Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Running back Duce Staley and quarterback Charlie Batch celebrate Staley's fourth quarter 3-yard touchdown run. Click photo for larger image. More Steelers Polamalu turns the tide with 77-yard fumble return for touchdown Steelers Notebook: Ward to get 2nd shot at reception record at home Steelers Photo Journal: Game Eight AFC North Roundup: Bengals, Browns win Stats and more in the Sports Forecaster NFL Watch

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Statues of Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau tower over the main entrance to storied Lambeau Field. Inside they were joined by a third statue yesterday when the Packers' Brett Favre played as if he, too, was cast in bronze.

The Steelers, uninspiring on offense without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and inconsistent on defense, stole away from Green Bay with a 20-10 victory that looked good only where it wound up, as their sixth win in eight games.

"It wasn't pretty," Steelers coach Bill Cowher acknowledged. "But we made enough plays to win the football game and that's the bottom line."

Quarterback Charlie Batch, making his first start in four years, played that way, completing 9 of 16 passes for 65 yards, one touchdown and a 39.8 passer rating. Duce Staley (76 yards, 15 carries) and the running game helped bail out Batch with 154 yards rushing. But mistakes and the inaccuracy of Favre coupled with a few big plays on defense are what delivered the Steelers their club-record 11th consecutive road victory.

"Was it an ugly win? Yes," said receiver Hines Ward, who caught just one pass to leave him three from breaking John Stallworth's career team record. "You're going to win some ugly wins. Bottom line in this business is win and losses; we're 6-2 at the halfway point."

They are there because safety Troy Polamalu turned Favre's fumble into a game-changing 77-yard touchdown return, because Tyrone Carter's interception of a Favre pass led to the Steelers' only offensive touchdown, and because Favre did not have it in him to add to his 34 career comebacks.

After Carter's interception at the Packers' 20 set up Staley's 3-yard touchdown run with 6:16 left, Favre had two chances to bring his team back and failed. One petered out at the Steelers' 30 when he threw incomplete twice and did not run when he had an open field in front of him. The other ended at the Steelers' 31 when Kimo von Oelhoffen batted one pass down and Favre threw incomplete two more times, his final one short to his intended receiver.

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Linebackers Joey Porter (55) and James Farrior celebrate after a play. Click photo for larger image.

"You have to know that he has a lot of comebacks in this game," linebacker Joey Porter said. "We played like the game wasn't over. We kept coming after him, we kept pressure in his face. It worked out good for us."

Favre completed 20 of 35 passes for 214 yards and was sacked just once, and his running game was of little help with just 65 yards as the Packers slumped to 1-7.

The Steelers, outgained 268-213, converted none of their eight third-down plays.

"We didn't throw the ball for a whole lot of yardage," said Cowher, who insisted his game plan did not change much because it was Batch and not the injured Roethlisberger behind center. "We did not have a conservative approach. That wasn't the thinking coming in."

The Steelers managed little on offense in the first half but took a 13-3 lead on Polamalu's 77-yard fumble return and two field goals by Jeff Reed.

Reed struck from 32 yards and 24 yards to end the Steelers' first two drives and give them a 6-0 lead.

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Antwaan Randle El looks for daylight in the first half. Click photo for larger image.

Antwaan Randle El started the game with a 43-yard reverse to the Packers' 31 on a handoff from Willie Parker. That drive bogged down at the 14 and Reed put them up, 3-0.

ReShard Lee, who started at halfback for the Packers because of a rib injury to Tony Fisher, fumbled on his second carry without being hit. Polamalu recovered at the Green Bay 44. After, the drive fell short on fourth-and-1 at the 7, Reed put the Steelers in front, 6-0, with his 24-yard field goal.

Packers coach Mike Sherman benched Lee after his fumble and went with rookie Samkon Gado, who helped run the Packers into position for Ryan Longwell's 40-yard field goal.

Batch threw short on a pass intended for Ward over the middle on the next series and linebacker Robert Thomas intercepted to give Green Bay a first down at the 36. Favre hit Donald Driver with a 33-yard pass and the Packers had a first down at the Steelers' 3, looking to take the lead.

An incompletion, a 1-yard loss and consecutive false start penalties pushed them back to the 12. Monday night, in a similar situation, the Steelers played passively and the Ravens scored from 13 yards away. Yesterday, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau sent the blitz with Polamalu and rookie cornerback Bryant McFadden.

	Morry Gash, Associated Press Packers quarterback Brett Favre, right, fumbles the ball as he is hit by Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden during the second quarter. Click photo for larger image.

"It felt like I was going to a buffet," McFadden said. "My eyes got real wide, especially when I came free. I'm coming with as much attitude and aggression as possible. Not only to make a sack but to try to make him fumble like he did."

Favre spun away from Polamalu, but McFadden smacked into him, causing a fumble. Polamalu scooped it up, picked up a block from McFadden and ran 77 yards for a touchdown and a 13-3 Steelers lead.

"That stand, that's the series of the game," Cowher said. "It was huge."

The Packers finally scored a touchdown on another long drive to open the second half. Gado ran over from the 1 to cap a 65-yard drive and cut the Steelers lead to 13-10.

The 70,607 in Lambeau came alive, sensing another magical Favre moment they have witnessed for so long.

Instead, Carter intercepted a pass thrown too hard to Driver, who tipped it into the air. The Steelers took over at the 20, and four plays later Staley ran for a 3-yard touchdown, his first since Oct. 10, 2004, against Cleveland.

Staley played so much because Willie Parker left the game with an ankle injury and Jerome Bettis already was out with a thigh bruise. Roethlisberger might not play for another week, and they lost linebacker James Farrior in the third quarter when the medial collateral ligament in his left knee was sprained.

"That shows you the heart of this team," Staley said. "You can't even imagine the heart of this team. We all live on one heartbeat and that's how we're going to play the rest of the year."