They have to get in the zone

Struggling defense has score to settle

FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots have had no problem finding the end zone the last two games, but they have had a tougher time keeping opponents out of it.

The Miami Dolphins, who scored 28 points last Sunday, and the New York Jets, who scored 34, had success against the Patriots in the red zone. Miami scored touchdowns on all four of its red-zone possessions and the Jets scored touchdowns on three of their five, the last of which ended in the game-winning field goal in overtime.

The Patriots are 31st (second to last) in red-zone defense in the NFL, allowing 22 touchdowns in 33 series.

That's not good news for New England, considering Sunday's opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, has one of the best red-zone offenses in the NFL. Pittsburgh ranks fifth in red-zone touchdown conversion percentage, scoring 20 touchdowns in 31 opportunities (64.5 percent.)

One way to keep teams out of the red zone is to stop them before they get there. But the Patriots are tied for 27th in third-down defense, allowing teams to convert 44 percent of the time. The last two weeks, the percentage has been higher (54 percent).

Nose tackle Vince Wilfork said the Patriots have to do a better job of playing situational defense against Pittsburgh.

"They have a lot of weapons, and I think it's going to come down to stopping the run for one and playing good situational football. That includes third down, turnovers, red area, all those situations," he said. "If we play good in those situations, trust me, we will be in the ballgame.

"When those situations arise, we have to be ready to capitalize on them. We spend a lot of time on them. We know what to do. We just have to execute."

Some have said the injury-depleted Patriots defense might not be capable of keeping teams out of the end zone. Wilfork said such conjecture doesn't faze him or his teammates.

"That's something we don't even pay attention to," he said. "You're going to always have people saying what you can do and what you can't do. The only people who can do anything about it is us on Sunday, going out and proving them wrong. Either we're going to prove them wrong or we're going to prove them right. So, we'll see."

Seymour hurting

The Patriots practiced on Thanksgiving, but did so without defensive end Richard Seymour, who missed his second straight day because of a knee injury.

If Seymour is unable to play, it would be a huge blow since he leads the team in sacks with seven. Both of the Patriots starting defensive ends are banged up. Ty Warren had limited participation in practice for the second straight day, hampered by a groin injury.

Warren was one of four Patriots who had limited participation in practice for the second straight day, joined by linebacker Tedy Bruschi (knee), cornerback Ellis Hobbs (shoulder), and running back LaMont Jordan, who has missed the last seven games because of a right calf injury.

Wide receiver Kelley Washington (thigh) also missed his second straight day.

For Pittsburgh, running back Willie Parker, who has been dealing with inflammation in his left knee, fully participated in practice after not practicing Wednesday. However, left tackle Marvel Smith (back) sat out for the second straight day.

Sack attack?

Patriots outside linebacker Mike Vrabel might be ready to go on a sack run.

Vrabel recorded a sack last Sunday, his first since the season opener against Kansas City, when he collected two.

"You know what, I think that they're going to come. We just have to keep playing hard, all of us," said Vrabel, who had a career-high 12 1/2 sacks last season. "When everybody does their job, good things happen. When guys in the back are covering and the big guys in the middle are pushing the pocket like they did [last Sunday], it was good for us. Now, we have to move on."

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Wednesday that Vrabel does so many other things in the Patriots' defense that he doesn't have to get sacks to have an impact.

"He's a very heady player; he's very smart," said Roethlisberger. "He knows how to stop the run; he knows how to cover in coverage; he knows how to rush the passer. He's a Pro Bowl-caliber guy. Numbers are numbers. It's not about that, and I'm sure he'll tell you the same thing."

Quarterback keeper

After back-to-back 400-yard passing performances, some Patriots fans are clamoring for the team to keep Matt Cassel over Tom Brady.

Roethlisberger said he has loved watching Cassel prove the doubters wrong, but that fans and media shouldn't lose sight of just how good Brady is.

"I'll tell you what, I'm not going to take anything away from [Cassel]. I think he's a phenomenal quarterback, and back-to-back 400-yard games, that's awesome. Nothing against Matt Cassel, but I don't think Tom is really worried about his job. I mean, it's Tom Brady. But [Cassel is] doing an awesome job."