AMERICAN FOOTBALL: FLOWERS NOT A SHRINKING VIOLET.

PENNSYLVANIA is known as the Keystone State, and their two NFL teams' attempts to score touchdowns this season have been about as effective as the Keystone Cops.

Luckily for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, they are blessed with outstanding defences, and tomorrow we will find out just which is the tougher as they battle it out at Three Rivers Stadium (Sky Sports 2, 6pm).

The Steelers have not allowed a touchdown to be scored against them for five games, and need to stretch that run for just two more quarters to break the record they established in 1976.

Pittsburgh have bounced back from shaky start to the season and their defence has ensured they have won five of their last six games while allowing a total of just 31 points.

The Eagles won't exactly frighten that stingy defence, scoring at a rate of just 12 points a game for the last three weeks. Once again, it is their defence that has them challenging for a play-off place in the NFC East.

One of the Steelers' outstanding defenders is strong safety Lee Flowers, who is never slow to voice an opinion.

Knowing full well that the second half of a Steelers season is traditionally a swoon rather than a surge, he said: "We will win our last seven games."

He said: "We lost our last game by two points and some people on this team need to step up. It's not my job to criticise those guys, but if the shoe fits, wear it.

"The play-offs are just around the corner. It's time to play."

The time to play is still a couple of weeks away for St Louis Rams' injured running-back Marshall Faulk.

The most effective scorer in the NFL is still not ready to return to action, and the Super Bowl champs will get no sympathy from the New York Giants tomorrow (Sky Sports 2, 9pm), and they know that catching the Rams at the moment is a piece of fixture-list fortune of which they must take advantage.

CAPTION(S):

FLOWERS: Outspoken