3) just for the right to play at New England in the AFC Championship game.
Their remaining five games -- Jacksonville (6-5), New York Jets (8-3), New York Giants (5-6), Baltimore (7-4) and Buffalo (5-6) -- look far more challenging than the last three, and none of those games was easy.
Struggling to score
They managed to beat losing-record Cleveland (24-10), Cincinnati (19-14) and Washington (16-7), but their offense scored only four touchdowns in the three games -- just one in each of the last two games. That offense produced only 10 points against the Bengals a week before the Browns lit them up for 48 points.
Now, with three winning-record teams left to play plus the Giants and improving Bills on the road, the Steelers realize they must raise their level of play even while they are on one of the three longest winning streaks in franchise history.
Their nine-game streak equals that at the end of 1976, and is two short of the team-record 11 in a row in 1975 -- the second of their four Super Bowl-winning teams.
"This [five-game stretch] is going to determine our season," said Bettis, who has four consecutive 100-yard game while subbing for the injured Duce Staley. "We have a tremendous test ahead of us. We have to get better. We are not playing tremendously great. Offensively, we are doing enough to get it done, so we have to play better and we understand that."
The Steelers didn't gain or lose yardage on 26 of 62 plays against Washington, including four plays while running out the clock. The week before, they failed to gain or lost yardage on 21 of 68 plays in Cincinnati, including seven sacks of Roethlisberger.
The offense figures to improve in Jacksonville, when wide receiver Plaxico Burress (hamstring) and Staley (hamstring) expect to return.
"Ten-and-one? It's lovely. It speaks for itself," linebacker Clark Haggans said. "But we can get a lot better."