- Final0CAR
ATL10
310
3 - Final1TEN
BUF30
2930
29 - Final2TB
CLE22
722
7 - Final3CHI
DET26
2126
21 - Final OTOT4WSH
STL31
3731
37 - Final5NO
NYG30
730
7 - Final6BAL
PIT31
731
7 - Final7NE
JAC24
2124
21 - Final8IND
HOU24
2724
27 - Final9ARI
SF26
2026
20 - Final10CIN
DEN23
2423
24 - Final11SD
SEA20
1720
17 - Final12MIN
GB7
97
9 - Final13KC
OAK20
920
9 - Final14PHI
DAL23
723
7 - Final15NYJ
MIA13
1013
10
Final
Coverage: CBS
1:00 PM ET, December 24, 2006
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
Top Performers
Passing: S. McNair (BAL) - 256 YDS, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: J. Lewis (BAL) - 24 CAR, 77 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving: M. Clayton (BAL) - 7 REC, 108 YDS, 1 TD
Baltimore (11-3) at Pittsburgh (7-7) Sunday 1:00 pm EST
PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Ben Roethlisberger has a score to settle with the Baltimore Ravens.
The youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl 10 months ago, Roethlisberger was sacked nine times and committed three turnovers in the Pittsburgh Steelers' 27-0 loss at Baltimore on November 26.
The AFC North rivals meet again on Sunday. The Ravens have already clinched their second division title in four years while the Steelers are barely alive in the playoff race.
Baltimore is tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the second seed, which assures a first-round bye. However, the Colts have the edge in the tiebreaker.
The Steelers have won three straight since their loss at Baltimore to even their record. However, they trail four 8-6 teams - Cincinnati, Denver, Jacksonville and the New York Jets - in the wild-card race.
Last season, Pittsburgh won its last four regular-season games to earn the last wild-card spot before winning four playoff contests.
But now it appears the Steelers will become the first Super Bowl champion to fail to make the playoffs the following season since the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Baltimore hopes to ride its defense to the Super Bowl this season. The Ravens are allowing a league-low 13.4 points per game and have set a franchise record with 52 sacks.
Last week, Baltimore recorded six sacks, two by defensive end Trevor Pryce, and two interceptions in a 27-17 win over Cleveland.
Ends Pryce and Terrell Suggs each had two sacks and linebacker Bart Scott added 1 1/2 in the rout of the Steelers.
"They (the Ravens) just get after it," Roethlisberger said. "They throw so many different things at you, it's tough to pick up. Not just for me, but for the linemen and everyone else."
The most damaging sack was by Corey Ivy, who came in on a safety blitz and stripped the ball from Roethlisberger. Linebacker Adalius Thomas recovered the fumble and raced 57 yards for a touchdown.
The Ravens also limited Willie Parker to 22 yards on 10 carries. Parker rushed for 132 yards on 23 carries in the Steelers' 37-3 win at Carolina last week, increasing his season total to 1,331 yards.
Steve McNair suffered a deep cut in his right hand in last week's win over Cleveland, but is expected to start against the Steelers.
Kyle Boller replaced McNair in the first quarter and threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 77-yard bomb to rookie Demetrius Williams in the third quarter.
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To get his life in order, Rolando McClain is right to retire from the NFL at the age of 23, writes Jeffri Chadiha.
McClain explains his decision to retire at 23
Linebacker Rolando McClain has told the Baltimore Ravens that he's retiring from the NFL.
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SPONSORED HEADLINES
Scouting Report
Ravens susceptible to big plays
The first game between these teams was a 27-0 blowout in the Ravens' favor. The Ravens clinched a playoff berth last week with their home victory over the Browns. The Steelers abused the Panthers in Carolina last week and dominated the game in every facet. The Steelers' playoff hopes are a huge longshot, but they're playing extremely well right now and are 5-1 in their last six games, with that lone loss coming in Baltimore.
This is a divisional rivalry and both teams will certainly come to play hard. Over the past three games, the Steelers have allowed a total of 13 points, while the Ravens have allowed only 50 over their past five. There could be a lot of punts in this game.
Recent Blog Posts
Matchup
BAL | PIT | |
|---|---|---|
| W-L | 12-3 | 7-8 |
| Avg Points | 22.3 | 22.0 |
| Avg Points Allowed | 12.9 | 19.9 |
| Home Record | 6-1 | 5-3 |
| Road Record | 6-2 | 2-5 |
| Division Record | 5-1 | 2-3 |
| Conference Record | 9-2 | 4-7 |
| Complete Standings | ||
Passing Leaders
| Baltimore | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Flacco | 59.7 | 3817 | 22 | 10 |
| T. Taylor | 58.6 | 179 | 0 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
| B. Roethlisberger | 63.3 | 3265 | 26 | 8 |
| C. Batch | 64.3 | 475 | 1 | 4 |
Rushing Leaders
Receiving Leaders
| Baltimore | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Boldin | 65 | 921 | 14.2 | 4 | |
| T. Smith | 49 | 855 | 17.4 | 8 | |
| Pittsburgh | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| M. Wallace | 64 | 836 | 13.1 | 8 | |
| H. Miller | 71 | 816 | 11.5 | 8 | |
Team Averages & NFL Ranks
| TEAM OFFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | BAL | |
| PIT | ||
| Yards Passing | BAL | |
| PIT | ||
| Yards Rushing | BAL | |
| PIT | ||
| TEAM DEFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
| Yards Allowed | BAL | |
| PIT | ||
| Pass Yds Allowed | BAL | |
| PIT | ||
| Rush Yds Allowed | BAL | |
| PIT |
Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)
| Pittsburgh leads 7-6 | |
|---|---|
| Nov 26, 2006 | BAL 27, PIT 0 |
| Nov 20, 2005 | BAL 16, PIT 13 |
| Oct 31, 2005 | BAL 19, @PIT 20 |
| Dec 26, 2004 | BAL 7, @PIT 20 |
| Sep 19, 2004 | BAL 30, PIT 13 |
| Dec 28, 2003 | BAL 13, PIT 10 |
| Sep 7, 2003 | BAL 15, @PIT 34 |
| Dec 29, 2002 | BAL 31, @PIT 34 |
| Oct 27, 2002 | BAL 18, PIT 31 |
| Jan 20, 2002 | BAL 10, @PIT 27 |
| Dec 16, 2001 | BAL 21, PIT 26 |
| Nov 4, 2001 | BAL 13, @PIT 10 |


