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Deshea Townsend (5-foot-10, 191 pounds) and his partner on the left side, cornerback Ike Taylor (6-1, 191), figure to see a great deal of Deion Branch today.

Branch will line up on either side and challenge both, and both are going to need help if the Steelers are to contain Branch. They'll need to first be a part of a defense that stops running back Corey Dillon, and then they'll need the pass rush to maintain consistent pressure on quarterback Tom Brady throughout. Finally, the Steelers' cornerbacks are going to need help from safeties Troy Polamalu and Chris Hope, either in coverage or on the blitz. Polamalu in particular figures to engage in a 60-minute guessing-game with Brady. How many times Brady guesses right (is Polamalu coming on the blitz, and if so from where, or dropping into coverage?) as opposed to Polamalu promises to impact greatly the Patriots' ability to move through the air.

The Steelers identified Andre Johnson as the receiver they couldn't afford to let beat them last Sunday in Houston, then held him to 5.0 yards per catch on four receptions (down from 14.5 yards per grab in Johnson's Pro Bowl season of 2004). They'll need to be similarly stingy against New England's Deion.

Deion Branch, all 5-foot-9 and 193 pounds of him, has helped New England establish that size doesn't have to matter as far as game-breaking NFL wide receivers are concerned. It certainly didn't matter to Branch last February when he tied the Super Bowl record of 11 receptions and walked away with MVP honors in Super Bowl XXXIX.

The week before in the AFC Championship Game, Branch riddled the Steelers for a 60-yard reception that produced a 10-0 lead and a 45-yard grab that set up the touchdown that made it 17-3 New England. He finished with four catches for 166 yards overall and also scored on a 23-yard reverse that made it 41-20 Pats late in a 41-27 triumph.

Although it's clear that the strength of the New England offense is quarterback Tom Brady's ability to take what the defense is giving and distribute the ball to a variety or receivers, it's just as clear that Branch has separated himself as the big-play guy in the Patriots' diversified attack. Branch had eight catches last Sunday at Carolina, but the Panthers limited him to just 60 yards and kept him out of the end zone (which is easier to do if he doesn't get behind defenders; Branch often goes down after catches rather than risk a big hit for yards after the catch). Carolina also won the game, 27-17.

The Matchup: The Steelers' philosophy is to make teams drive the length of the field a little at a time, and count on making a play that produces a stop or a turnover somewhere a long the line. The amount of big plays Branch and Brady produced in the AFC Championship Game indicates just how far off their game the Steelers defenders were the last time the Pats visited Heinz Field. They won't give up such large chunks of yardage so easily again this time. EDGE: Steelers

LAST WEEK: The idea for the Steelers was to bid their time with the running game and then strike for big plays to their receivers when single coverage materialized outside. It worked to near perfection as the Steelers' scorched man-to-man coverage repeatedly in a 27-7 win.