Hail Mary

1. Dallas: Will Barry Switzer keep hugging Troy Aikman after VTC wins?2. Green Bay: Can the Packers finally win in Big D?3. San Francisco: 49ers can't wait to shred the Ravens' defense.4. Denver: Broncos have a defense to go with John Elway.5. Buffalo: Bills won't go away.6. New England: Big test coming up against Denver.7. Pittsburgh: Steelers need to work on squib kicks.8. Philadelphia: Aiming for ninth straight vs. Redskins9. Kansas City: Greg Hill is giving running game a boost.10. Houston: Lame-duck team could make the playoffs.

Ray Lewis will play through an injury, but Denver Mayor Michael Hancock isn't about to dance through one. After losing a bet to Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake over the outcome of the Ravens-Broncos playoff game, Hancock was supposed to perform Lewis' signature pregame dance Tuesday. Instead, the mayor showed up with a limp. "He's injured," said Hancock's spokeswoman Amber Miller. "He was at a National Western Stock Show event last night, and he caught his boot. He seriously strained his quad.

Remember how everyone threw on all their purple and hauled their spirited selves down to the Harbor Monday to see the Ravens off? Well, the "Today Show" folks are hoping at least some of them will be back there Friday as they film live to show off Baltimore's Super Bowl pride. Natalie Morales will be representing the 'Today' crew at the Inner Harbor amphitheater from 7 to 10 a.m. while Al Roker does the same thing from San Francisco. They'll want to see screaming, passionate fans of purple.

PITTSBURGH -- Good, now Indianapolis can suffer.All Aaron Bailey had to do was grab the Hail Mary pass, and the Colts were going to the Super Bowl.Bailey was in the end zone.The ball was on his belly.But he couldn't bring it in, just as Baltimore can't bring back the Colts.What goes around comes around.Justice prevailed yesterday, with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Colts, 20-16, in the AFC championship game.The Colts could have won. The Colts should have won. But for once, good triumphed over evil in a league that rarely distinguishes between the two.Good, as represented by the Steelers, their fiercely loyal fans and their hometown coach, Bill Cowher, who was crying as he left the field.

Sex. Violence. Language. Religion.Hot-button topics all, guaranteed to start debate in the halls of Congress, arguments at cocktail parties and controversy when brought to movie screens.Forty-seven years ago, the intense sexuality of "A Streetcar Named Desire" ruffled America's feathers. Twenty-nine years ago, the numbing violence of Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" had audiences wondering how far Hollywood should be allowed to go. Fourteen years ago, Jean-Luc Godard's "Hail Mary" had people crying blasphemy and dousing moviegoers with holy water.

Sometimes, it takes more than big plays, timely defense or brilliant strategy to win on any given Sunday. Sometimes, it takes a fair share of luck in conjunction with some portion of the above. What happened in Chicago and Pittsburgh in Week 8 best illustrates the point. The Ravens absolutely stole a 13-10 victory in Pittsburgh on Sunday when they turned another kicker to mush. Kris Brown missed four field-goal tries, the Steelers had a critical defensive penalty when Aaron Smith inadvertently grabbed quarterback Randall Cunningham's face mask, and Ravens wide-out Brandon Stokley got a fortuitous bounce on an end-around fumble in a scoring drive.

WASHINGTON - State and federal officials and environmentalists pressed Congress yesterday to grant approval of the first major projects in a $8.4 billion re-plumbing of the Florida Everglades, saying the land needed to be acquired before prices skyrocket under pressures of development. Congress authorized a blueprint for the entire restoration plan four years ago, but approval is still needed for specific projects contained in the plan. A coalition of leaders from the state, the National Audubon Society and the Army Corps of Engineers made their case to the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Development in the waning days of the session.

Even as the bouquets of praise are piling up for Floyd Landis, in recognition of his improbable, theatrical Tour de France victory that concluded Sunday, the real flowers offering sympathy and get-well wishes aren't far away. Landis said yesterday that he hopes to have hip replacement surgery "in the next month" and admitted he is optimistic but uncertain about his cycling career after the operation. During an afternoon conference call from Paris, Landis - suddenly a sports celebrity at age 30 - acknowledged he is "a little bit" nervous about the procedure to fix his right hip bone, which has been withering from a lack of blood flow since a 2003 crash.

SORRY 'SKINS When you can't protect a 14-3 lead against a rookie quarterback in your house, you are in trouble. The Redskins couldn't stop Tennessee's Travis Henry (178 rushing yards) and couldn't force any turnovers from quarterback Vince Young. That they lost, 25-22, is the tip of a huge iceberg. EAGLES LETDOWN The Eagles were due for an emotional letdown after beating the division rival Cowboys last week, but their defense never sacked Saints quarterback Drew Brees in a 27-24 loss.