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SEATTLE (AP) — It’s seems like the perfect trap. Coming off an emotional and important victory, the Baltimore Ravens fly across the country to play a 2-6 team coming off a third straight loss.

Problem for the Ravens is it’s a situation they’ve faced and failed at twice this season.

The Ravens said all the right things this week about realizing the importance of Sunday’s game at Seattle and how any benefits from their thrilling, last-second 23-20 win over Pittsburgh last week will be completely negated with a West Coast flop.

But the Ravens track record this season says the rare matchup against the struggling Seahawks could mean problems. All they have to do is look back to Week 2 at Tennessee and Week 7 at Jacksonville to see the mistakes.

“We have been riding an emotional high right now. Coming off those big wins, (the media) like to say we have that tendency of a letdown,” Baltimore running back Ray Rice said. “I think it’s time for us to be able to put the big games behind us and treat every game like it’s a big game.”

After routing Pittsburgh in its season opener, Baltimore followed up with a flop against the Titans. Five weeks later, the Ravens had another poor performance at Jacksonville a week after an impressive victory over Houston.

They are rare moments in the tenure of John Harbaugh. Since taking over in 2008, the Ravens have three losses against sub-.500 teams. Only one was later than the second week of the regular season, and it came three weeks ago against the Jaguars.

The fact two of those slip ups against losing teams happened this season, and with a home game waiting next week against division co-leader Cincinnati, is what’s causing the Ravens concern about this trip.

“It’s really easy to get ready for a team like Seattle because they’re very talented. I think they’ve lost a lot of close games and their record is not in any way indicative of the type of football team they are,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve had this experience already and so we know that those records don’t mean anything.”

Flacco spent most of the week deflecting the praise being heaped his way following his nearly flawless final drive last week against Pittsburgh, which ended with a 26-yard TD pass to rookie Torrey Smith with 8 seconds left that gave the Ravens a season sweep of their AFC North rivals. Flacco took the Ravens 92 yards in the final 21Ú2 minutes for the winning score.

“If we just dwell on that then the end is going to be nothing. We’re going to look back on it and say, ‘Who cares?’ because we lost a couple more games,” Flacco said. “But as long as we go and do our jobs the rest of the season I think we will be able to look at that as a big win.”

A win Sunday would give the Ravens their second 7-2 start in franchise history. The previous time came in 2006 when Baltimore finished 13-3 and had the second-best record in the AFC.

Seattle isn’t anywhere near thinking about 7-2 starts and 13-3 records. They’ve dropped their last three, scoring a combined 28 points in losses to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dallas.

The Seahawks are proving talented enough to give better teams fits, as evident by the fact they’ve been within one score in the fourth quarter in five of their six losses. But that only highlights Seattle’s sometimes maddening inconsistency and seeming to always be playing from behind.

They are headaches that were expected with such a young team. That doesn’t make being 2-6 any easier to accept.

“It’s just been the performance level of our guys has just not been where it needs to be, you know? We haven’t taken care of the football as well as we need to.”

We haven’t gotten the ball as much as we need to,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “With our young guys up front, it’s been a process. As much as we have no patience about it, we have had to be patient as we watch them develop. It’s just been a fight. So, we’re getting along here.”

If there was a bright spot to take from last week’s loss in Dallas, it was the rediscovery of a running game. The Seahawks scraped the no-huddle approach that worked in an upset of the New York Giants last month — and subsequently sputtered — and ran for 162 yards against a Cowboys defense that was fourth in the league against the run. Marshawn Lynch topped 100 yards in the regular season for the first time in nearly three years, but Seattle couldn’t overcome three interceptions from Tarvaris Jackson.

Carroll said this week that Seattle’s ability to run is of paramount importance to how the rest of the team operates, no matter if it’s in a hurry-up offense or not. If they’re able to run against Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata and the rest of the Ravens’ defense, it’ll be an impressive statement.

“We are in for a fight. What else can you ask for?” Jackson said. “We’re a young team, and we’re trying to show what we have, and put together a nice team here. So what better challenge is it to have to go against one of the better defenses in the league?”

——

Follow Tim Booth on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ByTimBooth

It’s seems like the perfect trap. Coming off an emotional and important victory, the Baltimore Ravens fly across the country to play a 2-6 team coming off a third straight loss.

Problem for the Ravens is it’s a situation they’ve faced and failed at twice this season.

The Ravens said all the right things this week about realizing the importance of Sunday’s game at Seattle and how any benefits from their thrilling, last-second 23-20 win over Pittsburgh last week will be completely negated with a West Coast flop.

But the Ravens track record this season says the rare matchup against the struggling Seahawks could mean problems. All they have to do is look back to Week 2 at Tennessee and Week 7 at Jacksonville to see the mistakes.

“We have been riding an emotional high right now. Coming off those big wins, (the media) like to say we have that tendency of a letdown,” Baltimore running back Ray Rice said. “I think it’s time for us to be able to put the big games behind us and treat every game like it’s a big game.”

After routing Pittsburgh in its season opener, Baltimore followed up with a flop against the Titans. Five weeks later, the Ravens had another poor performance at Jacksonville a week after an impressive victory over Houston.

They are rare moments in the tenure of John Harbaugh. Since taking over in 2008, the Ravens have three losses against sub-.500 teams. Only one was later than the second week of the regular season, and it came three weeks ago against the Jaguars.

The fact two of those slip ups against losing teams happened this season, and with a home game waiting next week against division co-leader Cincinnati, is what’s causing the Ravens concern about this trip.

“It’s really easy to get ready for a team like Seattle because they’re very talented. I think they’ve lost a lot of close games and their record is not in any way indicative of the type of football team they are,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve had this experience already and so we know that those records don’t mean anything.”

Flacco spent most of the week deflecting the praise being heaped his way following his nearly flawless final drive last week against Pittsburgh, which ended with a 26-yard TD pass to rookie Torrey Smith with 8 seconds left that gave the Ravens a season sweep of their AFC North rivals. Flacco took the Ravens 92 yards in the final 2½ minutes for the winning score.

“If we just dwell on that then the end is going to be nothing. We’re going to look back on it and say, ‘Who cares?’ because we lost a couple more games,” Flacco said. “But as long as we go and do our jobs the rest of the season I think we will be able to look at that as a big win.”

A win Sunday would give the Ravens their second 7-2 start in franchise history. The previous time came in 2006 when Baltimore finished 13-3 and had the second-best record in the AFC.

Seattle isn’t anywhere near thinking about 7-2 starts and 13-3 records. They’ve dropped their last three, scoring a combined 28 points in losses to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dallas.

The Seahawks are proving talented enough to give better teams fits, as evident by the fact they’ve been within one score in the fourth quarter in five of their six losses. But that only highlights Seattle’s sometimes maddening inconsistency and seeming to always be playing from behind.

They are headaches that were expected with such a young team. That doesn’t make being 2-6 any easier to accept.

