PITTSBURGH – No team needs a lot of offense these days to beat the Redskins. Antwaan Randle El and Jerome Bettis gave the Pittsburgh Steelers just enough to keep their longest winning streak in 28 years going.

Randle El, making only his second NFL start at receiver, took care of the big plays and Bettis again handled the short yardage in his fourth consecutive 100-yard game to lead the Steelers past Washington 16-7 Sunday.

The Steelers’ nine-game winning streak is their longest since they won their final nine in 1976. They are 10-1 for the first time since 1975, the second of their four Super Bowl championship seasons.

Just like those Steel Curtain days, the Steelers are increasingly relying on the NFL’s top-ranked defense as opponents come up with ways to contain unbeaten quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The rookie had his second straight low-production game (9-of-20, 131 yards, four sacks) while constantly sidestepping Washington’s pass rush, but it hardly made any difference even as Pittsburgh was held to 207 yards.

Randle El scampered through the Redskins’ coverage team on punt returns of 60 and 43 yards to set up two first-half scores, Bettis’ 4-yard touchdown run – his 11th of the season – and the first of Jeff Reed’s three field goals on a blustery, windy day.

Randle El, making a spot start for the injured Plaxico Burress (hamstring), also made two catches for 37 yards and drew a 32-yard pass interference penalty, though it didn’t result in any scoring.

Bettis was a surprise starter when Duce Staley unexpectedly sat out a fourth straight game with a sore hamstring and responded with 100 yards on 31 carries. Bettis’ 47th career 100-yard game matches Franco Harris’ team record. Bettis last had four consecutive 100-yard games in the Steelers’ second through fifth games in 2001.

The Redskins (3-8), headed for one of the lowest-scoring seasons in NFL history, were held to 156 yards and to single-digit scoring for a second consecutive game, following a 28-6 loss to Philadelphia. They haven’t score more than 18 points all season.

Washington was held to 50 yards as Pittsburgh opened a 13-0 lead in the first half, and mounted only one sustained drive in the second half in quarterback Patrick Ramsey’s second start of the season.

With team rushing leader Clinton Portis sitting out – he was held to 17 yards on six carries – the Redskins drove 79 yards in 13 plays early in the third quarter for Ramsey’s 2-yard scoring pass to Chris Cooley on fourth-and-goal, cutting it to 13-7.

The only other time Washington threatened, with the fourth quarter winding down and Pittsburgh up 16-7, Ramsey (19-of-34, 138 yards) underthrew Laveranues Coles and Deshea Townsend intercepted on a first-and-10 play from the Steelers 40.

For Steelers coach Bill Cowher, it was his fourth victory in six weeks over a high-profile NFL coach – in this case, three-time Super Bowl winner Joe Gibbs. The Steelers also recently beat Super Bowl-winning coaches Bill Belichick of New England and Bill Parcells of the Cowboys and Eagles coach Andy Reid, whose teams have played in the last three NFC title games.

Roethlisberger won his 22nd consecutive start – his first nine in the NFL and his last 13 at Miami of Ohio.

AP-ES-11-28-04 1615EST