18, 2004, Ward made 9 catches for a season-high 134 yards as Pittsburgh beat the Giants 33–30 for their 13th consecutive victory. After finishing the season 15–1, the Steelers played the Jets for the divisional championship. During the 20–17 win, Ward racked up 10 catches for 105 receiving yards and a touchdown. On January 23, 2005, the Steelers lost 27–41 to the eventual Super Bowl XXXIX Champions, the New England Patriots. In the AFC Championship game, Ward pulled in 5 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. For the fourth year in a row, he was voted to the Pro Bowl along with Alan Faneca. In the game, he had 63 receiving yards on 3 receptions and scored a touchdown. He finished the season having caught 80 passes for 1,004 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. This also marked his fourth year with over 1,000 receiving yards. 2005 season In 2005, Ward missed the first two weeks of training camp in a holdout for a contract extension that would increase his salary. Ward had considered holding out before camp in 2004, but had been persuaded after meeting with the Steelers' owner Dan Rooney and Jerome Bettis. He was told they could work out an extension during the year and he'd be paid fairly. With a great relationship with Dan Rooney, he conceded and eventually showed up on August 15, 2005, on the sidelines for Pittsburgh's first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That night, though, he did not play in that game. On September 5, 2005, the Steelers announced that they had reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension worth $25.83 million with Ward. On September 18, 2005, he caught 6 passes for 84 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in a 27–7 victory over the Texans. The next week, Ward had 4 catches for 110 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, including an 85-yard touchdown reception, against the Patriots. Although they lost to the defending Super Bowl Champions 20–23, this marked Ward's first back-to-back games with 2 touchdown receptions. After starting 88 consecutive games, Ward missed the game against the Jaguars on October 16. On November 13, 2005, Ward became the Steelers' all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the Browns on ESPN Sunday Night Football surpassing John Stallworth's record. The Steelers won 34–21. In Week 13 against the Bengals, Ward hauled in a season-high 9 receptions for 135 receiving