“It’s just been the performance level of our guys has just not been where it needs to be, you know? We haven’t taken care of the football as well as we need to. We haven’t gotten the ball as much as we need to,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “With our young guys up front, it’s been a process. As much as we have no patience about it, we have had to be patient as we watch them develop. It’s just been a fight. So, we’re getting along here.”

If there was a bright spot to take from last week’s loss in Dallas, it was the rediscovery of a running game. The Seahawks scraped the no-huddle approach that worked in an upset of the New York Giants last month — and subsequently sputtered — and ran for 162 yards against a Cowboys defense that was fourth in the league against the run. Marshawn Lynch topped 100 yards in the regular season for the first time in nearly three years, but Seattle couldn’t overcome three interceptions from Tarvaris Jackson.

Carroll said this week that Seattle’s ability to run is of paramount importance to how the rest of the team operates, no matter if it’s in a hurry-up offense or not. If they’re able to run against Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata and the rest of the Ravens’ defense, it’ll be an impressive statement.

“We are in for a fight. What else can you ask for?” Jackson said. “We’re a young team, and we’re trying to show what we have, and put together a nice team here. So what better challenge is it to have to go against one of the better defenses in the league?”

___

Follow Tim Booth on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ByTimBooth

The AFC North has been wild this year. The season started with the Baltimore Ravens absolutely drubbing the Pittsburgh Steelers, establishing a possible early dominance in the division. But as the season progressed, the Steelers have bounced back, the Ravens have made a case for why they could be an AFC favorite and the young Cincinnati Bengals have surprised everyone by going 6-2, creating a virtual three-way tie for first place (the Steelers are 6-3, but have not yet had a bye week). This AFC North division race is going to continue to be a tight one, but at the end, look for the Pittsburgh Steelers to emerge on top.

 

Most recently, the Steelers lost their second game of the season to the Baltimore Ravens in a game that came down to the final minute. Led by quarterback Joe Flacco, the Ravens were able to come back from a 20-16 deficit on a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Torrey Smith. A game in which the Steelers controlled for the most part was out of their hands, and they took the loss. Although Pittsburgh lost to Baltimore both times this season, Pittsburgh has shown something on both sides of the ball that the Ravens have not–consistency. Once the Steelers picked up their play following the season-opening loss to Baltimore, they’ve been dominant as always defensively and executed the offense as expected. The Ravens, on the other hand, have shown their defensive dominance, but have struggled at times offensively. Joe Flacco has played well recently, but going back just three games, he had a less-than-spectacular performance against the mediocre Jacksonville Jaguars. Additionally, a huge part of the Ravens’ offense is their running game, which was non-existent in that game against the Jags. It makes analysts wonder whether the offensive coaching is responsible because running back Ray Rice is a Pro-Bowl-caliber back. With these flaws offensively, the Ravens are a tougher team to pick. In addition, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been having a good year, and running back Rashard Mendenhall has made big contributions as well to the offense.

 

Consistency always helps make a safe pick. But there is another reason why the Steelers are a better pick to win the division over both Baltimore and Cincinnati: experience. The players on the Steelers have, for the most part, all been to the playoffs before. Just a season ago, the Steelers were in the Super Bowl. Many of the returning players know exactly what it takes to get back there. Although the Ravens have experienced players in terms of the playoffs, very few, if any ,have made it to the Super Bowl other than Ray Lewis. The defense of the Ravens, like that of the Steelers, is championship quality and could propel them to the Super Bowl, but the Steelers are a much safer choice.

 

We’re halfway through the season, and the remaining schedules of each team also contribute to this decision. The Steelers have a much lighter schedule than the Ravens for the rest of the season, which is just another reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers will win the AFC North division. 

Read More: Terrell Suggs (LB – BAL), Troy Polamalu (SS – PIT), Ray Rice (RB – BAL), Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers, Nov 6, 2011 8:20 PM EST

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens did not earn the NFL any new football fans in their first half of primetime on Sunday Night Football, but the second half seems to be off to a better start. The Ravens have opened up 16-6 lead on a Ray Rice touchdown run set up by an interception from Ball So Hard University’s Terrell Suggs.

Rice opened the game with a 76-yard touchdown run that was called back due to a holding penalty and then later had what looked to be a touchdown nullified because the officials blew their whistle due to forward progress. The diminutive running back finally found his way to the end zone officially in the third quarter, though, on a short run set up by an interception from Suggs.

The scoring run from Rice wasn’t all that interesting, but his shake and stiff arm of Troy Polamalu should suffice for those looking for a highlight of his:

For more on this potentially epic game, check out Baltimore Beatdown for the Ravens’ view on things, and head Behind the Steel Curtain for more on the Steelers. For more updates on this game, be sure to stay tuned to the Sunday Night Football StoryStream.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ray Rice had a 4-yard touchdown run, Billy Cundiff made three of four first-half field-goal attempts and the Baltimore Ravens held a 16-6 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of the third quarter of a crucial AFC North game Sunday night.

Rice’s touchdown came with 4:27 left in the third quarter to cap a 12-play drive that lasted more than six minutes. The possession was aided by a pass interference call on Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor two snaps earlier that gave the Ravens a first-and-goal at the 4.

Rice had 15 carries for 37 yards, and Joe Flacco was 18 for 28 for 180 yards for the Ravens (5-2), who are looking to sweep their bitter rivals and move past them in the division.

Cundiff had field goals of 18, 43 and 51 yards, the latter coming on the final play of the first half. Cundiff also missed from 40 yards, and Pittsburgh’s Shaun Suisham kicked field goals of 36 and 30 yards in a game befitting the NFL’s two best statistical defenses.

The Ravens converted 10 of 14 third downs and had 224 yards of offense against the team that ranks No. 2 in the NFL in defense, trailing only Baltimore.

Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger was 14 for 26 for 235 yards — but Terrell Suggs intercepted him on the first drive of the second half with the Steelers at the Baltimore 14.

The Steelers (6-2) have won four consecutive games and are 6-1 since a 35-7 blowout loss at Baltimore in the season opener.

Baltimore took the opening kickoff and held the ball for 14 plays and 6:50, getting a first-and-goal at the 1 after a pass interference call on William Gay in the end zone.

But Ryan Clark nearly intercepted Flacco’s pass on the ensuing play, and Rice was stuffed running up the middle on the next two plays, setting up Cundiff’s first field goal.

Rice had taken the first play from scrimmage 76 yards into the end zone, but the play was called back for a holding penalty on Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s second field goal that gave it the lead again came at the end of a 10-play drive in the second quarter.

A week after holding the ball for almost 40 minutes in a 25-17 win over New England, the Steelers had less possession time than the Ravens through three quarters.

The Steelers drove to the Baltimore 18 early in the second quarter, but the drive stalled after Hines Ward could not hold onto a pass near the first-down marker on third-and-7 due to a helmet-to-helmet hit from Ray Lewis.

Ward left the game with a stinger and his return was questionable. Ward, who missed last week’s win over New England due to an ankle injury, was sitting on the sideline without his helmet.

Suisham’s second field goal came with 1:05 left in the first half, but Davis Reed returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards. That — along with a personal foul call on Clark for hitting a defenseless receiver — allowed Flacco to drive the Ravens in position for another Cundiff field goal.

