The Steelers defense has come under fire and wide receiver Hines Ward says it is time for the offense to step up. "The defense has carried us for many years now," Ward said. "And now they're going through this situation. We need to be there for our teammates and for this organization -- we have to go out and make more plays. ... We have a lot of guys who are (ticked) off right now." On paper, their 72 points allowed is fifth best in the league and the unit ranks second overall -- 30 other teams would settle for that -- but the perception is that something's missing. Injuries have hurt Pittsburgh's defense as well.