"At this point, he is running with our first unit," Tomlin said. "He was playing good Football before he got injured. He missed six weeks. We acknowledged that he was missing some time, we wanted to see what he was capable of doing. He played at a high level for us, so we're moving on and he's back in the lineup."

McFadden replaces William Gay, who started the past four games. McFadden played against Dallas this past Sunday with two tackles.

? Safety Troy Polamalu is the only Steelers player among the AFC's top vote getters for the Pro Bowl. Polamalu received 393,211 votes in the fan voting that ended Tuesday. Former Steelers Joey Porter (328,619) and Alan Faneca (343,531) lead the conference's fan voting at outside linebacker and guard, respectively. The Pro Bowl voting is based on the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. The teams will be announced Tuesday on NFL Network.

? Outside linebacker James Farrior said the league's top-ranked defense will likely give Baltimore rookie quarterback Joe Flacco some different looks in their rematch. Flacco was 16 of 31 for 192 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' 23-20 overtime win at Heinz Field on Sept. 29.

"We're going to have to try to confuse him a little bit more than we did the last time," Farrior said.

? Polamalu (calf) returned to practice yesterday, along with defensive end Aaron Smith, cornerback Deshea Townsend, running back Willie Parker and wide receiver Hines Ward, who all sat out Wednesday for non-injury reasons. Defensive end Brett Keisel (knee) and running back Carey Davis (calf) did not practice yesterday but worked out and will be evaluated today. Tackle Marvel Smith (back) is expected to miss his ninth consecutive game.

Digits

16 ? Steelers interception total with three games remaining in 2008.

11 ? Steelers interception total in 2007.