Pittsburgh has beaten Baltimore six of the previous nine meetings — including in playoff games following the 2008 and ’10 seasons. That includes five of the past six played at Heinz Field, although the Ravens did win here in the regular season last season.

The previous meeting was the Ravens’ most lopsided victory in the 15-year series between the teams. In that game, Baltimore sacked Roethlisberger four times and forced seven turnovers.

Pittsburgh, though, has just two turnovers during its four-game winning streak.

Flacco had three touchdown passes in the September meeting against the Steelers, but has only five since.

Pittsburgh welcomed back former All-Pro linebacker James Harrison, who had missed the past four games since sustaining a broken orbital bone in a loss at Houston. Harrison had his third sack of the season late in the second quarter.

Former Pro Bowl linebackers James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley are not active for the Steelers due to injury. Also inactive for Pittsburgh was nose tackle Chris Hoke and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

The winner of the game keeps pace in the division with Cincinnati (6-2).

This is the fifth consecutive season these two teams have played a prime-time game.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have developed one of the NFL’s fiercest rivalries, and the two have found themselves in several highly competitive and physical matchups over the past few seasons.There was little drama in their season opener in Baltimore, however, as the Steelers were handed a humiliating loss. Many were ready to write off the defending AFC champions at that point, but they’ve regrouped and now own the conference’s best record.Pittsburgh looks to win its fifth straight and exact some revenge for the lopsided opening loss Sunday night when its hosts a Ravens team that has regressed a bit over the past few weeks.Heading into its Sept. 11 opener, the Steelers (6-2) had won six of eight meetings with Baltimore (5-2), including playoff victories following the 2008 and ’10 seasons. Each of the last five matchups had been decided by seven or fewer points with a field goal providing the difference four times.The Ravens, though, seemed to set the tone for the 2011 season in the opener with a 35-7 win over Pittsburgh, their most lopsided victory in a bitter rivalry that began in 1996.Baltimore, which irked some Steelers by converting a two-point conversion with a 20-point lead in the third quarter, sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times and forced a team-record seven turnovers. Roethlisberger threw three interceptions and fumbled twice in losing to the Ravens for the first time in eight games. He is 7-1 all-time against Baltimore at Heinz Field.“We don’t like it, but we accept it, and we’ll respond accordingly,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said following the defeat.The Steelers have responded by winning six of seven and are coming off an impressive 25-17 victory over New England last Sunday. Pittsburgh limited the high-powered Patriots, who were 6-1 against the Steelers with Tom Brady at quarterback, to a season-low 213 yards. Roethlisberger picked apart New England’s defence for 365 yards and two touchdowns.The Steelers are off to their fifth straight 6-2 start and have taken a half-game lead over Cincinnati and Baltimore atop the AFC North.“We can be as good as we want to be,” said Roethlisberger, who is averaging 288.5 yards and has thrown 11 touchdowns and two interceptions during the four-game win streak. “When we don’t kill ourselves and stop ourselves, we can be pretty dangerous.”They’ve also proved they can win with a patchwork defence.Linebackers James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and James Farrior are nursing injuries. Harrison has missed the last four games with an orbital bone fracture but is expected to return. Woodley has been ruled out after leaving the New England game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Farrior remains questionable after sitting out last week with a calf injury.All of those injury problems mean rookie Chris Carter, second-year man Stevenson Sylvester and Larry Foote could take on bigger roles. Tomlin also didn’t rule out going to a four-man defensive line.Despite playing without some regulars and being run over for 385 yards by Baltimore in September, the Steelers rank second in the league in total defence at 270.8 yards per game, right behind the Ravens at 263.3.“They are slaying people and we are a part of that,” Tomlin said of Baltimore’s defence. “They are playing extremely fast, they are really talented, they know what they are doing and they are very rarely out of place. They have uniquely talented people at every level of their defence.”That defence has been especially stingy the last two games, allowing fewer than 207 yards in each.The Ravens’ offence hasn’t been nearly as impressive.After managing a season-low 146 yards in a 12-7 loss to Jacksonville on Oct. 24, Baltimore had two first-half turnovers that led to Arizona touchdowns last Sunday. The Ravens trailed the one-win Cardinals by 21 points in the second quarter before mounting the largest comeback in franchise history to win 30-27.Ray Rice, who rushed for a season-best 107 yards and scored two touchdowns Sept. 11, had three second-half TDs.Baltimore seems unlikely to win at Heinz Field if it puts together a repeat performance of the Jaguars game or of the first half against the Cardinals. The Steelers have won seven straight at home, including playoffs.“When we play good fundamental football, we’re a good football team. It comes down to that,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s technique, it’s attention to detail, it’s getting a little momentum.“We know how to play that game, they know how to play that game. We looking forward to it, I do know that.”Although Pittsburgh has forced an NFL-low three turnovers, the Ravens have to do a better job of protecting the ball. Baltimore has turned it over 13 times since the opener, with Joe Flacco responsible for four fumbles and six interceptions.Flacco put together a strong performance against the Steelers in September, passing for 224 yards with three touchdowns, but has only thrown for five TDs since.

(Sports Network) – A blowout victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers back in Week
1 helped to propel the Baltimore Ravens to the top of the list of contenders in
the AFC.

Pittsburgh has slowly been making its climb back into the conference mix and
has hit its stride just in time for Sunday’s rematch with Baltimore, this time
on the home turf of Heinz Field.

The Steelers aim for a fifth straight victory on the season and seventh in a
row at home, including the playoffs. To do that, they’ll have to shake off the
memories of a turnover-filled 35-7 defeat in Baltimore back on Sept. 11.

The Ravens’ defense was in top form in that game. Baltimore forced a
franchise-record seven turnovers, intercepting Pittsburgh quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger three times and forcing a total of four fumbles. Roethlisberger
was also sacked four times, and the Steelers’ seven giveaways were their most
in a game since also turning the ball over seven times versus Minnesota on
Sept. 24, 1995.

With the Ravens having set a club record for their largest margin of victory in
games against the Steelers, many expect Pittsburgh to be better prepared for
Baltimore’s swarming defense in this rematch.

And despite the Steelers having the second-ranked defense in the league behind
only the Ravens, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin was quick to praise the
opposition on Tuesday.

“It’s probably a coincidence at this juncture. I am not ready to at least put
us in the conversation with the Ravens’ defense,” Tomlin said. “We are not even
close to doing what they are doing right now. Maybe statistically, but the way
they are generating splash plays sets them apart.”

Pittsburgh does have a huge win to build off of, as it defeated Tom Brady and
the New England Patriots at home for the first time since Oct. 31, 2004 with a
25-17 victory last Sunday.

The Steelers held the ball for almost twice as long as the Patriots, taking
some pressure off of their injury-plagued defense. Linebackers James Harrison
and James Farrior were out, as was defensive end Aaron Smith. Linebacker
LaMarr Woodley also suffered a hamstring issue towards the end of the game,
putting his status for this contest in doubt.

