SAN FRANCISCO - Terrell Owens thrived in the spotlight again and he even kept his pens in his socks.
Owens had a 61-yard touchdown catch among his eight receptions for 155 yards, and Tim Rattay went 21-of-27 for 254 yards in the 49ers' 30-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.
Helped by two downfield blocks by Owens, Kevan Barlow rushed for a 78-yard score in the third quarter to break open San Francisco's fourth straight home victory.
Fullback Fred Beasley also caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Rattay, who added more spice to the 49ers' quarterback controversy with a second straight near-flawless performance in place of injured Pro Bowl player Jeff Garcia. Former Steelers kicker Todd Peterson also made three field goals.
In the teams' first meeting since a rain-soaked game at Candlestick in 1999, San Francisco (5-5) dominated the matchup of defending division champions who have struggled this season.
Tommy Maddox was 25-of-44 for 327 yards for Pittsburgh (3-7), which lost its sixth in seven games thanks to key defensive errors and Antwaan Randle El's fumble on a kickoff return, which allowed San Francisco to score two touchdowns in 14 seconds.
But the Niners' victory was sparked by Owens, who had the best game of his up-and-down season. Fully aware of being on a prime-time stage, the would-be actor got San Francisco started with one of the big plays he has provided sparingly this season.
On the third play of the Niners' second drive, Rattay lofted a pass down the left sideline. Owens accelerated away from cornerback Chad Scott, stopped at the goal line and did a slow pirouette into the end zone before breaking into a dance.
It was tame compared to his celebration in the 49ers' Monday night win over Seattle last season, when Owens pulled a pen from his sock and autographed a ball for his financial adviser. No doubt, Owens disappointed the fan wearing a No. 81 jersey and a cap with a bunch of Sharpie pens dangling from it.
The Steelers periodically moved the ball well with inventive play-calling - but at other times, their execution was equally inventive. Pittsburgh made a number of mistakes, including a 7-yard loss on a pass by Randle El and a 10-yard setback on a double reverse.
Randle El had a 32-yard TD catch in the fourth. Though Pittsburgh is in one of the most dismal stretches of coach Bill Cowher's 12 seasons, the Steelers remain two games out of first in the AFC North.
Barlow was held out of the fourth quarter with a concussion, though he remained on the 49ers' sideline.
