PITTSBURGH (AP) - Willie Parker had a dazzling first career start with 161 yards rushing and a long reception, and a mistake-free Ben Roethlisberger threw for two scores.

The Steelers won their 15th in a row during the regular season, four short of the Patriots' NFL record they stopped last season. Roethlisberger improved to 14-0 as an NFL starter during the season, and his play was as perfect as his record. So was his perfect 158.3 passer rating; he is the first NFL quarterback since Kansas City's Trent Green in 2003 to have a perfect rating.

---GAME 2Steelers 27, Texans 7

HOUSTON (AP) - Ben Roethlisberger led Pittsburgh to scores on its first four drives, a pair of field goals sandwiched around touchdown passes of 16 and 14 yards to Hines Ward.

Pittsburgh won its 16th straight regular-season game, matching the Miami teams of 1971-73 and 1983-84 for the second-best streak in league history, and their eighth straight on the road.

---GAME 3Patriots 23, Steelers 20

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Adam Vinatieri's 43-yard field goal with 1 second remaining gave New England a 23-20 victory over Pittsburgh.

Tom Brady completed his last 12 passes and went 31-of-41 for 372 yards, while Corey Dillon scored from the 7 early in the fourth quarter to give the Patriots a 20-13 lead.

New England was within one play of winning when Chad Scott, cut by Pittsburgh after last season, was called for pass interference against Quincy Morgan on a fourth-and-11 play from the Steelers' 27. One play later, Ben Roethlisberger threw his second scoring pass to Hines Ward from the 4 to tie it at 20 with 1:21 remaining.

The Patriots held Willie Parker, coming off consecutive 100-yard games, to 55 yards rushing. Roethlisberger now has his first loss in 16 regular-season starts, going 12-of-28 for 216 yards. He threw an 85-yard touchdown pass to Ward, the longest TD pass against the Patriots since an 86-yarder by Kansas City in 1990.

---GAME 4Steelers 24, Chargers 22

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The Bus was back, and Ben Roethlisberger thrust both fists in the air as Jeff Reed's kick won it for the Steelers.

One problem: Roethlisberger was celebrating on the bench with his left leg wrapped in ice and bandages.

Shortly after Roethlisberger limped off the field with an knee injury, Reed kicked a 40-yard field goal with 6 seconds left to give the Steelers a win on Monday night.

Trailing 22-21, Roethlisberger moved the Steelers into San Diego territory and had completed a 9-yard pass to Antwaan Randle El when he was hit on the knee by the helmet of Chargers rookie lineman Luis Castillo.

After leaving the game Roethlisberger was replaced by Charlie Batch, who has played only a handful of downs the last three years. Batch handed off three straight times to Jerome Bettis before Reed's kick.

Roethlisberger ran for one touchdown and threw for another, and Bettis rushed for a TD in his season debut for the Steelers.

---GAME 5Jaguars 23, Steelers 17, OT

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Steelers realize the value of Ben Roethlisberger.

Rashean Mathis scored on a 41-yard return of a Tommy Maddox interception in overtime and Jacksonville took advantage of four Maddox turnovers against the injury-thinned Steelers.

The Steelers lost their second straight at home. They looked to be in position to win following Quincy Morgan's 71-yard kickoff return to start the overtime. But Maddox fumbled the ball away at the 27 with Jeff Reed readying to attempt a game-winning field goal on the next play.

After the Jaguars punted, Maddox looked to his left, then went back to his right to try to find Morgan on a second-and-10 play from the Steelers' 35, but Mathis cut in front and scored without being touched.

The Jaguars were without running back Fred Taylor (ankle), but the Steelers were without Roethlisberger (knee) and star wide receiver Hines Ward (hamstring).

---GAME 6Steelers 27, Bengals 13

CINCINNATI (AP) - Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes in his return from a knee injury, and Pittsburgh proved it's still the team to beat in the AFC North.

The Steelers have a knack for winning tough game in tough places. They dominated the second half in front of a Cincinnati-record crowd of 66,104, setting a franchise record with their 10th straight road victory.

Willie Parker's 39-yard touchdown run highlighted a 221-yard performance by Pittsburgh's running game on the rainy day. Parker ran for 131 yards overall, and injury-slowed Jerome Bettis added 56 yards.

Roethlisberger was 9-of-14 for 93 yards and threw his first interception of the season. Carson Palmer was 21-of-36 for 227 yards and two interceptions for the Bengals (5-2).

---GAME 7Steelers 20, Ravens 19

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jeff Reed kicked a 37-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining after Ben Roethlisberger opened each half with touchdown passes to rookie tight end Heath Miller, and the Steelers held off the depleted Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens, two-touchdown underdogs, took a 19-17 lead after an uncharacteristic botched play by Pittsburgh's special teams, a failed punt attempt in which rookie Greg Warren's snap to Chris Gardocki deflected off upback Sean Morey and resulted in Gardocki's incomplete pass.