Harrison (eye) has been cleared for practice but is unlikely to play until
after the team’s Nov. 20 bye, while Farrior is battling a calf issue and is
questionable. Woodley’s hamstring was reported to be a serious injury that
could sideline him until the bye, but the linebacker said not to rule him out
for this game. Tomlin added that Woodley’s ability to practice will decide if
he plays.

Wide receiver Hines Ward also missed the New England win with an ankle issue,
but is expected to be available for this rematch.

The Steelers are trying to open a season 5-0 at home for the first time since
2007 and have won six of seven since their loss to the Ravens to take a half-
game lead over Baltimore and Cincinnati for first place in the division.

The Ravens won four of five to open the season before suffering an ugly 12-7
loss in Jacksonville on Oct. 24. They were then in danger of losing a second
straight time last Sunday to an Arizona team that came into the game with only
one win, but rallied from 21 points down to beat the Cardinals, 30-27.

Baltimore trailed 24-6 at the break, but outgained Arizona by a 249-56 margin
in the second half and scored 24 unanswered points. The Ravens then won it on
Billy Cundiff’s 25-yard field goal as time expired.

“We woke up, plain and simple,” said wide receiver Anquan Boldin. “Our offense
came out flat. We turned the ball over a couple times. We felt like we gave
them 14 points. We just woke up in the second half. We knew that we couldn’t
keep putting our defense in that situation. Still had a bitter taste in our
mouth from last week, so we wanted to come out and rectify that.”

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said earlier this week that the come-from-behind
victory may have given the club more confidence for this game than its Week 1
rout of Pittsburgh.

“We have to look back at it and see what we did well, and see what
we can carry over to this game plan,” Flacco said of the first win over the
Steelers. “I think last week, really, was more important for our confidence
heading into this week than that week was. We always feel like we can play
with these guys and go give them a good matchup and go beat them.”

Baltimore is trying to start a season 6-2 for a second straight season and the
third time in club history.

SERIES HISTORY

Baltimore’s win at M&T Bank Stadium in the 2011 opener cut Pittsburgh’s
overall lead in this regular-season series to 18-13, and the Ravens also
handed the Steelers a 17-14 defeat at Heinz Field during Week 4 of last year,
though Roethlisberger did not play in that contest while serving a suspension.
Pittsburgh has bested Baltimore in the Steel City in seven of the past nine
seasons, however, and the Ravens have not swept the home-and-home set between
the teams since 2006.

Pittsburgh moved to 3-0 against Baltimore in postseason play with last
season’s win in the Divisional Round. In addition to a 23-14 home verdict for
the Steelers in the 2008 AFC Championship, the Black and Gold also earned a
27-10 triumph in a 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff at Heinz Field.

Including the playoffs, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh is 3-6 all-time
against the Steelers, while Tomlin owns a 7-4 record versus the Ravens and is
6-3 in head-to-head encounters with Harbaugh.

WHEN THE RAVENS HAVE THE BALL

Flacco and the offense shook off some early turnovers that gave the Cardinals
some easy points. Baltimore managed just a pair of Cundiff field goals in the
first half, but running back Ray Rice (489 rushing yards, 33 receptions, 7
total TD) went off for a career-high three touchdowns in the second half, all
from three yards or closer. Rice ended with 63 yards on 18 carries and also
caught seven balls for 36 yards. Boldin (34 receptions, 2 TD) also had a big
day against his former team, hauling in seven passes for a game-high 145 yards.
Tight ends Ed Dickson (28 receptions, 1 TD) and Dennis Pitta (16 receptions)
made six catches each, but wide receiver Torrey Smith (15 receptions, 3 TD)
caught only three of his nine targets for 57 yards. Though he did not throw a
touchdown pass and was intercepted once, Flacco (1751 passing yards, 8 TD, 6
INT) still posted 336 yards passing, completing 31 of the career-high 51 throws
he attempted. Flacco was also sacked three times, but could have left guard Ben
Grubbs back in the lineup for the first time since Week 1 as he recovers from a
toe injury. Wide receiver Lee Evans remains doubtful with an ankle problem,
however, while both center Matt Birk and receiver David Reed are questionable
because of injuries.

Pittsburgh hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game since its loss to
Baltimore, a matchup in which the Ravens racked up 385 yards of offense. The
Steelers, though, now rank second overall in total defense (270.8 ypg) and
stand first versus the pass (171.6 ypg). Unlike the Ravens, the Steelers
struggle in forcing turnovers, however, as they have just two interceptions and
four fumble recoveries on the season. Overall, Pittsburgh has a turnover ratio
of minus-10 and did not force one versus the Patriots. Still, the fact that the
Steelers limited New England to just 213 yards of offense without Harrison (23
tackles, 2 sacks) and Farrior (45 tackles, 2 sacks) is impressive. Woodley (36
tackles, 9 sacks, 1 INT) managed two sacks before suffering his injury, while
Harrison replacement Larry Foote (30 tackles, 1 sack) and safety Ryan Clark (50
tackles, 1 INT) led the team with eight tackles each. Defensive end Brett
Keisel (19 tackles, 3 sacks) added a sack, while cornerback Ike Taylor (20
tackles) ended with six stops. If Woodley and Farrior can’t play this weekend,
Lawrence Timmons (37 tackles) would be the lone regular starting linebacker in
the lineup.

WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL

Roethlisberger (2302 passing yards, 14 TD, 7 INT) has done his best in putting
the season-opening game behind him. He has just four interceptions in seven
games since getting picked off three times by Baltimore and has thrown 11
touchdown passes over the Steelers’ four-game win streak, including two versus
the Patriots. Roethlisberger finished that contest with 365 yards on 36-of-50
passing and was also picked off once. Mike Wallace (43 receptions, 5 TD) ended
with seven catches for 70 yards, but the wideout’s long was only 16 yards as
the Patriots looked to take away his deep-play ability. That left plenty of
balls for wide receiver Antonio Brown (34 receptions, 1 TD) and tight end Heath
Miller (30 receptions, 2 TD), with Brown pulling in nine passes that included
his first career touchdown. Miller had seven receptions for a team-high 85
yards. With Ward (26 receptions, 2 TD) out, Emmanuel Sanders (18 receptions, 2
TD) added five catches for 70 yards against New England. Seeing as the passing
offense was clicking and ranks eighth overall in the NFL, starting running back
Rashad Mendenhall (421 rushing yards, 3 TD) got just 13 carries last week, but
did turn those opportunities into 70 yards for a 5.4 average per carry.

