The Patriots’ receiving corps looked very good last week, especially WR David Patten and TE Jermaine Wiggins. Wiggins’ 10 catches against the Raiders nearly matched the 14 receptions he had during the regular season.

Patten’s performance last week should not be discounted, as he has come up big in the clutch for the Patriots this year. Opposite him, No. 1 receiver Troy Brown has been huge, but he was the odd man out against the Raiders and in the snowy conditions last week.

Despite great success last week, the Steelers’ secondary has had its struggles at times this year. Pittsburgh has had trouble when teams have switched to a short-passing game, and the Patriots found success with that type of scheme last week.

When the Steelers have the ball:

RB Jerome Bettis was a last-minute scratch last week after an adverse reaction to an injection of a painkiller for his groin injury.

The Steelers’ offense has gone six games without "The Bus," and it has not seemed to miss him all that much. Backup RBs Amos Zereoue and Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala have done a great job in his place.

Despite an unimpressive 2.6 yards per carry against the Ravens last week, Zereoue scored twice on one-yard runs.

The Patriots’ defense has been stout against the run of late, holding teams under 100 yards rushing in six of the last nine games.

Head coach Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel have done a great job preparing each week, and they’ll have their hands full figuring out how to stop the Steelers’ well-rounded offense. New England uses both the 4-3 and 3-4 schemes, and Pittsburgh must be prepared for both.

While the Steelers’ running game has worked well without Bettis, the more impressive aspect of the offense has been the evolution of QB Kordell Stewart and the passing game. Stewart has progressed very nicely, and it’s been apparent that his confidence is at an unbelievably high level. Stewart has been quite dangerous with his arm and his legs this season, and the Patriots will have to keep close tabs on him.

Stewart has benefited from the emergence of WRs Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress, but they will face a stiff test in the Patriots’ strong secondary, led by CB Ty Law and FS Lawyer Milloy.

The Steelers have gotten top-notch play all year from their offensive line. The Patriots’ front seven must find a way to fend off blockers and wreak havoc in the Steelers’ backfield if they are to control the game.

All game previews and depth charts were compiled as of Jan. 20.

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