Nearly three quarters had elapsed, almost 45 minutes of a divisional playoff game, before the Steelers managed to do something that would be expected of the AFC's top rushing team: They ran the ball three consecutive plays against the New York Jets.

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It came on the final three plays of the third quarter, and Duce Staley did the honors, gaining 7, 4 and 6 yards to move the ball to the Jets' 30. As the quarter ended, All-Pro guard Alan Faneca ran down the field, waving his arm in a circular motion in front of the Steelers' bench.

For Faneca, the demonstration was more rare than a prime rib at Morton's. But there was no mistaking the message he was sending to the sideline.

"I was just trying to tell Russ and the coaches on the side to just keep calling them like you've been calling them," Faneca said, referring to offensive line coach Russ Grimm. "It's feeling good out here and just keep that up. There's no reason to change. Let's just keep doing that."

In a season in which the Steelers had more 100-yard rushing games (11) than any other NFL team, and in a game in which their rookie quarterback was having a difficult time getting a grip on his rhythm, it seems unlikely the coaches would need a reminder from their three-time Pro Bowl guard to run the ball.

But there was Faneca, exhorting the coaches, signalling to his teammates, to get back to what the Steelers do best. He was pumping his arm like a third-base coach sending the runner home, and the coaches listened.

"We were getting into a rhythm, and I thought we were feeling it," Faneca said. "I don't know how it looks on the sidelines, but sometimes you just want to let them know."

"When you get in the groove, you want to keep it going," said running back Jerome Bettis, who had 101 yards rushing against the Jets -- his seventh 100-yard game in seven starts this season.

"You want to try to impose your will. You want to try to establish that and keep going and give yourself the best chance to win. We know what makes this team tick. Every chance we get to run the football, we want to."

Faneca's message was well-received. The Steelers ran the ball two more times to start the fourth quarter -- the second ended with Bettis' fumble at the Jets' 24 -- then ran eight times on the 12-play drive that ended with Ben Roethlisberger's 4-yard shovel pass to Hines Ward for a touchdown.

In overtime, the Steelers called runs on nine of the 14 plays that led to Jeff Reed's winning 33-yard field goal -- six of those to Staley, who had 28 yards.

And they probably won't stop running the ball Sunday, either, until the New England Patriots (15-2) prove they can stop the Steelers' rushing attack in the AFC championship game at Heinz Field. The Patriots weren't able to do that in the first meeting Oct. 31, when the Steelers rushed for 221 yards -- their second-highest total this season -- on 49 carries.

"When you're feeling it and when you're doing it, there's nothing wrong with getting 3 to 4 yards every time we run the ball," Faneca said. "It doesn't have to be 6 or 7 yards."

On a day when not a lot of things were going right, the Steelers finished with 193 yards rushing on 43 carries against the Jets, who had the NFL's fifth-ranked rushing defense during the regular season.

Bettis, who will start against the Patriots, did most of the damage before his right leg cramped in overtime. Staley came on and looked like he did earlier in the season, rushing for 54 yards on 11 carries -- his most yards since he had 125 yards in the first meeting against the Patriots.

Coach Bill Cowher said yesterday he wants to gets Staley "involved earlier in the game" against the Patriots, an indication Staley is running like he did before he injured his hamstring against the Patriots.

If nothing else, the Steelers' running game will serve as a good buffer for Roethlisberger, who struggled against the Jets and threw two costly interceptions.

"We're not a passing team, anyway," said center Jeff Hartings. "We don't have to worry too much about the passing game not working because we try to run the ball first anyway. I don't think any of us panics too much when we're not throwing the ball [well]."

The Steelers have spent the week downplaying how well they ran the ball against the Patriots in their 34-20 victory on Halloween, the game that ended New England's record 21-game winning streak.

They said they were able to do so because they had a 21-3 lead after the first quarter, thanks to the defense that produced back-to-back turnovers from quarterback Tom Brady, including a 39-yard interception return for touchdown from Deshea Townsend.

Despite leading at halftime, 24-10, the Steelers were able to rush for 140 yards in the second half, even though the Patriots knew they were going to run. Bettis had 65 yards on 15 carries, all after halftime.

"I think it was just pure luck," said guard Keydrick Vincent. "We just caught them at a good time and we just got lucky that day."

Asked if the AFC's top rushing team has been lucky all season, Vincent replied: "I think so. We got a four-leaf clover in our pocket. I need to go get some more. I need to go see the wizard."

Or just get a reminder from Faneca.

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