The respected Ravens defense may have yielded 27 points last week, but short
fields and a special-teams score inflated that total. The NFL’s top-ranked unit
(263.3 ypg) actually gave up a mere 207 yards of net offense, including just
98 through the air. On the season, Baltimore ranks third against both the run
and the pass. Linebacker Terrell Suggs (33 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 INT) was all
over the field against Arizona, recording a game-high 13 tackles and a sack. He
has 13 1/2 career sacks versus the Steelers in the regular season, the most any
active player has compiled against the franchise. Safety Ed Reed (27 tackles, 1
sack, 2 INT) had a pair of interceptions in the Week 1 meeting with Pittsburgh
and Suggs had three sacks in that game. Linebacker Ray Lewis (55 tackles, 2
sacks, 1 INT) also had a pick and seven tackles in the Week 1 rout, and added
five more stops versus the Cardinals. In all, the Ravens logged six sacks
against Arizona, getting a pair from pass-rush specialist Paul Kruger (6
tackles, 3 sacks) and one each from cornerback Chris Carr (7 tackles, 1 sack),
linebacker Jarret Johnson (26 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and safety Bernard Pollard
(21 tackles, 1 sack). Rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith, who suffered an injury at
the season’s onset and has been working his way back since, is expected to see
an expanded role in this game. Though he did not log a tackle versus the
Cardinals, he did have one pass defensed.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Keep an eye on Rice. The Steelers’ defense has allowed just three 100-yard
rushers in its last 58 games dating back to 2007, but Rice has two of them.
That includes 107 yards in the Week 1 victory and a 141-yard effort in
Pittsburgh on Dec. 27, 2009.

Flacco and Roethlisberger both have their work cut out for them this week, and
whichever quarterback finds a way to make plays will likely come out on the
winning side. The edge could go to Flacco given the Steelers’ issues at
linebacker.

Keep Heinz Field involved. The Steelers are always tough to play at home and
bring an impressive run into this meeting. The Ravens are just 5-10 all-time at
Pittsburgh during the regular season and 0-3 there during the playoffs.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

While a Week 9 matchup certainly won’t decide the AFC North, especially with
Cincinnati lurking in the shadows, the victor of this key clash will certainly
have an edge should the Steelers and Ravens meet for a third time this season
in the playoffs. That being said, Baltimore’s Week 1 victory likely won’t
factor into how this game will shake down. Enough time and games have passed to
make that meeting irrelevant at this point, and the change in venue certainly
seems to favor the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s injuries on defense could be the x-
factor, but the Ravens have been just too inconsistent this year to leave Heinz
Field with a win.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Steelers 21, Ravens 17

The Sports Network

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have developed one of the NFL’s
fiercest rivalries, and the two have found themselves in several highly
competitive and physical matchups over the past few seasons.

There was little drama in their season opener in Baltimore, however, as the
Steelers were handed a humiliating loss. Many were ready to write off the
defending AFC champions at that point, but they’ve regrouped and now own the
conference’s best record.

Pittsburgh looks to win its fifth straight and exact some revenge for the
lopsided opening loss Sunday night when its hosts a Ravens team that has
regressed a bit over the past few weeks.

Heading into its Sept. 11 opener, the Steelers (6-2) had won six of eight
meetings with Baltimore (5-2), including playoff victories following the 2008
and ’10 seasons. Each of the last five matchups had been decided by seven or
fewer points with a field goal providing the difference four times.

The Ravens, though, seemed to set the tone for the 2011 season in the opener
with a 35-7 win over Pittsburgh, their most lopsided victory in a bitter rivalry
that began in 1996.

Baltimore, which irked some Steelers by converting a two-point conversion
with a 20-point lead in the third quarter, sacked Ben Roethlisberger(notes) four times
and forced a team-record seven turnovers. Roethlisberger threw three
interceptions and fumbled twice in losing to the Ravens for the first time in
eight games. He is 7-1 all-time against Baltimore at Heinz Field.

“We don’t like it, but we accept it, and we’ll respond accordingly,”
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said following the defeat.

The Steelers have responded by winning six of seven and are coming off an
impressive 25-17 victory over New England last Sunday. Pittsburgh limited the
high-powered Patriots, who were 6-1 against the Steelers with Tom Brady(notes) at
quarterback, to a season-low 213 yards. Roethlisberger picked apart New
England’s defense for 365 yards and two touchdowns.

The Steelers are off to their fifth straight 6-2 start and have taken a
half-game lead over Cincinnati and Baltimore atop the AFC North.

“We can be as good as we want to be,” said Roethlisberger, who is averaging
288.5 yards and has thrown 11 touchdowns and two interceptions during the
four-game win streak. “When we don’t kill ourselves and stop ourselves, we can
be pretty dangerous.”

They’ve also proved they can win with a patchwork defense.

Linebackers James Harrison(notes), LaMarr Woodley(notes) and James Farrior(notes) are nursing
injuries. Harrison has missed the last four games with an orbital bone fracture
but is expected to return. Woodley has been ruled out after leaving the New
England game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Farrior remains
questionable after sitting out last week with a calf injury.

All of those injury problems mean rookie Chris Carter, second-year man
Stevenson Sylvester(notes) and Larry Foote(notes) could take on bigger roles. Tomlin also
didn’t rule out going to a four-man defensive line.

Despite playing without some regulars and being run over for 385 yards by
Baltimore in September, the Steelers rank second in the league in total defense
at 270.8 yards per game, right behind the Ravens at 263.3.

“They are slaying people and we are a part of that,” Tomlin said of
Baltimore’s defense. “They are playing extremely fast, they are really talented,
they know what they are doing and they are very rarely out of place. They have
uniquely talented people at every level of their defense.”

That defense has been especially stingy the last two games, allowing fewer
than 207 yards in each.

The Ravens’ offense hasn’t been nearly as impressive.

After managing a season-low 146 yards in a 12-7 loss to Jacksonville on Oct.
24, Baltimore had two first-half turnovers that led to Arizona touchdowns last
Sunday. The Ravens trailed the one-win Cardinals by 21 points in the second
quarter before mounting the largest comeback in franchise history to win 30-27.

Ray Rice(notes), who rushed for a season-best 107 yards and scored two touchdowns
Sept. 11, had three second-half TDs.

Baltimore seems unlikely to win at Heinz Field if it puts together a repeat
performance of the Jaguars game or of the first half against the Cardinals. The
Steelers have won seven straight at home, including playoffs.

“When we play good fundamental football, we’re a good football team. It
comes down to that,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s technique, it’s attention
to detail, it’s getting a little momentum.

“We know how to play that game, they know how to play that game. We looking
forward to it, I do know that.”

Although Pittsburgh has forced an NFL-low three turnovers, the Ravens have
to do a better job of protecting the ball. Baltimore has turned it over 13 times
since the opener, with Joe Flacco(notes) responsible for four fumbles and six
interceptions.

Flacco put together a strong performance against the Steelers in September,
passing for 224 yards with three touchdowns, but has only thrown for five TDs
since.

PITTSBURGH — In the tradition of former Steelers linebacker Joey
Porter, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs entertained
Pittsburgh reporters — and thus fans of both teams — with an
exuberant performance during a Wednesday pre-game conference
call.

Suggs’ Ravens, of course, are coming to Heinz Field for a
top-of-division showdown against the Steelers on Sunday night. So
Suggs felt the need to “close the door” because “it’s gonna get hot
up here” prior to the questioning.

