National Football League

Steelers: Bad loss won't start '09-like collapse

Published Nov. 15, 2010 11:59 p.m. ET

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The Steelers' 13-point loss to the Patriots felt much worse than that, if only because Tom Brady gave the rest of the NFL a blueprint for going after Pittsburgh's attack-style defense.

Not since former coach Bill Cowher's final season in 2006 were the Steelers so trampled underfoot and through the air, badly beaten up during a 39-26 loss that prevented them from taking sole possession of the AFC North lead. The last time they lost so badly at home was a 27-0 loss to Baltimore in 2006, when they missed the playoffs.

The 39 points were the most they've allowed at home during a regular-season game since they moved into Heinz Field in 2001, and the second-most overall there. Only the Patriots scored more, during a 41-27 victory in the AFC championship game in January 2005.

Did the one-sided defeat signal the start of a collapse like that experienced by last season's Steelers, who also started 6-2 only to lose five games in a row - three to some of the NFL's worst teams?

This team scoffed at the suggestion, promising that one bad game won't jettison a mostly good season.

''You can't start dredging up things from the past,'' safety Ryan Clark said. ''This is one night, and one night we need to get better from. Obviously, for our defense, it hurts more because we're not used to playing this way. We're not used to giving up yardage the way we did.''

The Steelers (6-3) learned during their last two losses how a good team responds to defeat; the Saints and Patriots both bounced back from badly played losses to Cleveland by regrouping and beating them. They plan to take a similar approach Sunday against the Raiders (5-4), who upset the Steelers during Pittsburgh's season-wrecking five-game losing streak last season.

''We're going to feed off this and make sure it doesn't happen again,'' cornerback Ike Taylor said.

Just as the Patriots showed during a 30-14 rout in 2002 how the Steelers' blitz-heavy defensive schemes can be vulnerable to a spread-style offense, Brady kept finding his receivers open underneath Pittsburgh's two-deep zone coverage. Patriots receivers ran free all night, and Brady didn't need much time to find them.

''We weren't close enough to some of the underneath throws to tackle and make (them) insignificant gains,'' coach Mike Tomlin said.

Brady was 30 of 43 for 350 yards and has two of the top six passing yardage games by an opposing quarterback in Heinz Field. He threw for 372 yards there in a regular-season game in 2005, during his only loss in seven career starts against Pittsburgh.

''If you watch, he's patient,'' Clark said. ''They are a very patient team. People get into trouble against us when they get impatient. They try to get out of character and do things they are not used to doing - things that play into our hands. They were taking the 4-yard pass, the 6-yard pass. They basically played ahead of the chains the whole night, (and) we can't dial up the type of things we like to. They spread us out and just took what we gave them. It was a very intelligent game plan.''

Wide receiver Hines Ward (concussion) expects to play Sunday after missing the final three quarters against New England. His streak of 186 consecutive games with at least one reception ended. Ward must pass the medical tests that are given to players with concussions.

While quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made no excuses for the Steelers' performance, kicker Jeff Reed blamed his missed 26-yard field goal on loose sod.

''It's hard when you plant your foot and a piece of ground moves where the ball's under the holder,'' Reed said. ''I almost missed the ball completely.''

Reed was one of the 10 most accurate kickers in NFL history going into this season, but has missed seven of 22 attempts. He is 4 of 9 at Heinz Field and 0 for 4 between the 40 and 49-yard lines.

Playing the Raiders at Heinz Field for the second time in less than a year no doubt will dredge up memories of a 27-24 upset loss in December that symbolized the 2009 Steelers' failings.

Oakland's Bruce Gradkowski threw three touchdown passes in the final 8 1/2 minutes against the reigning Super Bowl winners. The third, an 11-yarder to Louis Murphy with 9 seconds remaining, sealed one of the Steelers' five losses in which they led during the fourth quarter.