A tough one to remember

It was one of the most demoralizing losses the Bucs suffered last season, and it was inflicted from both sides of the ball. In a 17-10 beating at the hands of the Steelers on Oct. 21, 2001, the Bucs gave up 344 yards of total offense, including 220 yards on the ground, and were hammered by the Steelers pass rush for 10 sacks.

Tampa Bay took the lead with a 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but Pittsburgh dominated the rest of the game. Running back Jerome Bettis rushed for 143 yards on 17 carries and also threw a touchdown to tight end Jermane Tuman to give the Steelers a 17-3 lead after three quarters.

Receiver Keyshawn Johnson had 10 catches for 159 yards and cornerback Ronde Barber had two interceptions for the only Bucs highlights.

SOME INSIDE STUFF

Talk about tight end production. Last season the Bucs got 35 catches for 285 yards and four touchdowns from the position. With two games left this season, new additions Ken Dilger and Rickey Dudley have combined for 43 catches for 464 yards and five touchdowns.

Pittsburgh has led at halftime in eight of its past 10 games and has an overall record of 7-0-1 this season when leading at the half.

Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice needs two sacks to tie defensive tackle Warren Sapp's single-season franchise record of 16.5. Rice has been stuck on 14.5 the past two games. Rice led the NFL in sacks after the New Orleans game (Dec. 1) but has lost the lead to Dolphins end Jason Taylor, who has 17.

The Steelers held the Panthers to 0 yards in the first half of their 30-14 victory over Carolina on Dec. 15. In that game, they sacked Carolina QBs Rodney Peete and Chris Weinke a combined six times.

Running back Mike Alstott has led the Bucs in rushing three times this season. He had 11 carries for 47 yards against the Lions, 17 carries for 126 yards against the Browns and 13 carries for 95 yards against the Falcons. The Bucs won all three games.

INTERESTING

As powerful as the Steelers running game is (Jerome Bettis and Amos Zereoue have a combined 1,235 yards and 11 touchdowns), they appear to be doing most of their damage outside the red zone. The Steelers are 15th in the AFC and 28th in the league in touchdown efficiency inside their opponent's 20-yard line. They have converted 44.4 percent of their scoring opportunities. By comparison, the Bucs defense is second in the NFL, allowing touchdowns in 35.5 percent (11-31) of the possessions. The Bucs have given up 112 points on 11 TDs and 12 FGs, both marks the lowest in the NFL.

FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING

1: Steelers NFL defensive ranking against the run.

11: AFC-leading receiving TDs by Hines Ward.

178: combined yards of total offense the Steelers have given up in past two games.

344: yards the Steelers gained on offense against Bucs last year.

THE LAST WORD

"The past can happen again if you're not prepared. If you're not planning to succeed, then you're planning to fail. We learned from it. We'll see Monday night." -- Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice on ignoring what happened last year against the Steelers.

-- Compiled by Roger Mills.