With three sacks against the Steelers in Week One, and a
league-high 15½ career sacks of Steelers quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger (counting playoffs), Suggs was asked why he’s played
so well against the Steelers.

“I consider Heinz Field my Madison Square Garden,” he said. “In
my eyes, if you’re an opponent and you want to go into a hostile
environment, what better than Heinz Field?

“I’m definitely the bad guy. To you guys’s fans, I don’t think
there’s a player they hate more than me. But I love that. I love
playing in Heinz Field. Even though the fans hate me, everything
about this game they bring it. They’re a big part of the game and
we’re even looking forward to hearing that song in the fourth
quarter.”

After Suggs bashed the reporters for asking a couple of dull
questions, he was asked simply if the Ravens are going to win on
Sunday.

“I expect to,” he said. “I mean, who goes into a game and plans
to lose? I’m expecting a straight-up gang-fight brawl. I think
their coach declared war on us in November.

“It’s everything we expect going into Heinz Field. We’re not
going to be surprised if we come out there and get into a scuffle
or a brawl. This is football. This is football at its finest. This
is definitely the most physical game of the year out of all 32
teams. We’re looking forward to it, and especially tell 86 I hope
he plays because it wouldn’t be Baltimore-Pittsburgh without him.
I’d be really disappointed if 86 doesn’t play.”

Suggs, of course, was referring to Hines Ward, No. 86, who said
he will play Sunday against Baltimore.

“I’m worried about the Pittsburgh Steeler offense and I know 86
is a valuable part of that and I would really love to see my good
friend Hines Ward on the field,” Suggs added. “We had an interview
a couple weeks ago with each other. I told him I’d see him in
November and I don’t want to be a liar.”

Suggs talked about his respect for Steelers left tackle Max
Starks and the team’s young wide receivers. And then he got most
Steelers fans on his side by taking a shot at New England
quarterback Tom Brady after Suggs was asked about the importance of
defense in the AFC North Division.

“Defense is a means of survival in every division, if you don’t
got the pretty boy from up north,” Suggs said. “If you don’t got
him, you better have a good defense. Y’all showed last week that
even that won’t get it done for you. If you’re 32nd in defense,
you’re not going to be a pretty good team at all.

But usually you have a chance with the NFL’s golden boy on your
team.”

Suggs said the Steelers-Patriots game was “a lose-lose game for
me. I liked when they hit him, but like I said I couldn’t win.
Whatever the outcome of the game, I couldn’t win.”

And finally, Suggs was asked why his own offense, which he’s
criticized at numerous stops throughout his nine-year career, will
do anything but fail in yet another big game.

“That’s a good question,” he said. “Why should anyone believe
it’s going to be different this year until we show it? I guess
we’ll know Monday morning.”

NOTES: For the second time this season,
Roethlisberger was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, this
time for his performance against the New England Patriots.
Roethlisberger broke team records for attempts (50) and completions
(36) in a win.

He also threw for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns. … The Steelers
signed WR Jamar Newsome to their practice squad and released DL
Elisha Joseph.

Newsome is a 6-0½, 200-pound undrafted rookie out of Central
Florida who made the Jacksonville roster this season, but was
released on Sept. 20. … Scoring changes from the win over the
Patriots: The team was credited with the safety and not Troy
Polamalu and kicker Shaun Suisham missed from 44 yards, not 43.

© 2011 heraldstandard.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — It’s almost impossible to get an accurate read on the Baltimore Ravens, whose fluctuation from exceptional to awful is now happening on a half-to-half basis.

The Ravens (5-2) have routed the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Houston Texans. They’ve also lost to Tennessee and Jacksonville, team’s with a combined 6-9 record.

Baltimore’s strange Jekyll and Hyde personality came to the forefront on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. After falling behind by 21 points in the second quarter, the Ravens scrambled to pull out a 30-27 win over a team that has now lost six straight.

Coach John Harbaugh said Monday there’s no mystery to the Ravens.

“When we play good fundamental football, we’re a good football team. It comes down to that,” he said. “It’s technique, it’s attention to detail, it’s getting a little momentum. That sure helps you on offense, when you get the chains moving and make a couple first downs.”

The Ravens had none of that last Monday in Jacksonville, when they failed to get a first down before halftime and lost 12-7.

Against the Cardinals, Baltimore’s six first-half possessions were: punt, field goal, turnover, punt, turnover, field goal.

“It doesn’t feel too good when you go out there and you’re not playing well as an offense and not putting points on the board,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “We’ve been inconsistent.”

After halftime, however, Baltimore outscored Arizona 24-3 to complete the greatest comeback in the history of the franchise.

Next up: A rematch on Sunday night with the Steelers (6-2), who have won six of seven to regain first place in the AFC North.

“We know how to play that game, they know how to play that game,” Harbaugh said. “We looking forward to it, I do know that.”

The Ravens can’t afford to play as they did in Jacksonville or in Tennessee, and they can’t expect to win if they put themselves in a 21-point hold at Heinz Field.

“It’s going to be intense,” linebacker Jameel McClain said.

When the offense has struggled at times this season, the defense has been supportive. So after Flacco lost a fumble and threw an interception in the first half, although the fickle fans in the stadium began to boo Flacco, the only screaming on the sideline was encouragement.

“The sentiment was basically we are a team, and we’ve got team players,” Harbaugh said. “The consummate team player does not criticize one another, does not point fingers at one another, we don’t blame one another. That’s not what a team does. A team trusts one another, believes in one another, supports one another, has each other’s back. When you do that, guys are going to come through. Our guys are very mature about that.

“When you build a team, the kind of team we’ve built, you can withstand adversity. Stay together, hang together, play together, try to find a way to win. Whether it’s within a game or from one week to the next. To me, we’ve proven as a team that’s one thing we’re very good at.”

To their credit, the Ravens never panicked.

“It’s about us understanding what we have to do,” safety Bernard Pollard said. “We’re fighters. We’re warriors. Anytime you see teams do down 21 points, 27 points, they give up. We struggled, but we came together as a team. We fixed what needed to be fixed, as far as the first half, and we shut them down.”

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

by David Ginsburg, AP Sports Writer

azfamily.com

Posted on October 31, 2011 at 6:38 AM

Updated
yesterday at 6:48 AM

BALTIMORE (AP)—The Baltimore Ravens got the bounce-back victory they needed, in record-breaking fashion.

After rallying to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 30-27 on Sunday, Baltimore hopes to ride the momentum of its big second half into next week’s AFC North showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Down by 21 points in the second quarter against Arizona, the Ravens (5-2) staged the biggest comeback in franchise history and won the game on Billy Cundiff’s 25-yard field goal as time expired.

The victory eased the sting of their 12-7 defeat at Jacksonville on Monday night and set up Baltimore for its duel on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

“We still have the Steelers in front of us next week,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We have to get ready for that now. That’s the challenge.”

If the Ravens are to beat Pittsburgh on the road, they can’t afford to fall 21 points behind. Overcoming that kind of deficit at home against Arizona (1-6) is one thing; doing it at Heinz Field is quite another.

