PITTSBURGH - This must be a discouraging thought for opposing defensive coordinators: The Steelers are beating teams not only with their Nos.1, 2 and 3 quarterbacks but with their No.4 quarterback.
On a night the Steelers lost another QB to injury and won another game - their fourth in a row, tying them with idle Cincinnati for the AFC North lead - the biggest pass of a 34-21 victory over rival Cleveland wasn't thrown by Ben Roethlisberger.
Or Charlie Batch. Or Tommy Maddox.
Antwaan Randle El, a star quarterback at Indiana who wishes he could throw more passes in the NFL, put the Steelers (7-2) up by 17 early in the third quarter with a 51-yard scoring pass to Hines Ward on a reverse. It was the kind of deep, accurate pass a receiver isn't supposed to be able to throw, but then, Randle El isn't a normal receiver.
Randle El also had a 12-yard run after lining up under center, no doubt confusing a Browns defense that was forced to defend against three Pittsburgh quarterbacks and didn't do a very good job against any of them.
"He can throw it," said coach Bill Cowher, who has lost two quarterbacks - but no games - in three weeks. "We've got some multitalented guys."
A lot of them play quarterback.
The week before, the Steelers beat Green Bay 20-10 despite a shaky game by Batch, who was limited to 65 yards passing in his first start in four years. Batch was much better against the Browns (3-6), going 13-of-19 for 150 yards and running for a touchdown late in the first half before leaving with a broken right hand.
Batch will miss at least two games, but Roethlisberger could play Sunday in Baltimore after missing two games after arthroscopic right knee surgery. If not, Tommy Maddox will play again after losing the backup job to Batch by throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble in a 23-17 OT loss to Jacksonville on Oct.16.
Despite that one bad game, the Steelers have gotten mostly excellent play from their three quarterbacks. Okay, make that four quarterbacks. Considering how many teams are scrambling to find one reliable quarterback, the Steelers' QB depth must be the envy of many teams.
"I'll go with whomever we have,"Cowher said. "The next person on this team has to step up. That's how our football team works."
