The Steelers wore throwback uniforms yesterday, outfits that looked much like ones their players wore in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

It's a good thing they looked the part yesterday, not played it.

The 2007 Steelers played more like a throwback to 2005 than to those bad pre-Super Bowl teams. Better yet, they look superior to the team that wore their uniforms last season.

The Steelers thumped the outmanned Buffalo Bills, who limped in and back out of Heinz Field on the tail end of a 26-3 spanking. That raised the Steelers' record to 2-0 for only the second time this century; the other occurred in 2005, the season that ended in a Super Bowl victory.

"Thankfully, we are 2-0," coach Mike Tomlin said after achieving his first victory at home and the franchise's 500th regular-season victory. "But hopefully we will get better, and that is our intention."

It took the Steelers until mid-October to win their second game in their Super Bowl hangover season of 2006.

"It's like night and day, coming back this year," said receiver Hines Ward, whose five catches for 55 yards led a group of nine Steelers with receptions. "Winning's always good, everybody's happy, things go a lot smoother. It's a lot easier going to work when you're winning than going to work when you're losing."

The work looked easy again, too. Rookie Daniel Sepulveda had to punt just once as the Steelers offense did everything but score touchdowns, although a few of those would come later. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's crew hung up 420 yards on the Bills, converted 11 of 16 third downs and consumed 35 minutes and 27 seconds of the game's 60 minutes, while Willie Parker ran for 126 yards.

Jeff Reed kicked all four of his field goals in the first half, Parker scored his team's first rushing touchdown this season from 11 yards and rookie tight end Matt Spaeth made it two games, three receptions, two touchdowns.

The Steelers have outscored their first two opponents, 60-10, and are in first place in the AFC North Division by themselves for the first time since the first game last season.

"It feels good," linebacker Clark Haggans said. "I don't remember the last time we were 2-0, maybe last year? Not really. Maybe the year before, I'm not sure. But for us to have two wins and no losses right now is a good feeling."

Roethlisberger completed 21 of 34 passes for 242 yards. His touchdown toss to Spaeth was his fifth of the season and his interception in the second quarter was his first. That interception was the only failed drive of the first half, although the Steelers were not happy that long drives ended not with touchdowns but with field goals of 34, 28, 39 and 31 yards.

"I told Jeff that it's good when he puts up a lot of points," Roethlisberger said, "but I'd rather his points be one at a time instead of three. I felt like we left a lot out there."

They feel they left room for improvement, which might come as a surprise to the vanquished Bills, who fell to 0-2 after opening with a loss in the last minute to Denver.

"We'd like to go back and start that one over, it might end up the same way," Buffalo coach Dick Jauron said. "They're awfully good. They played well. They deserved to beat us, obviously."

The Steelers sacked quarterback J.P. Losman four times and limited him to 154 yards (15 of 24). Buffalo rookie Marshawn Lynch ran for 64 of Buffalo's 102 yards, the 27th consecutive game no runner has topped 100 against them.

"We just went out there and played hard," Haggans explained. "We ended up keeping them out of the end zone. The secondary played great. Usually when you play hard, good things will happen."

Haggans had to move from the left outside to the right because James Harrison was injured on the last play of the first half. Harrison was carted off on a stretcher and has a neck injury but tests showed there was no real damage.

It was about the only bad moment for the Steelers on a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-60s and their Legends Team honored at halftime. Unless, of course, they counted the missed touchdown chances in the first half.

Four times they were inside the 20, and four times they settled for field goals on drives that lasted 10 to 14 plays.

On the second, Roethlisberger's throw to an open Dan Kreider on third-and-2 was low and the fullback could not handle it.

They finally found the end zone after Buffalo scored its only points. Terrence McGee returned the second-half kickoff 63 yards to the Steelers' 32, but the Bills could get no closer than the 5 and Rian Lindell's 24-yard field goal.

The Steelers responded with a nine-play touchdown drive that ended with the 6-foot-7 Spaeth going low in the middle of the end zone to snap up Roethlisberger's pass for a 1-yard touchdown on third down under a heavy rush.

"It is good to have a 6-7 target down there," Tomlin said. "Usually, you don't like to throw it at their feet, but he did a nice job of improvising and making things happen."

Not much happened on either side after that until Parker's 11-yard scoring run midway through the final quarter put the Bills out of their misery.

Parker ran 23 times for his 126 yards after claiming he was not thrilled with his performance the previous week when he gained 109 on 27 carries.

"I feel a little better," Parker said. "I had a lot more fun out there than I did last week."

It's been a lot more fun a lot earlier than it was for them last season, when memories of their Super Bowl victory went up in smoke fast.

"I'm encouraged," said receiver Santonio Holmes, who caught three passes for 53 yards. "I feel like we have a good team here."