Don't Forget About Pittsburgh

They're not the best team in the AFC, in fact they're not even the only 6-2 team in that conference, but last night was an affirmation that the Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that New England and Indianapolis will have to take seriously come January.

Offensively, the Steelers rank 8th overall in the NFL. They have the league's 2nd best rushing attack and while they're only 19th when passing the ball, Ben Roethlisberger's five first half touchdown passes certainly demonstrate they have the ability to throw the ball when they want to.

The real story is the defense. They rank 1st overall in total yards per game, with a 33 yard per game edge over the 2nd-ranked team. They are allowing just 12.2 points per game and lead the league in pass defense.

This team is about to go on a stretch of games where they host Cleveland, travel to the 1-8 New York Jets and then host the 0-8 Miami Dolphins and 2-6 Cincinnati Bengals. In other words, they will be 10-2 when they travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts to face what will likely be the 12-0 New England Patriots on December 9th.

Will that be called "Super Bowl 41 and two-thirds"?

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was dominant last night, which probably has even more people in the Steel City forgetting about Joey Porter.

Legendary Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert was a no-show for the team's 75th anniversary celebration this weekend.

David Steele of the Baltimore Sun writes that the Baltimore Ravens aren't even a second-tier team in the AFC.

The Ravens backup cornerbacks were over-matched by the Pittsburgh passing attack.

Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow is revealing himself to be an emotionally deep person.

Not even being immobilized and removed from the field on a stretcher could break Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson's self-imposed media silence. For the record, Johnson is going to be ok.

Minnesota Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson took his running ability to a new level on Sunday. (For the record, I wrote this about Peterson moments after the Vikings drafted him.)

How bad is the quarterback situation in Minnesota? On Tuesday, St. Paul native Chris Weinke will work out for the team.

The Green Bay Packers and tight end Donald Lee agreed to a 4-year contract extension on Monday. The deal is worth a reported $11.88 million dollars, including $3M in bonuses.

The only blemish on the Nicholas Cotsonika's Detroit Lions mid-term report card belongs to the offensive line.

Chicago Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher is closer to returning.

The New England Patriots will begin practicing 15-year veteran wide receiver Troy Brown this week. Brown has been on the physically unable to perform list all season following off-season knee surgery.

In this notebook in The Buffalo News, Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron isn't offering any hints on who his starting quarterback will be and heaped praise on the Buffalo fans and the offensive line.

Newsday's Bob Glauber says the man on the spot in Hempstead, NY is New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum.

To the dismay of a contingent of Dolphins fans, Cleo Lemon will remain the starting quarterback when Miami travels to Buffalo this Sunday.

The Dallas Cowboys have activated defensive tackle Tank Johnson and will insert him into their defensive line rotation on Sunday against the New York Giants.

Any New York Giant who wasn't on a plane, was watching the Cowboys on Sunday night.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid doesn't think a quarterback change is necessary, but added that nothing is guaranteed.

After being sent home in a disciplinary move on Saturday, Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs says wide receiver Brandon Lloyd remains in the team's plans this season.

That unusual noise heard on Sunday's broadcast of the Colts-Patriots "Game of the Century" was feedback from a tape machine in the CBS production truck.

The Indianapolis Colts could be without Marvin Harrison, Anthony Gonzalez, Freddy Keiaho, Tyjuan Hagler and Tony Ugoh when they head for the coast this weekend.

Tennessee Titans running back LenDale White is carrying the Titans offense.

The Houston Texans placed cornerback Dunta Robinson on injured reserve.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak isn't interested in the Texas A&M head coaching job.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio has disciplined three players who have run afoul of the law in recent weeks.

Carolina Panthers quarterback David Carr sustained a concussion on Sunday, putting the Panthers coaching staff in "wait and see" mode to determine who will start at quarterback this week.

"The Predator" is back for the Atlanta Falcons.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton thinks Reggie Bush has been a more consistent runner because he's getting a steady dose of carries.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden hopes to get some key players back after the bye week.

The Denver Broncos got good news when an MRI revealed that quarterback Jay Cutler did not suffer a hairline fracture of his lower left leg.

If running back Larry Johnson can't play this week, it'll be a running back-by-committee approach for the Kansas City Chiefs offense.

Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha injured his knee, but shouldn't miss significant time.

San Diego Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo had surgery on his ankle and will miss six weeks.

With the expected return of wide receiver Deion Branch and tight end Marcus Pollard, and the stagnant running attack, Mike Holmgren is going back to his roots as a play-caller.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt is pleading with people to not panic over the recent three-game losing streak.

The season is over for St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little, who will have season-ending surgery on his toe that will land him on injured reserve.

San Francisco 49ers left tackle Jonas Jennings will have season-ending surgery on his ankle.

Steelers Select Timmons

As I predicted, the Pittsburgh Steelers have used the 15th pick to select Florida State linebacker Lawrence Timmons.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Joey Porter is gone, and new HC Mike Tomlin is going to slowly incorporate the 4-3 scheme into the Steelers' traditional 3-4 defense. Lawrence Timmons is a good 'backer for Tomlin to revamp the defense around.