The Pittsburgh Steelers began the 2005 season on a roll toward becoming the team to beat in the NFL playoffs.

They ended it on a necessary roll just to make the playoffs.

Here is a week-by-week review of the regular season:

Steelers 34, Tennessee Titans 7 —With running backs Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley sidelined with injuries, Willie Parker had 22 carries for 161 yards and a touchdown as Pittsburgh cruised in its home opener.

Steelers 27, Houston Texans 7 —On the road for the first time, the Steelers were forced to wear their black jerseys and Houston kept the Reliant Stadium roof closed.It didn't matter, as Parker rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 254 yards and two TDs, and the defense sacked Texans quarterback David Carr eight times.

New England Patriots 23, Steelers 20 —Pittsburgh's 16-game regular season win streak ended as New England QB Tom Brady directed a 37-yard drive in the waning seconds that ended with Adam Viniatieri's 43-yard game-winning field goal.The Steelers had tied the game on a touchdown pass to Hines Ward with 1:21 remaining. New England lost strong safety Rodney Harrison to a season-ending keg injury.

Steelers 24, San Diego Chargers 22 —Jeff Reed's 40-yard field goal with six seconds left won this Monday night thriller, but the Steelers lost Roethlisberger to a knee injury late in the fourth quarter.

Jacksonville Jaguars 23, Steelers 17 —Tommy Maddox started at quarterback for the injured Roethlisberger and threw three interceptions, including one that was returned 41 yards for the winning touchdown in overtime.Quincy Morgan returned the overtime kickoff 74 yards to the Jacksonville 26-yard line, but Pittsburgh lost possession on a fumbled snap.

Steelers 27, Cincinnati Bengals 13 —The Steelers reasserted themselves in the AFC North by rushing for 221 yards at Cincinnati. Parker recorded 131 yards and Roethlisberger threw only 14 passes.

Steelers 20, Baltimore Ravens 19 —Reed's 37-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining decided this unexpectedly close Monday night game at Heinz Field.

Steelers 20, Green Bay Packers 10 —Charlie Batch filled in at quarterback for an injured Roethlisberger and threw for just 65 yards. Staley had 76 yards rushing on 15 carries in his first significant action of the season.The defense produced the clinching score when a blitzing Bryant McFadden hit Packers QB Brett Favre from behind, forcing a fumble that Troy Polamalu returned 77 yards for a touchdown.

Steelers 34, Cleveland Browns 21 —Batch ran for a touchdown and threw for another before leaving this Sunday night game with a broken hand. Antwaan Randle El threw a 51-yard TD pass to Ward on a reverse.

Baltimore Ravens 16, Steelers 13 —Maddox was back behind center for the Steelers and threw for 230 yards and a game-tying touchdown with 5:15 remaining.Matt Stover's 44-yard field goal with 4:09 left in overtime ended Pittsburgh's 11-game road winning streak, however.

Indianapolis Colts 26, Steelers 7 —Marvin Harrison caught an 80-yard touchdown pass on the Colts' first snap from scrimmage and Edgerrin James became the first running back to rush for 100 yards against the Steelers in 23 games.Roethlisberger returned to the lineup, but threw for just 133 yards and was intercepted twice.

Cincinnati Bengals 38, Steelers 31 —Tab Perry returned a kickoff 94 yards after the Steelers had rallied to tie the game at 24. The return set up Rudi Johnson's 1-yard touchdown plunge and gave the Bengals the lead they never lost.Roethlisberger threw for 386 yards, but had three interceptions. Pittsburgh had four turnovers overall as Cincinnati took control of the division race.

Steelers 21, Chicago Bears 9 —Needing to win to keep realistic playoff hopes alive, Pittsburgh ended Chicago's eight-game winning streak as Bettis rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Steelers 18, Minnesota Vikings 3 —Minnesota was limited to 25 yards of offense in the second half. Joey Porter and Deshea Townsend intercepted passes in the red zone and the Steelers blocked a field goal in this road victory.

Steelers 41, Cleveland Browns 0 —Parker scored on an 80-yard run and the Steelers scored on their first four possessions. Browns quarterback Charlie Frye was sacked eight times and Steelers linebacker James Harrison body-slammed a Browns fan who ran onto the field.

Steelers 35, Detroit Lions 21 —Needing a win to reach the playoffs, Pittsburgh got on the scoreboard first when Randle El returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown. Detroit took a brief lead, but a 63-yard kickoff return by Ricardo Colclough set up the game-tying touchdown.Brett Keisel then recovered a fumble on a Detroit punt return to set up the go-ahead score. Parker rushed for 135 yards and Bettis matched his career-high with three touchdowns.