* Ben Roethlisberger needs 144 passing yards to reach 4,000 for just the second time in his career. With Roethlisberger still nursing a high ankle sprain, it's not yet clear if he'll have the opportunity to bolster his individual statistics with an appearance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17.
* Rashard Mendenhall is 110 yards shy of 1,000 for the season following his 116 yard effort against St. Louis this past Saturday. Mendenhall has a solid shot at getting there against the Browns next Sunday, and an even better shot at finding the endzone for his tenth rushing TD of the year. He has 9 heading into Week 17.
* With 76 receiving yards against the Browns, Mike Wallace would break his single-season record (1,257) set in 2010. He currently has 1,182 yards through 15 games. His 1,182 yards already represent the tenth most in a single season in Steelers franchise history.
* With his four receptions on Christmas Eve day, Hines Ward is now just five shy of 1,000 for his career. At 995 career catches, Ward is comfortably in eighth place in the all-time list, 41 receptions clear of Randy Moss for ninth place, and 52 catches ahead of the next closest active player, Derrick Mason (943). Ward has just three games in 2011 where he's caught five or more passes, so it will be interesting to see if Bruce Arians goes out of his way to make sure Ward's number is called frequently enough to get the significant milestone out of the way in what could conceivably Hines Ward's final regular season game. Of course, that would probably mean that the Steelers won the Super Bowl and Ward was content on retiring while on top. He would have been a part of three SB winners, which would probably do just as much to enhance his Hall of Fame credentials as would a few more ticks statistically in the receptions, receiving yards or receiving touchdowns department.
* Heath Miller won't come close to challenging his career high of 76 catches set back in 2009, but with 49 receptions heading into the season finale, Miller looks like a safe bet to surpass 50 receptions for just the second time in his consistently productive seven year career in Pittsburgh.
* Both LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison will try to get to double-digits in the sacks department in Week 17. With his takedown of Kellen Clemons on Saturday afternoon, James Harrison caught up to LaMarr Woodley for the team lead. Both Harrison and Woodley are aiming for their fourth consecutive double-digit sack season. Quite a remarkable streak really, and one that helps explain why the Steelers' have been so consistently difficult to move the ball against in recent history. Woodley has not registered a sack in nearly two months since taking down Tom Brady twice in the Steelers' gratifying Week 8 win over the New England Patriots.
* With a start in Week 17, Polamalu will have started a complete 16-game schedule for the first time in three seasons and just the fourth time in his spectacular career.
* Ryan Clark appears to be the only likely candidate to finish with 100-plus tackles. He has 96 total tackles heading into the final Sunday of the season, seven more than Troy Polamalu's second highest total of 89. Lawrence Timmons is third with 83, but given how he's been playing recently, don't count out him catching No. 43 with another high-volume tackle performance against the Browns.