The soft underbelly of the Steelers schedule has, for the most part, ended with them winning four of seven, but only one of those teams sports a winning record.
Now come the big boys, starting with the reigning Super Bowl champions Sunday and, two weeks after that, the defending AFC North champions twice in a three-week span.
If the Steelers believe they are a team on the rise after consecutive victories for the first time since last season, they have the perfect chances to show it, starting Sunday with the New York Giants on the road.
"I see it as an opportunity to go out there and show what we can do," linebacker James Harrison said.
The Giants look better today than they did most of last season, when they squeaked into the playoffs on the final day with a 9-7 record, good enough to claim the NFC East Division title. They then won four in a row to claim another Lombardi Trophy.
"We are playing the defending champions at their place," coach Mike Tomlin said. "That is varsity football, as we say in our business. Looking at what they have done this year, it's equally as impressive. They are 6-2. They've won their last four games. They do things that winning teams do."
They do the kinds of things on defense the Steelers no longer do, like intercept passes (16) and sack the quarterback (21). As a comparison, the Steelers have three interceptions and 12 sacks.
And the Giants offense ranks fourth in the NFL, sixth behind Eli Manning's passing attack. While the Steelers have done a much better job protecting Ben Roethlisberger this season allowing 13 sacks, Manning has been sacked just six times.
"We are looking forward to measuring ourselves against a group like this," Tomlin said. "We need this challenge. Obviously, we won the last time we were on the road. That has been an issue for us in the past."
Injury updates
Troy Polamalu (calf) and Marcus Gilbert (ankle) will miss the game against New York, Tomlin said. Ryan Clark (concussion) will have to pass a "battery of tests" in order to play.
Jonathan Dwyer (right thigh) is not scheduled to practice today, and Tomlin said he's hopeful he can go Thursday. Isaac Redman (ankle), who missed one game, will practice Wednesday. Rashard Mendenhall (Achilles) will start individual work Wednesday, and Tomlin said "that's a step in the right direction for him.''
The coach would not commit to naming a starter if both Redman and Dwyer are healthy.
"I'm not a big hypothetical guy. I'm going to live day to day throughout this week and work with the guys that are healthy in preparation and kind of make the decision as we go."
LaMarr Woodley (hamstring) may be limited in early practices. Stevenson Sylvester (hamstring) is "very questionable."
Brandon Johnson (hamstring) is scheduled to practice after missing one game.
Rookie guard David DeCastro, who has been out since a preseason knee injury, "is working individually and working his way back to us," Tomlin said.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/its-time-the-steelers-to-take-a-giant-step-659902/#ixzz2AretGyiH
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