That gave the Ravens the ball at the Steelers 45 with 5 1/2 minutes to play. Matt Stover followed with his fourth field goal, a 47-yarder with 3:21 remaining that gave the Ravens their first lead.

But Roethlisberger then hit Antwaan Randle El for 14 yards and Quincy Morgan for 23 yards, and Jerome Bettis had an 11-yard run on the drive that led to Reed's go-ahead field goal.

---GAME 8Steelers 20, Packers 10

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Troy Polamalu returned Brett Favre's fumble 77 yards for a touchdown, and Tyrone Carter's interception set up the offense's only touchdown in Pittsburgh's win over Green Bay.

The Steelers became the first team since the 1989-90 San Francisco 49ers and the fourth team overall to win 11 straight road games. And they did it without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (knee) and running back Jerome Bettis (thigh), who were joined on the sideline in the second half by starting tailback Willie Parker, who turned his left ankle.

Duce Staley, who replaced Bettis and had his first carries since the AFC championship in January, ran for 76 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

---GAME 9Steelers 34, Browns 21

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Charlie Batch improvised a 1-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, and his passing led to another score before he left with a broken right hand.

Tommy Maddox replaced Batch to run an efficient and time-consuming offense in the second half, and college QB-turned-wide receiver Antwaan Randle El threw a 51-yard scoring pass to Hines Ward on a reverse early in the third quarter to put the Steelers up 24-7.

Randle El's last two passes have gone for touchdowns; he threw a 10-yarder on his only attempt last season. He is 12-of-14 for 112 yards in his NFL career.

Ward also enjoyed a big game, making eight catches for 124 yards to give him 543 receptions for his career, breaking Hall of Famer John Stallworth's team record of 537. No other receiver in team history has more than 358.

---GAME 10Ravens 16, Steelers 13, OT

BALTIMORE (AP) - Matt Stover kicked a 44-yard field goal with 4:09 left in overtime as Baltimore snapped a four-game losing streak.

The winner came at the end of a 30-yard drive that included an 11-yard pass from Kyle Boller to Randy Hymes on third-and-9 from the Baltimore 45.

Boller completed 21 of 36 passes for 163 yards, and his 3-yard touchdown pass to Randy Hymes in the second quarter ended a run of 12 straight quarters without a TD for the Ravens.

Tommy Maddox produced only one touchdown playing in place of injured Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and finished 19-for-36 for 230 yards and an interception. He also lost a fumble.

Pittsburgh had won 11 straight on the road since losing in Baltimore in September 2004.

---GAME 11Colts 26, Steelers 7

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis Colts' unbeaten ride continued after shoving aside another formidable challenger.

From their first offensive play, when Peyton Manning hit a streaking Marvin Harrison in stride for an 80-yard score, the Colts dominated another good team.

The Colts have beaten three of their main AFC competitors - the Patriots, Bengals and Steelers - in a span of four weeks.

In shutting down Pittsburgh with a staunch, aggressive defense that yielded only 197 yards, the Colts also ended a seven-game slide in this series dating to 1984.

They handed Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger his first road defeat; he was 9-0, but couldn't do much in his first game back after missing three weeks because of knee surgery.

---GAME 12Bengals 38, Steelers 31

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Cincinnati went into Pittsburgh in December, stood up to the team it rarely beats and all but secured their first division championship in 15 years, riding Carson Palmer's three touchdown passes and a defense that forced four turnovers.

Rudi Johnson ran for Cincinnati's final two scores as the Bengals (9-3) seized a two-game lead in the AFC North. The Steelers (7-5) got a gutty effort from Ben Roethlisberger (29-of-41, 386 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions) despite a right thumb injury, but dropped their third in a row.

Palmer threw scoring passes of 43 and 6 yards to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and 1 yard to Reggie Kelly. The 6-yarder to Houshmandzadeh put the Bengals up 21-14 midway through the second quarter and followed linebacker Brian Simmons' interception of a wobbly Roethlisberger pass.

---GAME 13Steelers 21, Bears 9

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jerome Bettis plowed through the muck and snow for two touchdowns and 101 yards as the Steelers ended Chicago's eight-game winning streak.

Bettis, held to 22 yards on 14 carries in his previous two games, had his first 100-yard game since getting 117 last Dec. 26 against Baltimore. Bettis' previous season high was 56 yards against Cincinnati on Oct. 23, and he had only 186 yards in Pittsburgh's first 12 games.

---GAME 14Steelers 18, Vikings 3

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Ben Roethlisberger ran for a touchdown, and Pittsburgh forced three turnovers and a safety to snap Minnesota's six-game winning streak.

