Nov 1, 2012 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – Having lost three of their four games on the road this season, the Steelers are not anxious to play away from Heinz Field.It won’t get easier Sunday when the Steelers (4-3) travel to New York to face the defending Super Bowl champion Giants (6-2).Because of travel disruptions caused by damage in the New York-New Jersey area this week in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the Steelers were unable to make their regularly scheduled flight Saturday afternoon.The team’s scheduled hotel in Jersey City remains without power, and the Steelers were unable to find another to accommodate their travel party on short notice.Though NFL rules require teams to arrive the day before a game, the Steelers have gotten approval to fly in Sunday morning, just hours before their 4:25 p.m. kickoff.The team will fly into Newark, N.J., Sunday morning, bus to a nearby hotel for a pregame meal and then travel to MetLife Stadium.It’s not an ideal situation, but certainly better than what the Giants – who were unable to get into their offices until Wednesday – and the rest of the New York area have gone through this week.Some 900,000 people lost electricity in the area during the storm. At least 38 people in the New York area were killed.”Your heart goes out for all the families, the people, everybody up there that is going through a really tough time right now,” said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “It’s just a crazy thing that’s going on right now. Like I said, our thoughts and prayers are with everybody.”The Steelers aren’t so concerned about how the disruption might affect them offensively.”Really, it doesn’t matter what the Giants do,” said wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. “It’s really all about what the Pittsburgh Steelers do.”Defensively, however, might be a different matter.NFL teams don’t like to vary much from their regular schedule during game weeks. And facing a Giants team that is fourth in the NFL in total yards (396.8 yards per game) and third in scoring (29.3) is a big enough challenge, let alone doing so with a different schedule.”I think one of the more impressive things about the Giants is that they lost some of their good receivers in the transitional period, and they haven’t lost a step,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. “These guys have stepped up for them and been equally productive. They’re very good. That’s why they’ve got the record they’ve got. That’s why they accomplished what they did last year. It’s a challenge.”

Running back Jonathan Dwyer returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis after sitting out Wednesday with a sore quad. Dwyer said he plans to play against the Giants. Running back Rashard Mendenhall (Achilles) also was a limited participant. Safety Ryan Clark (concussion), linebacker Brandon Johnson (hamstring) and running back Isaac Redman (ankle) were full participants. Not practicing Thursday were linebackers LaMarr Woodley (hamstring) and Stevenson Sylvester (hamstring), running back Baron Batch (shin), tackle Marcus Gilbert (ankle) and safety Troy Polamalu (calf).