PITTSBURGH - There's no doubt the Steelers had to improve considerably in their progression from a 6-10 team in 2003 to a 10-1 team this season, and the Pittsburgh contingent obviously is better in every facet of the game.

One player who didn't need to get better - but who has cranked up his game a few notches anyway - is inside linebacker James Farrior, as the eight-year veteran is turning in an MVP-caliber year for the Steelers.

After Pittsburgh's 16-7 win over Washington Sunday, the University of Virginia graduate leads the team with 78 tackles, including 49 solos, four sacks for 13 yards, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

He also has three interceptions, including one returned for his first NFL touchdown in the team's 19-14 win in Cincinnati Nov. 21.

When asked how he liked leading the NFL's top defense in tackles, Farrior said, "It feels good, but you know it's a team game and we're all out there fighting hard every game."

Farrior, acquired by the Steelers as a free agent from the New York Jets prior to the 2002 season, also led the team in tackles in 2003, notching 127, including 106 solo stops. He recorded 13 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception.

In Sunday's game, Farrior had seven tackles and sacked Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey for a 7-yard loss on a third-and-8 play at the Pittsburgh 49 and forced a fumble that Washington's Robert Royal recovered on the last play of the first quarter.

"I don't know what happened," Farrior said about the play. "I grabbed him around the head. I don't know how the ball got out."

Farrior also can be relied upon to dish out some punishment to opposing offensive players. A case in point came in the third quarter Sunday, when he introduced himself roughly to Washington's Chris Cooley. The halfback had just caught a 12-yard pass over the middle before Farrior knocked him off his feet straight onto his back.

The linebacker said the hit hurt him as much as it hurt Cooley

"I almost knocked myself out," Farrior said. "That was the type of hit you like to get during the game, but it hurts you, too, sometimes."

For all his individual effort Sunday, Farrior was just as eager to talk about his defensive squad's effort, as the Steelers held Clinton Portis, one of the NFL's top running backs, to only 17 yards on six carries. Pittsburgh surrendered 156 yards of total offense to Washington.

"That was our focus coming into the game, stopping him and trying to put pressure on Ramsey after that," Farrior said. "I think we did a good job of doing that."

It was expected that rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense would have trouble moving the ball against the Redskins defense - ranked second in the NFL behind Pittsburgh - so Farrior and his mates on defense were prepared to carry the team, if necessary.

"We've got to hold the fort down when the offense isn't doing so good, when they're not scoring so many points," he said.

No matter what they are called upon to do as the Steelers continue their march through the 2004 season, Farrior said the defense is up to the challenge.

"We're playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of energy out there," he said. "We know that's what it's gonna take coming down the stretch, and we just got to keep it going."