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Patriots brace for vaunted defense of Steelers

Nov 25, 2008 - 10:48 PM PITTSBURGH (8-3) AT NEW ENGLAND (7-4), 4:15 pm EST

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (Ticker) -- Matt Cassel has been putting up numbers that even Tom Brady cannot match, but he'll be hard-pressed to continue that trend.

Cassel and the New England Patriots face a daunting task when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Forced into the lineup due to Brady's season-ending knee injury in Week One, Cassel became the first quarterback in four years to throw for 400 yards in back-to-back games during last week's 48-28 win at Miami.

Cassel lit up the Dolphins for 415 yards on 30-of-43 passing, including three scoring tosses to star wideout Randy Moss, who had eight receptions for 125 yards.

"I'm happy about it, there's no doubt," Cassel said. "I'm just happy about the fact that we were able to win and put together a great outing today. I think the production is starting to come around, and that's a good thing for us."

Cassel also produced a 400-yard effort in a 34-31 overtime loss to the Jets the previous week in which the Patriots were forced to play catch-up.

Against Miami, however, it was by design, with New England utilizing multiple receiver sets to spread out the defense.

"I think that was a good way to play Miami," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "Whether that will be good for next week or some other week, I don't know."

It certainly appears to be more difficult against Pittsburgh's vaunted defense, which has allowed a league-low 160 points.

The Steelers, who play arguably the league's toughest schedule, got a bit of a breather with a 27-10 victory over the woeful Cincinnati Bengals on October 20.

Pittsburgh limited the Bengals to 208 total yards to maintain a one-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the NFC North. That tied the lowest yardage total the Steelers have surrendered this season.

"We just pretty much go out there and play," Pittsburgh rookie linebacker Lawrence Timmons said. "I think it's the coach's great planning that helps us as the game goes on."

The Steelers have amassed 39 sacks on the season, led by the linebacker tandem of James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, who have 12 and 10 1/2, respectively.

"They are both very athletic. They are fast and they play with good power, so they match up well against different types of blockers," Belichick said.

Ben Roethlisberger, who had thrown eight interceptions in a three-week span, had his second straight game without a pick, throwing for 243 yards and a touchdown and running for another score against the Bengals.