Steelers tight end Heath Miller heads for the goal line Sunday night with Philadelphia defender Sheldon Brown in pursuit. Miller was tackled at the 1-yard line and a Willie Parker fumble snuffed the scoring threat, but Pittsburgh claimed a 27-13 NFL preseason victory over the Eagles at Heinz Field.

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger has had a half like this in an exhibition game, yet he wasn't close to being satisfied. So imagine how Donovan McNabb felt.

Right now, McNabb said after a 27-13 Eagles loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday night, that's not very good. The Eagles quarterback probably has taken his last snap of the preseason but, with the games that count fast approaching, he's still not there yet.

McNabb's timing remains off, and the troublesome knee that ended his season with five weeks to go last year isn't quite right, either. He needed an operation to repair a torn ligament and, eight months later, he isn't ready to say he's all the way back.

Maybe he will be when the Eagles start the season Sept. 9 at Green Bay but, after being sacked twice during a relatively unproductive first half Sunday, McNabb all but said he's glad there's nearly two weeks left before the opener.

"Not at all," McNabb said, asked if he's close to 100 percent physically. "But I'm taking big strides and feeling better as each day and each week goes by."

Unless coach Andy Reid changes his mind, McNabb won't get a chance to sharpen his game when Philadelphia closes the preseason against the Jets on Thursday night.

Reid doesn't plan to play his starters after giving them about a half Sunday — a half in which the Eagles were limited to three points, and the Steelers probably could have scored a lot more than their 13 points.

"I still think we have a lot of work to do," Reid said.

Including his much-watched linebackers. The Eagles played for the first time since releasing four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter in a stunning move last week, and they showed a weakness for giving up screen passes, though that may not be traceable to his absence. Steelers backup Najeh Davenport had 58 yards on two such catches as Pittsburgh outgained Philadelphia 297-89.

"Like I said, there were some good things and there were some things that we've got to get straightened out," Reid said.

The Steelers starters sensed McNabb wouldn't have done much more even if he hadn't been pulled late in the second quarter for rookie Kevin Kolb, who played the rest of the way and went 26-of-37 for 242 yards. McNabb was 5-of-11 for 60 yards but couldn't get the offense moving even after a 14-yard punt gave Philadelphia the ball at the Steelers' 20 midway through the first quarter.

McNabb threw incompletions on second and third down, and the Eagles settled for a 22-yard David Akers field goal that represented their only first half scoring.

"I think they've got a few problems picking up the pressure we bring, and we get after them pretty good. He definitely can sense it (the blitz) coming and he's got to get it out of there, or he's going to get sacked," the Steelers' Casey Hampton said of McNabb. "If you let him sit back there, he'll pick you apart. The whole thing is to get him antsy and try to bring as much pressure as possible."

Roethlisberger (13-of-25, 247 yards) wasn't satisfied with his half, even if it was much better than McNabb's. Roethlisberger was intercepted on Pittsburgh's opening possession when he tried to throw a ball away to avoid being sacked, and he had two more possible interceptions dropped by Eagles defenders.

That's the way the half went for Pittsburgh as it piled up lots of yardage but not many points. Willie Parker also fumbled at the goal line to cost the Steelers a touchdown, and the remarkably short punt by rookie Dan Sepulveda could have proven costly during the season.

"We started slow and I made a couple of mistakes, and we've got to get that corrected," Roethlisberger said. "The good thing is we're close. We're right there and there is nothing major that we need to fix. I told Hines (Ward) that he and I were off six inches all day. It's not a big deal."

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin wouldn't say how long he plans to play his starters Thursday against Carolina, but it's not likely to be long. But it's not as if he needs to play them to generate some momentum for their Sept. 9 opener at rival Cleveland.

"We are never going to be satisfied," Tomlin said. "We are a developing team and, of course, we have to develop quickly. The start of the season is around the corner and I like some of the things we are doing."