PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers spent the last two weeks chasing down and defeating two elite teams. The roles are about to switch now, and they know it.

The Steelers, 7-1 following their 27-3 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, have become an upper-tier club others will focus on beating as teams spend the second half of the season positioning themselves for the playoffs.

"Everybody's gunning for us now," linebacker Joey Porter said.

The Steelers believe they're ready for the role reversal after becoming the first team in NFL history to beat undefeated teams with records of at least 6-0 in consecutive weeks. And they did it easily, outscoring the New England Patriots and Eagles 61-23 and outgaining them 837-361.

"It gives us a lot of confidence," said Jerome Bettis, who stepped in for the injured Duce Staley to run for 149 yards on 33 carries. "Early in the season, people were saying, 'Who are they playing?' This shows we can play against anybody."

Fittingly enough, the 1979 Super Bowl champion Steelers were in the house celebrating their 25th anniversary, and the current-day Steelers responded with a performance reminiscent of that team.

With rookie Ben Roethlisberger throwing for two touchdowns and wide receiver Hines Ward scoring twice, the Steelers drove for TDs on the first three possessions and led 21-0 before Eagles ace receiver Terrell Owens made his first catch.

Owens wasn't a factor with seven catches for 53 yards, a week after drawing considerable attention by imitating the Baltimore's Ray Lewis during a touchdown celebration. Owens was noticed Sunday mostly for screaming at quarterback Donovan McNabb along the sideline.

"That's just me trying to fire him up a little bit, pick his head up," Owens said.

It didn't work. The Eagles (7-1) were overwhelmed, just like the Patriots the week before. The Steelers outgained the Eagles 420-113, outrushing them 252-23 a week after outrushing the Patriots 221-5.

Midway through the first half, any Eagles player with an historical perspective must have been wondering if Hall of Famers Franco Harris, Joe Greene, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth from that 1979 team were playing, not just watching from private boxes.

"It's just one loss, it's not like we're 0-7 or 0-8," McNabb said. "Tell the (unbeaten 1972) Dolphins we're not going to go 16-0, so they can sleep clearly and feel good about themselves."

The Steelers admittedly caught a break by playing both the Eagles and Patriots at home, but it didn't lessen how easily they handled both teams, jumping out to 21-3 leads in both games.

"You can't take away from the buildup of it, the magnitude of it, the coverage of it and everything that leads up to it," coach Bill Cowher said. "The crowds have made for a playoff-like atmosphere. But we still understand it's only the seventh and eighth game of the season."

What encourages the Steelers is they aren't relying heavily on one element to carry them. The offensive line is opening holes big enough for the 255-pound Bettis to easily run through, the defense is constantly forcing teams to go three-and-out and Roethlisberger has been, well - perfect.

Roethlisberger is the first NFL rookie quarterback since Pittsburgh's Mike Kruczek in 1976 to win his first six starts, though there is little comparison between the two.

Kruczek rarely passed on a team that possessed two 1,000-yard running backs and, arguably, the best defense in NFL history. Roethlisberger has thrown for 11 touchdowns - nine in his six starts - and didn't become rattled Sunday even after throwing an interception and losing a fumble.

"He's remarkable," Eagles linebacker Mark Simoneau said. "Look at him on the field, and he doesn't look like a rookie, he looks like a guy who's been around four or five years. Give the guy credit, he made plays all day long."

That might be the key now to beating Pittsburgh: Will any team figure out how to make Roethlisberger play the way a rookie usually does?

"I try not to get overwhelmed with it," he said. "I try not to get overly excited because I don't want it to take over what I'm feeling and my emotions, so I try to keep calm and levelheaded."

Notes:

Ward's 20-yard touchdown run on the opening series was his first career rushing touchdown. ... The Steelers failed to punt for the first time in their 72-season history. ... Pittsburgh was the first team in 74 years to play undefeated teams in consecutive games past Week 6. ... Pittsburgh is 5-0 at home, but plays five of its final eight on the road. ... Steelers QB Tommy Maddox was active for the first time since injuring his right elbow on Sept. 19, the injury that led to Roethlisberger starting. ... Bettis, mostly a short-yardage specialist this season, ran for 20 more yards than he had in his previous seven games combined.