PITTSBURGH -- The standard of great defense, a tradition that includes many defenders with busts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, makes it tough for the modern-day Pittsburgh Steelers defenders to grasp the talk of greatness as it refers to them.
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| While Steelers fans have been spoiled for years by many strong defenses, this unit may be one to remember. (AP) |
Not really. They proved it again Sunday in their 20-13 victory against the Dallas Cowboys at Heinz Field. On a day when their offense was dreadful, the defense saved the day by limiting the Cowboys' high-flying offense to 13 points, but also scoring the game-winning points on a 26-yard interception for a touchdown by Deshea Townsend with 1:40 left in the game.
You want a stat to prove the greatness of this defense, one that not even the great defenses of the Steel Curtain can top:
This unit has not allowed a team to gain 300 yards in a game this season. The Cowboys flirted with it, but left 11 yards shy with 289. The record for consecutive games without allowing 300 yards is 14, which was set by the 1973 Los Angeles Rams.
My guess is the Steelers have a good chance to tie that next week at Baltimore, which isn't exactly an offensive machine and is already one of the 13 victims on the list.
"We're angry we allowed 13 points to the Cowboys," Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley said. "We didn't tackle as well as we know we can. We let them score a touchdown on a play that we should have had a sack. We're not pleased at all with giving up 13 points."
This defense is becoming more special by the week and could be good enough to carry the Steelers to the Super Bowl. If the Tennessee Titans don't watch out, the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC just might go through Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are 10-3 and play the Titans in two weeks in Nashville. If they can beat the Ravens, beat the Titans and beat the Cleveland Browns in the last game of the season, the Titans would have to win their other remaining two games to sew up the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
"Finish the deal, finish the deal," Farrior said. "Unless we finish the deal, like those other great defenses did, none of this will matter. To be considered great, we have to finish the deal."
The defense finished this deal against the Cowboys. In fact, the defense should stand up and take credit for winning it. The Steelers offense was dreadful for most of the day, totaling 238 yards. The Cowboys used the game to show off their defense and they got after Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked five times and ran for his life many other times, and made the Pittsburgh offense hear a chorus of boos from the home crowd several times.
The Steelers were also stopped on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 when Gary Russell was dropped for a 2-yard loss with 12:20 left in the game and the Cowboys winning 13-3. It was a shock that coach Mike Tomlin opted to eschew a field-goal try that could have reduced Dallas' lead to a touchdown, but he must have known his defense could bail him out.
They did, as usual.
J. Darin Darst 
