PITTSBURGH— A rugged schedule, a retooled offensive line and an aging defense.

Such were the concerns of Steelers fans entering the 2008 season.

The schedule proved not quite as tough as originally advertised — Pittsburgh went 3-4 against teams that reached postseason play this year.

The offensive line certainly missed Alan Faneca early and injuries to Marvel Smith and Kendall Simmons further muddled the team's performance up front.

The defense has looked anything but old, leading the league in numerous categories and being the NFL's top-ranked unit overall.

Here is a review of the Steelers' regular season:

Game 1

Steelers 38, Houston Texans 17 — Willie Parker rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns as Pittsburgh put the season opener away early. Ben Roethlisberger completed 13 of 14 passes, including two touchdown tosses to Hines Ward.Defensively, James Harrison had three sacks, and Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley an interception each.Game 2

Steelers 10, Browns 6 — Swirling rain and wind hampered both offenses in Cleveland. Roethlisberger's 11-yard touchdown pass to Ward in the second quarter marked the lone TDof the night.A Polamalu interception near the goal line prevented the Browns from tying the game before halftime. Bryant McFadden had an interception and Aaron Smith had two sacks in the victory.Game 3

Philadelphia Eagles 15, Steelers 6 — Field goals of 37 and 53 yards were the only offense the Steelers could muster as they were held to 180 yards.Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich were sacked a combined nine times.Game 4

Steelers 23, Baltimore Ravens 20 (OT) — Jeff Reed's 46-yard field goal gave the Steelers a "Monday Night Football" victory.Pittsburgh trailed 13-3 at halftime before Roethlisberger connected with Santonio Holmes for a 38-yard touchdown and Woodley returned a fumble seven yards for a score and a 17-13 lead. Reed added a 19-yard field goal with 9:19 left in regulation.Le'Ron McClain capped a 76-yard Ravens drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:02 left to force overtime.Game 5

Steelers 26, Jacksonville Jaguars 21 — Running back Mewelde Moore made his first start with the Steelers and ran for 99 yards on 17 carries Roethlisberger overcame a 72-yard interception return by Rashean Mathis for the game's first score by throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns.Ward's 8-yard TDcatch with 1:53 remaining capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive and gave the Steelers the victory. Jacksonville was held to 213 yards of offense.Game 6

Steelers 38, Cincinnati 10 — The Steelers outscored Cincinnati 21-0 in the fourth quarter to win going away. Roethlisberger threw a 50-yard scoring pass to Nate Washington, Moore scored on a 2-yard run and Leftwich tossed a 16-yard TDpass to Ward.Pittsburgh recorded seven sacks, with Harrison, Woodley and Lawrence Timmons getting two each.Game 7

New York Giants 21, Steelers 14 — The Steelers' first loss of the season occurred at Heinz Field as the Giants outscored Pittsburgh 12-0 in the fourth quarter.New York trailed 14-12 when Harrison, filling in for injured long-snapper Greg Warren, snapped the ball over punter Mitch Berger's head and out of the end zone for a game-tying safety.The Giants took the ensuing free kick and marched 62 yards in 12 plays, with Eli Manning throwing a 2-yard TDpass to Kevin Boss with 3:07 remaining.Game 8

Steelers 23, Washington Redskins 6 — Another "Monday Night Football" win and this one came convincingly.After spotting the host Redskins a pair of field goals, the Steelers took control. Reed kicked a 35-yard field goal and Roethlisberger scored on a 1-yard run for a 10-6 halftime lead.An injured shoulder prevented Roethlisberger from playing in the second half, but Leftwich threw for 129 yards and a touchdown and Parker scored on a 1-yard run.Woodley had two of the Steelers' seven sacks.Game 9

Indianapolis Colts 24, Steelers 20 — The game was tied at 17 entering the fourth quarter before Reed's 24-yard field goal put the Steelers in front with 7:57 to play.Roethlisberger's third interception of the game gave the Colts possession at Pittsburgh's 32. Peyton Manning produced the winning points with a 17-yard TDtoss to Domenic Rhodes.Game 10

Steelers 11, San Diego Chargers 10 — In the most bizarre game of the season, the Steelers were held without a touchdown despite Roethlisberger throwing for 308 yards, Parker running for 115 and Ward catching 11 passes for 124.The Steelers had 13 penalties for 115 yards, San Diego two penalties for five. Harrison sacked Philip Rivers in the end zone for a safety and Reed kicked field goals of 21, 41 and 32 yards, the latter deciding the issue with 11 seconds left.Polamalu had a lunging interception, but was denied a fumble return for a touchdown on the game's final play, a call the officials later admitted was an errant one.Game 11

Steelers 27, Cincinnati Bengals 10 — Pittsburgh spotted the Bengals a 7-0 lead early, then took control. Gary Russell scored his first NFLtouchdown on a 2-yard run and Roethlisberger iced the win with an 8-yard scoring burst with 2:15 remaining.Game 12

Steelers 33, New England Patriots 10 — In a game that proved deadly to the Patriots' playoff hopes, the Steelers generated five turnovers.Harrison forced two fumbles, Woodley, and James Farrior and Keyaron Fox recovered fumbles, the latter on special teams.Polamalu and Timmons intercepted passes, the latter returning his 89 yards to the New England 1-yard line.Game 13

Steelers 20, Dallas Cowboys 13 — The Steelers scored 17 points in the final 7:15 of regulation to pull out this victory.Trailing 13-3, Pittsburgh answered with a 41-yard Reed field goal, followed by a 67-yard scoring drive that culminated with Roethlisberger throwing a 6-yard TDpass to Heath Miller with 2:04 to go.With 1:40 remaining, Deshea Townsend intercepted a Tony Romo pass and returned it 26 yards for a score.Game 14

Steelers 13, Baltimore Ravens 9 — The Steelers clinched the AFCNorth and a first-round bye on one of the most controversial plays of the NFL season.Trailing 9-6, Roethlisberger led the Steelers on a 12-play, 92-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard scoring pass to Holmes. The play was ruled dead on the one-foot line on the field, but a replay review reversed the call and gave the Steelers a touchdown on the third-down play.Game 15

Tennessee Titans 31, Steelers 14 — The Titans clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs as Kerry Collins threw a 34-yard scoring pass to Justin Gage. Chris Johnson and LenDale White each rushed for touchdowns.Michael Griffin returned his second interception of the day 83 yards for a touchdown. Roethlisberger threw for 329 yards, including TD strikes of 31 yards to Holmes and 21 yards to Ward.Game 16

Steelers 31, Cleveland Browns 0 — The Browns were held to 18 yards passing and Tyrone Carter intercepted two passes, returning the second 32 yards for a touchdown.Roethlisberger was carted off the field with a concussion late in the second quarter, but Leftwich completed that possession by scoring on an 8-yard run.Parker ran for 116 yards, including a 34-yard TDgallop.Game 17

Steelers 35, San Diego Chargers 24 — The Steelers advanced to their 14th AFC championship game and improved to 11-1 in home divisional round playoff games.After the Chargers took an early 7-0 lead on Vincent Jackson's 41-yard touchdown reception, Pittsburgh got even on Santonio Holmes' 67-yard punt return for a score.Willie Parker added TD runs of 3 and 16 yards, Ben Roethlisberger threw an 8-yard TD toss to Heath Miller and Gary Russell scored on a 1-yard run.San Diego ran just one offensive play in the third quarter, a pass that was intercepted by Larry Foote.