Pittsburgh (7-3) at Indianapolis (10-0) Monday 9:00 pm EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Don Shula is a believer in the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts. Ben Roethlisberger is used to winning as well.

Seeking to become just the sixth NFL team to start 11-0 since 1970, the Colts host Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.

The last team to get off to a better start was the 1998 Denver Broncos, who won their first 13 games before losing.

"We don't think about it," Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney said of the unbeaten record. "Obviously, if we get there it would be great. Our goal is to win the Super Bowl."

The only team to have a perfect season in NFL history was the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who went 14-0 in the regular season and won all three postseason games.

That team was guided by Shula, the NFL's all-time winningest coach. Shula believes this Colts team is capable of finishing a perfect season.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they go unbeaten," Shula said during an NFL conference call on Tuesday. "I think, playing at the level they are right now, is unbelievable. Peyton (Manning) is a pleasure to watch and I think they've got a real shot at doing it."

The Colts' average margin of victory through 10 games is 15.2 points, slightly better than Miami's average of 15.1 points after 10 games in 1972.

Indianapolis will play four teams with winning records the rest of the way - Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, San Diego and Seattle.

The Steelers are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for first place in the AFC North.

Roethlisberger owns an astounding 18-1 record as a starter during the regular season - the only loss coming to two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England. After undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on November 3, Roethlisberger has missed the last three games.

With Tommy Maddox at quarterback last week, the Steelers had their franchise-record 11-game road winning streak snapped at Baltimore, 16-13, in overtime.

Defenses can stack the running game when Maddox or Charlie Batch start at quarterback. That's not the case with Roethlisberger, who has a quarterback rating of 112.4 with 79 completions in 130 attempts for 1,183 yards and 11 touchdowns with two interceptions.

Without Roethlisberger last week, Willie Parker was held to 59 yards on 18 carries.

The Colts were fourth in the NFL in defense before last week's 45-37 win over Cincinnati. That performance dropped them to eighth overall.

But Peyton Manning and the Colts' offense was virtually unstoppable. Indianapolis scored on its first five possessions as Manning completed 16-of-20 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns.

Tight end Dallas Clark caught six passes for a career-high 125 yards and Reggie Wayne had five receptions for 117 yards. Each had a touchdown.

Marvin Harrison had five catches to reach 900 in his 149th career game - faster than anyone in NFL history. Jerry Rice, the league's all-time leading receiver, reached 900 catches in his 168th game.

And Edgerrin James rushed for 89 yards to increase his AFC-leading total to 1,116 yards.

Matchup to watch: Clark will go over the middle against physical strong safety Troy Polamalu.

Series: The Steelers lead, 17-4, and have won the last nine meetings, including playoffs. However, the Colts' only loss in that streak with Manning at quarterback was in 2002 at Pittsburgh. The teams have met just twice in the previous eight seasons.

Next week: Pittsburgh hosts Cincinnati, December 4 Indianapolis hosts Tennessee, December 4