They did what they needed to do. In fact, the Pittsburgh Steelers did virtually everything they wanted to do in an easy, 38-3, win over Houston on Saturday night at Heinz Field.

Following a loss to Detroit in the prerseason opener, Coach Bill Cowher said he wanted to see his team respond better to the situations that arise in every NFL game. Things such as third-down efficiency and scoring touchdowns instead of settling for field goals and avoiding the silly pre-snap penalties that sabotage drives for the offense or extend possessions for the opponent.

The first-team offense, with Jerome Bettis at running back this week, was on the field for three series and produced touchdown drives of 52 and 56 yards.

Tommy Maddox was very sharp for the 19 plays he directed. He completed 4-of-7 passes for 80 yards with a touchdown to Hines Ward, and he scrambled once for 9 yards to convert a third-and-9. Overall, the Steelers converted 3-of-4 third downs with Maddox at quarterback.

"We were able to establish our running game, and that's two preseason games in a row where we've been balanced," said Ward. "We came out and made some good plays, and even Tommy made a big run."

Maddox was doing what he does so well, which is making quick reads and quick throws to hit receivers as soon as they came out of their breaks. Ward caught three passes for 54 yards, including one for 4 yards and the team's first touchdown.

Burress started off the second series with a catch for 26 yards, but then the Steelers turned the offense over to Bettis.

Looking the the Bus of old, Bettis ripped off a 14-yard run to the Houston 16-yard line, and then he made a nice cut in the hole to barrel for another 10 yards to the 6-yard line. Bettis ran for 5 yards on the next play and then plunged into the end zone on the next to give the Steelers a 14-0 lead with 2:24 left in the first quarter.

While the Steelers offense was scoring touchdowns, the defense was forcing Houston into a pair of three-and-outs. Troy Polamalu flashed in from of Texans receiver Andre Johnson to force one incomplete pass on third down, and Ike Taylor made a nice play to shed a blocker and dump Tony Hollings for a 1-yard loss on an attempted screen pass on the next third down.

The Texans drove 78 yards on 13 plays for a 23-yard field goal by Kris Brown, and even though Coach Bill Cowher turned the offense over to the second unit the Steelers didn't seem to miss a beat.

In his first appearance at Heinz Field, No. 1 pick Ben Roethlisberger quarterbacked the offense 77 yards on 10 plays for the touchdown that upped the Steelers lead to 21-3 midway through the second quarter.

Roethlisberger had to complete only one pass on the drive, but that one was good for 38 yards to Antwaan Randle El, who made a nice adjustment on the ball. But just as the second touchdown drive belonged to Bettis, this one came courtesy of Verron Haynes.

The third-year pro from Georgia carried seven times for 20 yards, and he scored the touchdown on a 2-yard plunge with 5:11 left in the first half.

This was the first game for the Steelers offense following the knee injury to starting right guard Kendall Simmons, but the unit didn't seem to miss a beat. Keydrick Vincent started in place of Simmons, and the Steelers rushed for 98 yards, with a 4.1 average and two touchdowns in the first half.

"We have two weeks to get ready for the season," said All-Pro guard Alan Faneca. "Two weeks to prime it up and get off on the right foot."

It mattered not who was blocking or who was running the ball for the Steelers against the Texans. The team finished with 205 yards rushing and a 4.2 average. Willie Parker had 71 yards on 12 carries, including a 12-yard touchdown run; Dante Brown had 37 yards on nine attempts, and Haynes finished with 31 on eight carries plus his touchdown.

"I have been encouraged about the offensive line from the get-go," said Cowher. "This training camp has been more about physical football. But we'll get good tests over the next couple of weeks."

GAME NOTES: Two former Steelers -- TE Mark Bruener and PK Kris Brown -- were captains for the Texans for the coin toss ... Rookie Drew Caylor handled all of the snapping duties in the first half ... Aaron Smith led the team with five tackles ... Chris Hoke had the only sack ... The only severe injury was to rookie WR Zamir Cobb. Cowher said he might have a broken ankle.