Nine and three.

Who would have expected in early September that at the three-quarters point of the season the Steelers would have won 75 percent of their games?

I'd say very few.

The Steelers were looking at a schedule containing teams that had a combined .598 winning percentage in 2007, which made it the one of the NFL's most daunting schedules in the past 25 years.

Only the Tennessee Titans and the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants have a better record (11-1), and the Giants needed to overcome a 14-10 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Pittsburgh 21-14 Oct. 26.

The Steelers' other losses were 15-6 to Philadelphia in Week 3 and to the Indianapolis Colts, who pulled out a 24-20 victory late in the fourth quarter Nov. 9.

The point is the Steelers have been in every single game. They haven't been blown out or outmanned.

The bottom line in the Steelers' success has been their consistent play on defense. Second-year players LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons have given the defense a youthful shot of adrenaline that wasn't expected at the start of the year. Fans and "experts" claimed that Pittsburgh neglected to upgrade its defense in the draft.

The Steelers have the No. 1 defense against the pass and the rush and haven't allowed 300 yards in total offense to any opponent this season.

That 12-game stretch is tied for the second-longest streak since the 1970 merger. Only the 1973 Los Angeles Rams with 14 have more. But with games against the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Titans looming, the Rams' record might still hold.

Of course, the Steelers have been knocking off some pretty good teams along the way, but it's amazing the success they've had in poor weather conditions.

When I saw the deluge of rain at the start of the Steelers-New England Patriots game Sunday, I told my wife, "Not again." They seem to play in horrendous conditions every week.

But the Steelers have recorded plenty of wins over the past few seasons in the muck.

Against Cleveland Sept. 14, Pittsburgh won at Cleveland 10-6 despite heavy rain and high winds. Against San Diego Nov. 16, it grabbed a 11-10 victory in snowy conditions, then destroyed host New England 33-10 on Sunday, using five Patriots turnovers in the second half to pull away.

And don't forget that 3-0 turf-upon-turf in a rainstorm victory against Miami in 2007.

Injuries also have been the team's constant companions. Willie Parker (on several occasions), Marvel Smith, Rashard Mendenhall, Kendall Simmons, Brett Keisel, Deshea Townsend, Bryant McFadden, to name a few, have missed playing time. Mendenhall and Simmons were lost for the season.

Coach Mike Tomlin never uses injuries as an excuse and never allowed this team to find an out. They line up, especially the defense, and keep you guessing.

That's something a lot of fans were doing earlier this season.