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Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press A fan revels in the Steelers' lead from behind the Philadelphia Eagles bench in the final minutes yesterday at Heinz Field. Click photo for larger image. 
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The Steelers 27-3 rout over the previously undefeated Eagles put them in a tie for the best record in the NFL at 7-1. The victory came a week after the Steelers knocked off the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
It is the first time in NFL history a team has beaten undefeated teams back-to-back this late in the season, and the Steelers didn't allow for much suspense in either game.
The Steelers also set a home attendance record with a booming Heinz Field crowd of 64,975. That broke the mark of 64,737 set the previous week against the Patriots.
"I go back to 2001. I could feel the buzz in the air," linebacker Joey Porter said. "It's back. The buzz is definitely back. The whole city is just ecstatic right now."
Coach Bill Cowher agreed.
"We enjoy playing in front of these fans," Cowher said. "These crowds the last two weeks have been like a playoff atmosphere."
As they did against New England, the Steelers started quickly against the Eagles. They scored a touchdown on each of their first two drives and on three of their first four to take a 21-3 lead at halftime. Rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passed for two of those three touchdowns.
A crowd studded with Steelers jerseys, including many No. 7 Roethlisbergers, reached its ear-splitting crescendo early, then settled into something just below deafening as it became clear this game was going to turn out similar to the one against New England.
"We feed off it," Steelers receiver Antwaan Randle El said of the fans. "We feed off the crowd being the way they are. We love it."
Randle El is in his third season in the NFL, so he doesn't remember the atmosphere surrounding the Steelers' 2001 season, when they made a run to the AFC championship game.
Porter does.
"You come away with big [home wins] like that, you set another record for the crowd, you know they're with us. They're ready to go. That 12th man is so serious that home games are really big for us. That's why you have to win your home games."
The Steelers will have to leave most of their fans at home the next two weeks. They have AFC North games at Cleveland on Sunday and at Cincinnati on Nov. 21 before returning to Heinz Field on Nov. 28 to play Washington.
They don't expect to be far from their supporters' thoughts, though.
"Every time you walk outside, anywhere you go and they recognize that you're a ball player -- or just here in the stands -- you know [the excitement] is there," Porter said. "This town, they love the football. They have hockey and baseball and all that stuff, but the Steel City is all about football, and they take it seriously."
The Steelers were 5-2 at this point of the 2001 season. The last time they began a season as strong as 7-1 was 1978, when they went on to win their third of four Super Bowls that decade.
Just as Randle El wasn't here to experience the atmosphere in 2001, Porter's recall doesn't stretch back to the Super Bowl era.
It happens that several men at yesterday's game do remember. The Steelers invited the 1979 team back to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise's most recent Super Bowl championship.
"We got to spend some time with the fans and kind of relive some of those great moments from the '79 team," Mike Wagner, a safety on that championship team, said before the game.
"The thing that's still there is the way the fans treat us here in Pittsburgh. I'm from the Illinois area, and when I'm home some of my buddies say, 'Oh, the Steelers fans are pretty great.' I say, 'We're treasured.' When they recognize us or realize who we are, the people are so thankful and almost in awe, which is always amazing to me."
"The Steelers have the town excited again," added Mel Blount, a cornerback on those 1970s teams.
