Kelly Gregg

On Sunday morning, Bryan Cronin will go to church and pray for a Ravens victory. Then he'll don his trusty Kelly Gregg jersey and board a bus to the stadium, four hours before game time. That the Baltimore contractor will be performing his game day rituals in Kansas City hardly matters to him. He will go anywhere for a Ravens game — except Pittsburgh, which might as well be a circle of hell as far as he's concerned. "I like to travel, I like to see different cities and I'm a Ravens nut," said Cronin, who hasn't missed a non- Steelers game in eight years.

Four weeks into the NFL season, the AFC postseason was already shaping up. It hasn't changed much since then with Pittsburgh, Baltimore, the New York Jets, Indianapolis and New England still being the teams to beat. Kansas City was the surprise team this season, replacing San Diego as the best in the AFC West. But the Chiefs status among the conference's elite will come to an end Sunday because they won't beat the Ravens. We've all heard the expression about what can happen on any given Sunday, but there will be no upset this Sunday when the Ravens travel to Arrowhead Stadium.

Ravens OLBs Jarret Johnson and Terrell Suggs vs. Steelers OTs Jonathan Scott and Flozell Adams: Strongside linebacker Jarret Johnson has played extremely well the past two games because his shoulder and back problems are fading. The Steelers will double up on outside linebacker Terrell Suggs on their left side against Jonathan Scott, but Suggs will still play well. Johnson has to have a big game on the right side against Flozell Adams. He might be the Ravens' most important pass rusher Sunday.

LeGarrette Blount brings the subtlety of a jackhammer to M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. The super-sized Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie is the latest threat to a Ravens defense that has been vulnerable to big backs the past two seasons. An undrafted free agent whose biggest hit at Oregon was delivered after a game, Blount is one of the Bucs' promising young players on offense. Since getting his first significant playing time in Week 7, the 6-foot, 247-pound running back has given Tampa Bay a powerful new dimension and better than 4 yards a carry.

A familiar face at quarterback will greet the Ravens when they take on the Carolina Panthers Sunday. Brian St. Pierre , who spent the 2005 season with the Ravens , will make his first career start. Panthers coach John Fox chose St. Pierre, 30, over rookie Tony Pike Thursday, according to media outlets that cover the team. St. Pierre fills in for rookie Jimmy Clausen , who suffered a concussion in the team's 31-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday.

Quarterback: B Joe Flacco managed the game well, and he went to his check-down receivers because the Dolphins didn't cover them. Some of the best plays Flacco made were the sacks he took because he didn't turn the ball over. Flacco has had about four games where cornerbacks drop interceptions that should be returned for touchdowns. He needs to stop rolling the dice. Running backs: A Ray Rice had 180 yards of offense, and he did a nice job of running to soft spots underneath Miami's coverage.

After the Ravens overtime victory against the winless Buffalo Bills Sunday, most of the experts removed the Ravens from the "elite" teams list. They should actually take it further. There are no elite teams in the NFL. Some will call it parity, but let's just call it a league of mediocrity with about 10 average teams, and then the rest. Last year, we were talking about the New Orleans Saints, the Indianapolis Colts, and how Brett Favre had breathed life into the Minnesota Vikings.

Denver defensive lineman Justin Bannan has searched for a reason to get angry for Sunday's meeting between the Broncos and the Ravens, and his search has yielded nothing. "I wish I could say, 'They treated me like crap, and I hate everybody, and I can't wait to come back and get my revenge.' But it's really not like that," the former Raven said. "I've got nothing but good things to say about the city of Baltimore and the fans and the organization. It's hard to say anything bad when they treated you so well.

Quarterback: B+ Joe Flacco had his bad moments, but they were few compared to his overall game. In crunch time against one of the best defenses in the league. He had poise and composure. A win like this in Pittsburgh should do a lot for his confidence. Offensive line: A Tackles Michael Oher and Marshal Yanda played well one-on-one against two of the best pass-rushing outside linebackers in the league. The Ravens did a good job of recognizing fronts and helping out when needed.

Ravens run offense vs. Steelers run defense: Ray Rice is the only player to gain more than 100 rushing yards against Pittsburgh in 38 games. But Rice, who is listed as questionable, won't be at full strength because of a bruised right knee. Even before the injury, he hadn't hit his stride this season, ranking 13th in the NFL in rushing (70 yards per game). The Steelers have the third-best defense against the run this season. They've held Atlanta's Michael Turner to 42 yards and Tennessee's Chris Johnson to 34 yards.