For a few moments during the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 28-20 win over Detroit on Sunday, it felt like a giant case of déjà vu.

The reason was simple.

Following a somewhat disturbing trend in the first five games, one that actually dates back to last year's Super Bowl, the Steelers found a way to allow another team — this one sub-par at best —to get back into a game in the fourth quarter.

"Forget about us being the Super Bowl champions, this is the '09 Pittsburgh Steelers," safety Ryan Clark said. " And we have been having trouble in the fourth quarter. Teams are coming at us, believing they can win games in the fourth quarter."

Twice this season opponents have done just that, as both Chicago and Cincinnati pulled things out in the end.

"Last year we had maybe six or seven close games and we came out on the top end of it," linebacker James Harrison said. "This year the few close game we have had, the defense hasn't finished as a unit and you have to come through. It's about being able to finish."

Sunday, however, there was no déjà vu. Instead, a message of sorts that the Steeler defense is still a force to be reckoned with in the NFL.

Harrison, last season's NFL Defensive Player of the Year, played a huge part. Not only did he have eight tackles and a forced fumble, but he also recorded three of the Steelers' seven sacks. Prior to the Detroit game, the team had just eight sacks in four games.

"They couldn't block James," said Clark, who suffered a stinger during the game. "He was putting pressure on all day and that got (Daunte) Culpepper kind of antsy, and that got them out of their game. They were running a lot of screens and running a lot of draws."

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has called it situational football and a matter of paying attention to details in the two previous meltdowns.

With another game on the line against the Lions, the defense gave notice that not only could they weather the storm without All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu, but also that they still can put fear into an opponent's head.

After Pittsburgh took a seemingly comfortable 15-point lead into the fourth quarter, the Lions mounted an 82-yard drive to make it an eight point game. Then following a Steeler three-and-out, Detroit had momentum and the ball on the Steeler 21 with just 1:54 remaining.

That's when the Blitzburgh Steelers returned, sacking Culpepper four times during the Lions' final series.

Ike Taylor, who had one of those sacks, broke up Culpepper's desperation pass into the end zone from the 45-yard line on fourth down, and the Steelers eked out their first road win of the year.

"We were able to get in there and make sacks," linebacker LaMarr Woodley said. "Not only were they losing downs, but they were also losing yards and getting further away from the end zone."

Tomlin said he was pleased with the defensive scheme in the final minutes.

"Blitz packages, closed calls, communication, proper rush lanes, coordinated with good coverage makes things happen," Tomlin said. "I liked what I saw."

But he wasn't afraid to add there is still plenty of work to do.

"It was far from perfect, we acknowledge that, and we'll get back in the lab and evaluate," he said. "But on Sundays we play, we don't evaluate.

"We'll continue to search for the seal on some areas that need improvement, and that's OK. As long as we acknowledge that, continue to work at it and find ways to win along the way, we'll accept that."