Admit it, you were thinking back to 2005 when the Steelers lost to Jacksonville on Sunday. After all, they recovered from a three-game losing streak to win eight in a row, including three road playoff games, on their way to winning Super Bowl XL. So why can't they recover from a two-game losing streak to win six in a row, with maybe a home playoff game thrown in, and hoist another Super Bowl trophy?

Highly unlikely, of course. But after the magical run of 2005, who can blame Steelers fans for holding out hope for another miracle? Well, now that Willie Parker is out for the season, it's going to take more than a miracle for the Steelers to win their sixth Super Bowl. It's going to take the heavens opening up to reveal God wearing a Steelers hat, with a sea of Terrible Towels waving behind him.

Here's a more realistic Christmas list for Steelers fans: 1) A playoff berth. 2) A win in the wild-card round of the playoffs. 3) A respectable performance against either the Patriots or Colts. It wouldn't be enough for a win, but it would give the Steelers and their fans a lot to look forward to next season.

Anything beyond that belongs on a Christmas wish list, like a sports car (anything but a Jaguar) in the driveway. The Steelers essentially have already won one game (a road game, for that matter) without Parker, since he was injured on his first carry in their 41-24 win over the St. Louis Rams on Thursday night. It was a good training ground for the Steelers to learn how to win on the road again. There were a lot of Steelers fans at the game, but it was still played outside of Heinz Field. The winning-on-the-road training wheels will have to come off next week, though. There probably will be a lot of yellow towels in Baltimore. But the Ravens hate the Steelers a lot more than the Rams do.

Ben Roethlisberger posted his second perfect quarterback rating of the season on Thursday night. If the Steelers are going to make any noise in the playoffs without Parker, Roethlisberger will have to be perfect, or close to it, the rest of the way. He'll have to be the gunslinger he was in the 2005 playoffs. I think he has the offensive firepower to do it if Santonio Holmes can get back to full health, if Hines Ward can keep making those key catches over the middle and if Nate Washington proves that he really has learned to catch a football.

There's no doubt that without Parker, the Steelers are facing an uphill climb steeper than Mount Davis (OK, I looked that one up. I've only been to Western PA once in my life). But honestly, I think the Steelers can survive the loss of Parker more than they could survive the loss of Roethlisberger. If the offensive line doesn't putty up its leaks, the Steelers might have to get along without both. But as long as Big Ben can take a lickin' and keep on tickin', it will be fun to see just how far he can carry the Steelers on his shoulders.

I don't think we've seen all of what Roethlisberger can accomplish. I'm sure there will be a photo of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Roethlisberger wearing leis around their necks in Hawaii the week of the Pro Bowl. Faced with the adversity of Parker's injury, Roethlisberger has a chance to show he really belongs in the same picture with Brady and Manning. He already has a Super Bowl ring. He survived a motorcycle crash within a minute of his life. He recovered from a putrid season to make his first Pro Bowl. Why should we put a limit on how far he can carry the Steelers? Hell, if he can lead the Steelers to their second championship in three years, he might even get to host "Saturday Night Live," just like Brady and Manning.

But before we start thinking about Studio 8H at the GE Building in Rockefeller Center, we have to think about M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, where the Steelers play the Ravens Dec. 30. No need for scoreboard watching. A win over the Ravens would put the Steelers in the playoffs and give them a home game, and even if Roethlisberger does take the Steelers a long way, he's going to need some help. Najeh Davenport has to keep the chains moving as the Steelers' featured running back. If he can sustain some time-consuming drives, it will be the best tonic for the Steelers' slumping defense. A defense can't give up points when it's off the field.

The Steelers finally started tackling again in the second half Thursday night. After Steven Jackson rang up 65 yards in the first half, he gained just 20 yards on seven carries after intermission. The secondary took a beating. The most infuriating play came when Drew Bennett caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Marc Bulger with three minutes left in the third quarter, cutting the Steelers' lead to 31-24. Bennett caught the ball near the goal line. Anthony Smith was stationed in the end zone and didn't move even when Bennett caught the ball, leaving Deshea Townsend hanging out to dry. Smith finally woke up and put a body on Bennett, but it was too late to keep Bennett out of the end zone. Smith might as well have just been a door man, checking IDs at the goal line before letting receivers in.

Ike Taylor earned the defensive backs a get-out-of-jail-free card when he returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown to seal the win for the Steelers (Somewhere, Dandy Don Meredith was singing "Turn out the Lights.") It was the second interception for the Steelers. James Farrior intercepted Bulger's Hail Mary at the end of the first half. The defense will have to force more turnovers if the Steelers are going to do anything in the playoffs. They're also going to have to sack the quarterback more. Their first sack in 13 quarters couldn't have come at a better time Thursday night. Leading 31-24, the Steelers went three-and-out. The Rams took over and moved the football. On first-and-10 from the Steelers' 42, Farrior sacked Bulger for a 9-yard-loss. The Rams punted three plays later, and the Steelers ate up 7 minutes, 39 seconds before kicking a field goal to go up 34-24 with 4:38 left.

With only four days between games, there wasn't a lot of time for the Steelers to fix their problems on defense. They have 10 days to make adjustments before facing the Ravens. I also like the prospect of 10 more days for Troy Polamalu to get back to full strength. He's led the team in tackles in both games since returning from his knee injury. I have a feeling he has some game-changing plays in him.

This column might sound way too optimistic for something that's written less than 24 hours after Willie Parker is lost for the season. Some Steelers fans might think I've had a few too many Iron Cities. But at least now we don't have to worry about this Steelers season mirroring the 1998 season, as I mentioned last week. The Steelers looked like a playoff team that year before losing their last five games. The 2007 Steelers showed some character winning on the road in a game in which they lost the NFL's leading rusher for the season.

Now it's looking a little more like the 2002 season, when they had a vulnerable defense but a high-powered offense. That got them a win in the playoffs (a classic comeback against the Browns, could be deja vu) before they lost 37-34 in overtime to the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round. Like the 2002 team, this year's Steelers have some glaring flaws. But they also have Roethlisberger.

Dear Santa ...