Willie Parker rushed 14 times for 81 yards for the Steelers (9-5), who won their second consecutive game and put themselves in prime position for an AFC wild card.

Brad Johnson, whose takeover at quarterback coincided with the streak, threw two costly red-zone interceptions. Johnson went 16-for-30 for 143 yards, including a woeful 2-for-9, 9-yard output after halftime. Roethlisberger completed 10 of 15 passes for 149 yards and no turnovers.

---GAME 15Steelers 41, Browns 0

CLEVELAND (AP) - Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass and Willie Parker had an 80-yard TD run as the Steelers improved their playoff chances.

With thousands of their fans waving ``Terrible Towels'' from every corner of Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Steelers (10-5) dominated the Browns as thoroughly as in almost any meeting in the rivalry's 55-year history, outgaining them 457-178 and sacked rookie quarterback Charlie Frye eight times.

---GAME 16Steelers 35, Lions 21

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jerome Bettis, playing what is likely his final game in Pittsburgh, matched his career high with three touchdown runs, none longer than 5 yards, as the Steelers overcame some sloppy defensive play to secure their 10th playoff appearance in 14 seasons under coach Bill Cowher.

Bettis, the fifth-leading rusher in NFL history, ran for just 41 yards as Willie Parker got most of the carries and gained 135. But Bettis scored on runs of 1, 5 and 4 yards to help the Steelers (11-5) overcome an early 14-7 deficit against the Lions, who finished another dismal season with six losses in their final seven games.

The Steelers won their fourth in a row to return to the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.

---WILD-CARD PLAYOFFSteelers 31, Bengals 17

CINCINNATI (AP) - A low hit on Carson Palmer changed everything.

Steelers nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen dived into Cincinnati's Pro Bowl quarterback at the knee on his first passy, knocking him out of the game with a torn ligament.

In his second playoff go-round, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was coolly efficient - 14-of-19 for 208 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

Jon Kitna replaced Palmer and kept the Bengals in it until their inexperience and lack of a Pro Bowl quarterback started to show in the third quarter.

First, the Bengals botched a field goal attempt because of a high snap. Then, Kitna knocked the ball out of his own hand while scrambling, scuttling a drive. Finally, a shanked 30-yard punt - something out of the old Bungles days - put the Steelers in position to take control.

Three plays later, they used a little sleight-of-snap to do just that.

Antwaan Randle El took a direct snap in front of Roethlisberger, ran to his right, turned and threw the ball back to the quarterback. Cedrick Wilson was 10 yards beyond the confused coverage for his 43-yard touchdown catch that put the Steelers up 28-17.

---DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFSteelers 21, Colts 18

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Pittsburgh Steelers gave the Colts every opportunity to steal their playoff game.

The Steelers survived a goal-line fumble by Jerome Bettis and one of the most mysterious replay reversals in NFL history to shatter the Colts' dream season. Pittsburgh (13-5) became the first sixth seed to make a conference championship game.

This victory should have been so much easier. The Steelers dominated the Colts (14-3) until a fourth quarter with almost unimaginable twists and turns that ended when Mike Vanderjagt missed his first field goal at home, wide right from 46 yards.

After Pittsburgh's ferocious defense sacked a befuddled Peyton Manning twice, taking the ball on downs at the Colts 2 with just more than a minute left, Bettis fumbled when hit by Gary Brackett. Nick Harper, whose knee was cut with a knife Saturday in an apparent domestic dispute with his wife, grabbed the ball and headed toward the end zone.

But Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, brilliant all game with his arm and head, tumbled, reached out a hand and made a saving tackle at the Indy 42.

Given life, Manning passed the Colts into field goal range, but Vanderjagt missed.

---AFC CHAMPIONSHIPSteelers 34, Broncos 17

DENVER (AP) - The Steelers' road show was extended for one more week. The next stop for Big Ben, The Bus and all those Terrible Towels will be the Super Bowl in Detroit, thanks to a dismantling of the Denver Broncos.

Led by 275 yards and two passing touchdowns from Ben Roethlisberger and a touchdown by Jerome Bettis, the Steelers became the first team since the 1985 Patriots to win three postseason road games en route to the Super Bowl. Counting the regular season, they've played five of their last six away from Pittsburgh.

``Big Ben'' Roethlisberger, a second-year quarterback, looked every bit the veteran in this one, completing 21 of 29 passes and keeping the Steelers going on six of seven crucial third-down situations in the first half.

Outschemed, outplayed and pushed around all day, the Broncos (14-4) shuffled off to their locker room, heads down, after their first home loss in 10 tries this season.

Jake Plummer, who had played so well in the lead all season, finally faced some comeback pressure and failed miserably. He went 18-for-30 for 223 yards with two lost fumbles and two interceptions.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.