On Sunday, however, Baltimore found that one great half of football was good enough for an important win.

“I think we just turned our level up just a little bit,” said linebacker Ray Lewis(notes), who missed a few plays in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury but returned the next series.

Outscored 24-3 in the second half, the Cardinals (1-6) lost their sixth straight. Four of those defeats have been by four points or fewer.

“It’s hard right now,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “Our guys are very disappointed after today’s game because it was an opportunity to do something nobody thought we could do. But our guys believe in what we’re doing. If you look at what we did the first half, it shows that if we do it the right way, we can be a good football team.”

In the second half, the Cardinals made only six first downs and were penalized nine times for 87 yards.

The Ravens, on the other hand, played to form.

“Those guys came out in the second half with a different approach,” said Arizona’s Patrick Peterson(notes), who returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown but was flagged for pass interference prior to the second of Ray Rice’s three touchdown runs.

“They just made more plays than we did in the second half,” Peterson said. “We definitely thought there was a couple of bad calls in the second half, but that’s how the game goes.”

Using a fumble by Joe Flacco and Peterson’s sensational punt return, Arizona scored three touchdowns during a five-minute span of the second quarter to take a 24-3 lead.

Baltimore answered with a 24-point run and moved in front 27-24 when Rice scored on the opening play of the fourth quarter.

Arizona pulled even with a 45-yard field goal by Jay Feely with 8:55 left, but the Ravens won it with a 37-yard, beat-the-clock drive in the final minute.

After the Cardinals were forced to punt from deep in their own territory, Baltimore took over at the Arizona 44 with 52 seconds left. A 36-yard completion from Flacco to rookie Torrey Smith moved the ball to the 5, setting the stage for Cundiff’s game-winner.

The Ravens’ previous biggest comeback was from 19 points down against Tennessee in 2006.

“We woke up, plain and simple,” said former Arizona star Anquan Boldin(notes), who caught seven passes for 145 yards and was a key contributor in the rally.

Flacco went 31 for 51 for 336 yards, and Rice ran for 63 yards on 18 carries. Against Jacksonville, Rice was limited to 28 yards on eight carries.

“We had to get over Monday,” Rice said.

Kevin Kolb threw for 153 yards and a touchdown, and Peterson became the eighth player in Cardinals history to have at least two punt returns for touchdowns in a single season. The last one to do it was Vai Sikahema in 1986.

Down 24-6, the Ravens began the second half with an 80-yard drive in which Flacco went 5 for 5, including a 37-yarder to Boldin that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Rice to make it 24-13.

“I felt like the way we came out at halftime is what turned it around,” Baltimore linebacker Jameel McClain(notes).

Late in the third quarter, Boldin caught passes 21, 23, 27 and 9 yards during an 88-yard march that ended with another 1-yard TD run by Rice.

The momentum turned even further in Baltimore’s direction immediately after the ensuing kickoff. On first down, Kolb was hit by Terrell Suggs while throwing a pass that was intercepted by McClain and taken 8 yards to the Arizona 22. Three plays later, Rice ran in from the 3.

Two holding penalties against the Ravens extended the Cardinals’ drive that ended with a field goal that tied it at 27.

Mistakes by Baltimore also played a big part in Arizona’s big second quarter. But the Cardinals couldn’t hold on.

Asked to assess the mood at halftime, running back Beanie Wells said, “We just didn’t want to let up. We wanted to keep on fighting. We wanted to go out there and prove that we’re a good football team. We came up short, unfortunately.”

Notes: The Cardinals placed TE Todd Heap (hamstring) on the inactive list. Heap played 10 seasons in Baltimore before signing with Arizona as a free agent this year. … It was McClain’s first career INT. … The loss dropped Arizona into a last-place tie with St. Louis in the NFC West.

The Baltimore Ravens were embarrassed last week on Monday Night Football in a 12-7 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The loss dropped Baltimore to 4-2 and into a tie with Cincinnati for second place in the AFC North. Despite being widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top teams Baltimore is once again looking up at the Pittsburgh Steelers in the standings.

The Ravens will look to rebound from their dismal Monday night performance when the Arizona Cardinals travel to M&T Bank Stadium for a matchup on Sunday, October 30. The Cardinals look like the perfect patsies for Baltimore’s homecoming celebration. Arizona comes into Baltimore having lost five straight games.

The Cardinals dealt for quarterback Kevin Kolb, formerly of the Eagles, during training camp and immediately signed him to a five year contract extension for $65 million. Arizona clearly thought that Kolb was the solution to their 2010 quarterback woes that began after the retirement of Kurt Warner. To this point the jury is still out on Kolb’s long term prospects. He led Arizona to a season opening victory against Cam Newton’s Panthers but the team has since lost five in a row to fall four games behind San Francisco in the NFC West standings. Kolb has struggled during the losing streak throwing seven interceptions to just five touchdowns.

Baltimore’s top ranked defense is no doubt licking their chops with the turnover prone Kolb coming to town. Compounding matters the Cardinals are expected to play the game without injured leading rusher Beanie Wells. The Baltimore offense may look to the Cardinals defense as an oasis. After failing to convert a single first down in the first half of the Jacksonville game the Baltimore offense will look to strike early and often against the struggling Cardinals defense. Arizona should expect a heavy dose of Ray Rice on Sunday. Once Baltimore establishes Rice they can let Joe Flacco take some shots down the field off of play action. Baltimore should win the game handily and set themselves up well for next week’s trip to Pittsburgh. If the Ravens intend to wrestle the AFC North title from the Steelers they simply can’t afford anymore stumbles against inferior opponents. Cardinals beware.

* All stats and contract details provided by http://www.azcardinals.com/

Dan Soderberg is a freelance writer, lover of pancakes and lifelong baseball fanatic. You can read some of Dan’s other work at http://www.mudville9.blogspot.com/. Follow Dan on Twitter @dan_soderberg

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Baltimore Ravens found out their top-ranked defense can’t win games all
by itself in an unexpected loss their last time out.

Coming off their worst offensive performance in nearly four years, the
Ravens will look to bounce back when they host the reeling Arizona Cardinals on
Sunday.

Baltimore (4-2) dropped out of first place in the AFC North with a 12-7 loss
to lowly Jacksonville on Monday night, gaining a paltry 146 yards of total
offense – its fewest since mustering 104 in a 38-7 defeat to Pittsburgh on Nov.
5, 2007.

Joe Flacco(notes) threw for 137 yards, with 90 coming on the Ravens’ only touchdown
drive in the fourth quarter.

The Ravens had a franchise-low 16 yards at halftime and didn’t have a first
down until the third quarter.

“No excuses. It has to be a lot better. Not even close to the way we’re
capable of performing on offense,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Everybody realizes
that. We have to do a better job, starting with me. I got to do a better job of
making some decisions. We all have to do a better job of coaching, playing,
executing, all those different things.”

Terrell Suggs(notes), one of the Ravens’ defensive standouts, questioned Harbaugh
and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron for providing Ray Rice(notes) with only eight
carries, on which he gained 28 yards and fumbled once.

