It has been little more than a month since the Indianapolis Colts were forced to explain that what mattered to them was not necessarily going undefeated during the regular season, but how things turned out in January and February. 

As we know, things didn't turn out too well for the Colts in the new year.

Once more, the NFL champion will not be the team that appeared to be the best during the season, but the team that played the best when it had to do so -- and that team will be the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers are headed for a storybook ending that will enable them to join the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys as the only five-time Super Bowl winners.

Dan Rooney, the Steelers' 73-year-old owner, said Sunday night that the AFC Championship trophy was too heavy for him to hold, and he quickly passed it to his son, Art Rooney III, the team president. But Dan Rooney said he'd find a way to hold onto the Lombardi Trophy if the Steelers win it in two weeks.

"Nothing drives me more than to hopefully be able to hand him the fifth trophy," Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher said Sunday.

Pittsburgh won its first four titles within six years in the '70s under Chuck Noll. The Steelers then went through some lean years, but won another AFC title in 1995, which was Cowher's fourth season after replacing Noll. Interceptions killed their chances in the Super Bowl and they lost to Dallas. It has taken 10 years, but now they're back.

It's an ideal script, with Jerome Bettis playing in a Super Bowl in his hometown, with the Steelers becoming the lowest-seeded team ever to get this far, and with the drama of their three road victories in the playoffs as the lead-in.

For more than a month, the Steelers have been living on the edge because a knee injury to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ended their chances of winning the AFC North title.

Just last week, they were close to blowing an 18-point lead in the divisional playoffs before Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt gave them a reprieve. But, as the Steelers proved Sunday in winning their seventh consecutive game, they have become a dominant team just when they wanted to be.

In beating third-seeded Cincinnati, first-seeded Indianapolis and now second-seeded Denver, all on the road, the Steelers showed they can run the ball and throw it equally well on offense, that their defense can harass opposing passers, and that Cowher can shed his reputation for big-game losses.

Pittsburgh hung up 34 points against Denver, which tied the Steelers for No. 3 in scoring defense during the regular season, even without a strong running game -- thought to be the cornerstone of the Steelers' offense. Pittsburgh has better balance and more variety than is generally thought.

Against Seattle, of course, the Steelers will face another team with good balance in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks were the league's highest-scoring team this season. But they don't have a defense even remotely comparable to the Steelers, and playing in the NFC West, they haven't been tested nearly as thoroughly as Pittsburgh has.

The big edge in the matchups is Pittsburgh linebackers Joey Porter, Clark Haggans and James Farrior, who have been the dominant players of this postseason.

With the Steelers' defense controlling opponents, Roethlisberger has been on a magical ride, posting passer ratings of 148.7, 95.3 and now 124.9 in three playoff games. The Steelers have depth in the backfield, getting 32 carries out of Jerome Bettis to relieve Willie Parker in the last two weeks, and they have depth among their receivers.

The Steelers have more ways to move the ball. Tight end Heath Miller, a rookie, is about to be discovered. Seattle depends heavily on running back Shaun Alexander, the league MVP, but Pittsburgh's defense is the toughest to run against in the NFL (3.4 yards a carry during the season).

Seattle's hopes for a victory will rest heavily on its offensive line, which is among the NFL's very best. The Steelers, however, will counter with a variety of defensive looks. The Seahawks haven't faced a 3-4 defense as efficient as Pittsburgh's. The Steelers also have an edge in special teams.

The Seahawks can spin a storybook tale of their own, because defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes had a stroke during the season and his workload has been limited, with John Marshall stepping into the coordinator's role. Marshall's problem is that the Seahawks have no way to match the linebackers who are the cornerstone of the Steelers' defense.

Think about what Pittsburgh has done this season: Before the Steelers' three-game road sweep in the playoffs, they also won regular-season games at San Diego and Cincinnati, and beat Chicago at home. They have outscored their opponents by 74 points in their seven-game winning streak. They'll make it eight straight in Detroit.