Their march through the NFC East Division is proving a costly one for the Steelers. In Philadelphia, they lost Willie Parker, Casey Hampton and the game.

Yesterday, against the New York Giants at Heinz Field, they lost long-snapper Greg Warren and their second game in seven.

"That's a championship-caliber football team,'' Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the reigning Super Bowl champs came from behind to beat the Steelers, 21-14.

"It doesn't go down easy. It's tough to swallow."

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• Gerry Dulac's Two-Minute Drill: Game Seven vs. Giants
• Steelers Report Card: Game Seven vs. Giants
• Steelers Notebook: Snap decision backfires

Commentary

• PG's Ron Cook: Smith's play teaches valuable lesson
• PG's Bob Smizik: Good or bad, Plax always is center of attraction
• PG's Gene Collier: Without Holmes, offense stalled

Video, Photos & Audio

• PG video: Steelers Report: Game 7 -- Loss to the Giants, 21-14
• PG video: A postcard from Steelers Nation -- Las Vegas
• Slideshow: Steelers vs. Giants
• PG audio: Ben Roethlisberger
• PG audio: Nate Washington
• PG audio: Nate Washington on having his touchdown called back for a foul
• PG audio: Hines Ward

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Tough because the Steelers led, 14-9, midway through the fourth quarter when the Giants scored three times to snatch the game away from them. Tough because their passing game was a wreck -- Ben Roethlisberger threw four interceptions for only the second time in his career, was sacked five times and completed 13 of 29 passes. Tough, because they wasted another good game from their defense.

"It's disappointing, offensively, top to bottom and it starts with me," said Roethlisberger, who had a 38.5 passer rating, among the lowest of his career. "I felt we left the defense down."

The Steelers defense -- although it produced no sacks and no turnovers -- held the Giants (6-1) to four John Carney field goals until tight end Kevin Boss caught Eli Manning's 2-yard pass for New York's only touchdown, the winner with 3:07 to go.

That was set up in the third quarter when Warren left for the season with a torn ACL. The Steelers had no true backup long-snapper, but linebacker James Harrison volunteered after fooling around with snapping the past few training camps.

He never snapped in a game, not even high school.

He was called to snap from the Steelers' 17 and his team leading, 14-12. Nerves and adrenaline took hold and he snapped it high over punter Mitch Berger's head and over the end line for a 2-point safety that tied it.

The Giants took over at their 47 and moved in for the kill when Manning (19 of 32 for 199 yards) completed a 25-yard, third-down pass to Steve Smith to the 25. Three plays later, Bass scored the winner.

"When you play that type of game, it comes down to plays in the fourth quarter," Steelers receiver Hines Ward said. "They proved why they are champs. They came into our back yard and beat us at home."

The Steelers made their plays in the first three quarters. Mewelde Moore scored on another long run, from 32 yards, on the first series. Nate Washington caught his third long touchdown pass in the past three games, a 65-yarder to put the Steelers in front, 14-9.

He caught another one later but a holding penalty erased it and probably made a difference in the outcome.

Moore finished with 84 yards in his third consecutive start, but was not as effective in the second half, when he had just 21 of those yards.

"There is only one stat that matters to us," Tomlin said when asked about Moore's game, "and that is winning. We didn't do it today."

Carney kicked his first field goal for a 7-3 score, then James Butler intercepted Roethlisberger, who had 189 yards passing.

The Giants drove to a first down at the Steelers' 2 after the turnover, when things got interesting. They had a second down at the 1 and Brandon Jacobs carried for no gain, then scored. But Tomlin challenged the call and the video review showed Jacobs' elbow was down before he got into the end zone.

New York coach Tom Coughlin opted to go for it on fourth down and safety Ryan Clark popped in from the left side to slow Jacobs down and he could not get through the middle of the Steelers' defense.

The defense came to play.

"We knew it was going to be tough," Coughlin said of the Steelers' defense. "It is kind of frustrating, especially when we were at the 1-inch line to be that close."

The Giants kept kicking field goals. Carney made one from 35 yards and it was 7-6. Bryan Kehl intercepted Roethlisberger after Butler slammed into Washington and the ball popped loose.

Carney kicked a field goal from 25 yards off that one and it was 9-7 New York.

Washington put the Steelers back on top with his 65-yard touchdown catch with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. He broke wide open, caught Roethlisberger's pass at the 25 and, as Butler turned inside, then outside and inside again to try to get a bead on him, Washington sprinted down the sideline untouched.

But then came the touchdown pass that wasn't, and it may have turned the game around for the Giants.

Washington caught a 53-yard pass late in the third quarter, but it was nullified by a holding call on tackle Willie Colon, and the Steelers did not score on that drive.

"It's disappointing," Roethlisberger said. "Nate made a great play. I'm not going to talk about the call, I'll get in trouble."

"I think it hurt some of the guys' confidence," Washington said of that play. "We got down on ourselves."

Carney would kick his fourth field goal after Roethlisberger threw his third interception, this one to cornerback Corey Webster. That cut the lead to two and it was tied shortly thereafter on Harrison's mis-snap.

In the end, though, the safety is not what cost them the game.

"We had a chance to put the nail in the coffin for those guys a couple of times," linebacker LaMarr Woodley said, "and didn't get it done."