PITTSBURGH -- Mike Tomlin is not a big picture guy. The Pittsburgh Steelers coach, as he likes to say, prefers not to paint with a broad brush.Only when the season is over will Tomlin widen out the lens. Still, even with a month to go Tomlin acknowledged the responsibilities placed on cornerback Ross Cockrell have been borderline unfair. Signed off the waiver wire in the summer of 2015, Cockrell has rapidly evolved into Pittsburghs equivalent of a shutdown corner, a spot he earned through a combination of merit and attrition.And one in which Cockrell has largely thrived. The latest proof came last Sunday, when Cockrell and rookie first-round pick Artie Burns helped keep New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in check for large portions of a 24-14 win that kept Pittsburgh (7-5) tied for first in the AFC North.Not bad for a player deemed expendable by the Buffalo Bills -- whom the Steelers visit this weekend -- who also spent a large portion of 2015 playing only in sub packages. Now hes the guy Tomlin turns to first when facing a top-flight wide receiver.Because of his partner being the young guy that he is in Artie Burns, weve challenged him in ways that maybe arent necessarily fair to him or a guy in his position, Tomlin said. Oftentimes, we treat him as a much more seasoned player than he actually is in terms of the things we ask him to do.Thats fine by Cockrell, who has lined up across from Beckham, A.J. Green and Dez Bryant among others while helping anchor a secondary that is starting to come together after a slow start. Ranked 30th against the pass a month ago, the Steelers have steadily improved to 19th during a three-game winning streak. New Yorks Eli Manning managed just 195 yards through the air, with 52 of them coming on a meaningless last-minute drive when the outcome was already decided.Cockrell hardly claims to be a miracle worker, quickly passing credit to a rejuvenated pass rush that has generated 13 sacks over the last three weeks -- or the same total the Steelers managed through the first nine games combined.We are getting pressure on the quarterback and that helps a whole bunch on the back end, Cockrell said. So long as those guys continue to perform well, I think well be a good defense.The Steelers prefer to mix up their matchups and Burns is rapidly maturing into the aggressive force they envisioned when they took him with the 25th overall pick in the draft. Cockrell entered the league as a fourth-round selection in 2014, but lost his job at the end of his second training camp with the Bills. The Steelers didnt waste any time picking him up.One mans misfortune, or one organizations luxury, is another ones opportunity, Tomlin said. We were thankful he was available to us. Hes been a consistent performer for us. And one thats been consistently on the rise.The Bills in a way offer a breather of sorts, at least when it comes to throwing all over the field. Buffalo is dead last in passing and quarterback Tyrod Taylor is struggling to find any sort of rhythm. While running back LeSean McCoy is so dynamic Buffalo often doesnt need Taylor to put it up to move the ball, a little bit of Taylor and wide receiver Sammie Watkins could go a long way for the Bills. It will be up to Cockrell and company to try and keep Watkins under wraps and Pittsburghs late-season surge afloat.I think were all just growing thorough the process, and thankfully, I think were growing in the right ways, Tomlin said. And I think thats helping us put better tape out there and putting us in position to win the games.Game notes Tomlin said theres a chance injured kicker Chris Boswell (abdomen) could return this weekend but the team will hold on to Randy Bullock just in case. ... RB DeAngelo Williams (knee) and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) could return to practice this week.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Swell Water Bottle Clearance . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Swell Liberty London Bottle .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. http://www.swellbottleaustralia.com/ . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Swell Water Bottle Australia . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Swell Bottle Free Shipping . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Snell rushed 38 times for 192 yards and two touchdowns, and Williams added 19 carries for 182 yards and a touchdown as the Wildcats defeated Missouri 35-21. Its the first time in school history two running backs have rushed for at least 175 yards apiece in a conference game.Snell said he was not fazed in carrying the ball 38 times.Im very happy about this win, Snell said. Im used to this in high school, but I just take a different approach, that Ive got a better line in front of me, so I just tried to attack the defense.We didnt play strong enough run defense, Missouri coach Barry Odom said. They were able to get a few formations in that we didnt stop.Stephen Johnson completed 14 of 23 pass attempts for 208 yards, two touchdowns and an interception as the Wildcats piled up 582 yards of offense, their highest conference output since Nov. 11, 2006, when they had 597 yards in a 38-26 win against Vanderbilt.Its about our preparation, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said of his teams effort. Its about the way they go to work each day throughout the week, starting on Mondays. I enjoy coaching these guys and that is why. They take to coaching and they take to criticism and they know we can do so many things better.Missouri (2-6, 0-4 Southeastern Conference) has allowed 500 or more yards of offense in four consecutive games.This is a very elementary statement but were not a good football team, Odom said. If we work together and continue to follow the plan we have in place, then we will get there, I promise you that.Drew Lock was 18 of 31 for 220 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed six times for 34 yards.Dimetrios Mason caught four passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns for Missouri. The freshman entered the game with 22 catches for 249 yards.Damarea Crockett was one of eight ball carriers for the Tigers, leading the way with 13 carries 55 yards. Fullback Josh Augusta had the only rushing score, a 1-yard touchdown run set up by a 63-yard punt return by Johnathon Johnson. Johnson also caught two passes for 27 yards and had a 25-yarrd carry on a reverse.ddddddddddddKentucky (5-3, 4-2 SEC) dialed up a number of big plays, averaging 7 yards per play to Missouris 5.6. The Wildcats converted on all three of their red zone trips and nearly doubled Missouris time of possession.The Tigers managed 18 first downs, but struggled on third down, converting just 4 of 15 attempts. They were also flagged 9 times for 65 yards after surrendering 125 penalty yards last Saturday in a 51-45 loss to Middle Tennessee State.TAKEAWAYKentucky: Snell and Williams are just the second backfield duo in the last decade to record at least 175 yards apiece in an SEC game. Snell had runs of 32, 23 and 19 yards, and Williams had three rushes of 20 yards or more, including a 60-yard touchdown to give Kentucky a 7-0 lead near the end of the first quarter.Missouri: The Tigers recorded one sack and six tackles for loss, and forced two turnovers, but failed to convert them into points. Missouri took the opening drive of the second half deep into Kentucky territory but was stopped on third down, setting up a 24-yard field goal attempt by Tucker McCann, which he missed wide right.MASH REPORTMissouris defense was short-handed after losing senior linebacker and leading tackler Michael Scherer for the season with a torn ACL. Scherer was one of several Missouri players injured against Middle Tennessee State, including defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. and cornerback John Gibson. Beckner is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Gibson, who injured his left knee, did not play Saturday.We will piece it together, Odom said. Everybody in the country is banged up, and thats just college football. We will be all right.UP NEXTKentucky: The Wildcats will host Georgia next Saturday. The Bulldogs beat Kentucky 27-3 last season in Athens.Missouri: The Tigers visit South Carolina next Saturday. Missouri defeated the Gamecocks 24-10 on Oct. 3, 2015 at Faurot Field, its most recent SEC win. ' ' '