Steelers' Mike Tomlin compares Manning, Roethlisberger

As Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin prepares his team for a tough road contest against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, he knows that they have to face something similar to the quarterback that leads his team -- a winner.

"The big thing is I think it’s a fair assessment to call both of them winners," Tomlin said. "Both guys have been to the big dance and delivered. That’s what this profession is about. That’s what that position, particularly, is about. That’s how they’ve managed. I think both guys have a keen understanding of that and are motivated by that."

This season for the Steelers so far has been up and down, as until recently they were unable to put together consecutive wins. While the Steelers now have two consecutive wins now under their belt, Tomlin knows the team still needs to prove they can perform at a high level consistently.

"We’re at that time of year, when good teams start to take form and show what they’re capable of on a consistent basis and we need to do that," Tomlin said. "I think, as opposed to trying to feel something that may or may not be there, I think that’s a story that we need to write over the next couple of weeks."

Part of the reason the Steelers have struggled a bit this year can be attributed to the loss of strong safety and leader of the defense Troy Polamalu, who again will be unable to suit up this Sunday.

"Obviously, Troy is a big component of what we’re doing, but on a week-to-week basis, we make determinations based on the guys that are going to be available to us," Tomlin said. "Unfortunately, right now, he’s not. So, I haven’t pondered a lot about big picture things. We kind of live in the moment."

When it comes down to it, Tomlin knows if the Steelers want to come away with a win on Sunday, they have to find away to stop Eli Manning.

"I think Eli throws a very good deep ball," Tomlin said. "He puts the ball in very playable positions and I think their wideouts, the entire group collectively, do a nice job of making plays on balls down the field. It’s all of them. It’s Cruz, it’s Nicks, it’s Hixon, even Barden and others when given an opportunity. I think that’s a challenge, because when you get yards in chunks that eliminates a lot of execution."