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No Polamalu No Problem For Steelers' Secondary

PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) -- One thing most impressive about the effort by the Steelers in a 27-10 thumping of the New York Jets was the fact it came without arguably the Steelers' two best defenders.

Despite falling behind early, and recording only one meaningful sack (the second came on the game's final play) minus outside linebacker James Harrison, the Steelers limited Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez to 10-of-27 passing and zero second-half points.

Furthermore, entering Week 2 the Steelers were 6-7 since 2009 in games Troy Polamalu missed. But on this particular Sunday, the calf issue that sidelined the All-Pro safety was a non-issue, because backup Ryan Mundy bolstered the secondary, as did the return of Ryan Clark.

"We just had to settle in," said Mundy, who also recovered a fumbled punt, to 93.7 The Fan's Jim Colony after the win. "That's the great thing about our defense. Once we settle in, and get a feel for what they're doing to do...we just go out, and keep trying to play the next play."

Mundy finished with four solo tackles and five in all, including one that forced New York running back Shonn Greene to miss significant time.

Check out the rest of what he had to say:

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Meanwhile, it was obvious the Steelers missed Clark as Peyton Manning picked them apart in Denver, where even a healthy Polamalu was a non-factor. This weekend was a much different tale.

"You're defined by what you do coming off a loss, which is what Coach Tomlin said last night, and we understand that," Clark said after the game. "The guys who needed to play well stepped up and played well."

Clark was one of those guys, registering a team-high seven tackles along with one pass deflection.

"We were able to run, and we were able to hit. That's what we preached all week: get to the ball, and be physical."

Check out the rest of what Clark had to say below, and check out further analysis from the defensive back on The Ryan Clark Show, brought to you by Honda North and Bacardi Oakheart Rum, which runs Tuesday night 6:00-7:00 on brother station NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.

The Steelers will try to enter their bye week 2-1 when they visit the winless Oakland Raiders this approaching Sunday for another 4:25 game that can be seen on KDKA-TV.

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