“You go first-down run and you get a yard, now you’ve got to find a way to
get nine yards on the next two,” Harbaugh said. “By the same token, eight
carries is never going to be a winning formula for Ray Rice, there’s no doubt
about it.”

Rice thinks things will change this week.

“I definitely expect to be more involved,” he said. “My involvement with
this offense hasn’t changed since the beginning of the season. I don’t want them
to feel like they’ve got to force me the ball. I’m not that kind of guy. My
carries come when the whole offense has success. I look forward to having that
success.”

Baltimore’s NFL-best defense did its part Monday, not allowing a touchdown
while giving up only 205 total yards. The Ravens are allowing league-best
averages of 272.7 yards and 13.8 points – neither of which may bode well for a
Cardinals team having offensive struggles of its own.

Arizona (1-5) has lost five straight after last week’s 32-20 defeat to
Pittsburgh, which included another lackluster performance from quarterback Kevin
Kolb(notes).

Since a 309-yard, two-touchdown performance in a Week 1 win over Carolina,
Kolb has thrown seven interceptions to only five touchdowns during the skid and
his 66.8 passer rating during that span ranks last in the league.

He was called for intentional grounding in the end zone which resulted in a
safety last week, and 73 of his 272 passing yards came on a dump-off play to
LaRod Stephens-Howling(notes) which resulted in a touchdown.

Kolb is aware his play must improve if he’s to succeed against Baltimore’s
stifling defense – and if he’s to hold onto his starting job.

“You just have to be mentally tough,” Kolb said. “That’s all you can do. You
have to know that you’re doing it right and get a little extra inch. What choice
do you have? There is no simple answer. All you can do is put your head down and
grind and know that you definitely don’t want to move back.”

Coach Ken Whisenhunt was quick to point out, though, that Kolb isn’t the
only one struggling. Arizona has rushed for less than 100 yards in five of its
six games, though running back Beanie Wells’(notes) knee injury isn’t as serious as
first thought.

Wells is unlikely to play Sunday, but after further evaluation he won’t be
lost for the season as Whisenhunt had feared.

Larry Fitzgerald(notes) has only two games of 100-plus yards this season and hasn’t
caught a touchdown pass in three games.

The Cardinals’ defense, which allowed 445 yards to Pittsburgh, ranks 26th
allowing 388.3 yards per game, and is 28th giving up an average of 25.5 points.

“We have to find somebody to make plays,” Whisenhunt said. “If we have to
make changes across the board for the different positions in order to do that,
that’s what we’re going to do. One-and-five, five straight losses is certainly
frustrating. It’s certainly not from lack of effort – we’re working our tails
off to try to win – but we’ve got to look at every position and if they’re not
getting it done, we have to make changes.”

The Cardinals have lost three straight to the Ravens since a 16-13 win Nov.
23, 1997, in Baltimore.

There’s no disputing that the next two games are huge for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens come to town, and everyone knows what that means: The Steelers get another crack at ending Tom Brady’s dominance over them and get an opportunity to avenge a season-opening beatdown from the Ravens.

But the motivation for these next two weeks at Heinz Field goes beyond redemption. It’s revelation time for Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu and the rest of the Steelers.

Eight weeks into the regular season, the Steel City gets to see if this year’s team has championship mettle. The Steelers can prove they’re a major player in the AFC by beating the Patriots. They can show who’s in control of the AFC North by taking down the Ravens.

Who are the Steelers at this point? They’ve beaten the teams they’re supposed to beat. Pittsburgh’s five victories have come against Seattle, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Jacksonville and Arizona — teams with a combined 8-24 record (.250).

This isn’t a knock against the Steelers, because the Ravens haven’t been able to do the same (see the Monday night game at Jacksonville). The point is the Steelers don’t have a marquee win yet. They don’t have a victory that exclaims they’re the team to beat. Shutting out the Seahawks and finishing off the Cardinals pads the win total but doesn’t send messages.

Pittsburgh has gone against two legitimate playoff contenders (Baltimore and Houston) and lost both times. In fact, the Steelers have looked below average in both games. (Let’s be clear, the adjectives “old” and “slow” were not used to describe those performances, but some people have.)

Statements can be made by the Steelers if they can knock off the AFC’s top-rated quarterback and the NFL’s top-ranked defense. Those are the types of victories that build confidence in the locker room as well as a playoff-caliber résumé.

In coach Mike Tomlin’s Tuesday news conference, a reporter brought up the importance of securing the inside track on a playoff seed midway through the season.

“It’s October,” Tomlin said. “We are just trying to win week to week and keep pace with the elite and put ourselves in position to be considered in that conversation. Those things will sort themselves out. I truly believe that. We like to stay focused on things that are in our control, and that’s our preparation and, ultimately, our play this week. When you start talking about playoff seedings and things of that nature, particularly at this point in the season, you are scoreboard watching. That’s not going to be our bag.”

Tomlin added: “We are going to see enough quality teams over the rest of this season to deal with a lot of those things firsthand, and that is really how we prefer to look at it.”

That’s not exactly true unless there’s a different definition of the term “quality teams.” After playing New England and Baltimore, Pittsburgh finishes the season with four games against Cleveland and Cincinnati as well as games against Kansas City, San Francisco and St. Louis.

The Steelers will likely be favored to win all of them. No one truly knows if the Bengals and Browns will be able to sustain solid starts. The 49ers are the best in a bad division. And the Chiefs and Rams have looked horrible at times this season.

That’s why the games against New England and Baltimore aren’t “must wins” in terms of the playoffs. Pittsburgh realistically could lose both and easily make the playoffs by running the table.

The problem is the Steelers might not see Heinz Field in the playoffs if they lose these games. Yes, it’s October. But games in the fall count just as much as those in the winter when it comes to tiebreakers.

Some suggest that the Steelers’ game against Baltimore is more important because of the implications in the division. Tomlin acknowledged his team is more emotionally vested in the Ravens rivalry than the one on Sunday, despite the fact that the Patriots stopped Pittsburgh from going to the Super Bowl in 2001 and 2004.

“Many of our guys were not a part of this history when it started, because you are talking about 2001 and 2004,” Tomlin said. “So, it’s not similar in that way. We play Baltimore twice a year, sometimes three times a year over the last three to five years. So it’s different from that standpoint. I am not going to assume anything. I am going to educate our guys about this matchup and this football team because it is different in that way.”

What the Steelers have proved so far is they don’t suffer letdowns (except for one half against the Jaguars) and they don’t make excuses.

Pittsburgh is sitting atop the AFC North even though it has put out different starting lineups for the offensive and defensive lines each week. The Steelers have watched a top pass-rusher (James Harrison) go down for an extended period and their most experienced wide receiver (Hines Ward) leave last Sunday’s game.

At this point, the Steelers have overcome challenges to beat the teams they’re supposed to beat. Now let’s see if they can beat the teams they need to beat.

“We are perfect by no stretch,” Tomlin said. “I think we are improving and finding ways to win along the way. The arrow is pointed up, and we need to continue moving in that direction.”