Steelers

No. Name Pos. 2 Dennis Dixon QB 3 Jeff Reed PK 7 Ben Roethlisberger QB 9 Daniel Sepulveda P 10 Santonio Holmes WR 11 Stefan Logan KR 16 Charlie Batch QB 17 Mike Wallace WR 19 Tyler Grisham WR ...

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said on his Twitter page today that the league is expected to release its regular-season schedule Thursday night at 8 p.m. The unveiling is expected to be made on NFL Network. It was initially expected that the schedule would be released today, but it's been delayed for two days. The Ravens will open on the road after they couldn't work out a scheduling compromise with the Orioles on the night of Sept. 5. The Denver Broncos are believed to be their most likely opponent that night, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears are also possibilities.

PASSING Att. Com. Pct. Yds. TD Int. Lg. Rat. Roethlisberger 446 302 67.7 3849 22 11 60t 100.6 D. Dixon 26 12 46.2 145 1 1 33t 60.6 Batch 2 1 50.0 17 0 0 17 79.2 Me. Moore 1 1 100.0 6 1 0 6t ...

I never thought I'd hear a Baltimorean say such a thing. Last week, while reporting on the Rawlings-Blake administration's 10-year financial plan, I spoke with the mayor's press secretary, Ian Brennan. We covered a lot of ground in our hourlong phone conversation, but one comment in particular rewound itself repeatedly in my mind like a game-deciding, goal-line drive. One day, said Mr. Brennan, "We would love to be spoken of like … Pittsburgh as a city not suffering post-industrial urban decay any longer.

Ravens run offense vs. Steelers run defense: Ray Rice's three lowest rushing totals from last season came against the Steelers. In three meetings, he rushed for 20, 32 and 32 yards. But the Ravens are confident in revitalizing the NFL's 14th-ranked rushing attack with the free-agent signing of All-Pro fullback Vonta Leach. The Steelers have allowed only one 100-yard rusher in their last 50 games (which dates back to 2007), but that one player was Rice. Pittsburgh led the league in fewest rushing yards per game (62.8)

Kevin Cowherd Steelers 23, Ravens 20 Only because it's at Heinz Field. And I'm not convinced Ben Roethlisberger's butt belongs to Terrell Suggs there. Edward Lee Steelers 14, Ravens 9 The offense malaise that the Ravens have uncomfortably ventured into won't be cured by tangling with the Steelers' defense. Mike Preston Steelers 17, Raven 14 The Steelers are hot and on a semi-roll. The Ravens are still in search of an offensive identity.

Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs hasn't recorded a sack in his past two games after bringing down Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in his Oct. 21 return from a torn Achilles tendon. But the Steelers are marveling at his mere presence on the field. “It's amazing how quickly he has been able to come back and be just as productive as he was,” Steelers tight end Heath Miller said. “You would have to ask him if he is 100 percent or not, but the production is still there and we're preparing for him like we always do.” Steelers guard Willie Colon suffered a similar injury in June 2010 and spent that season on injured reserve.

Steelers 13, Ravens 10 Fourth quarter: 2:51 Pittsburgh Touchdown - 9-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Isaac Redman. (Shaun Suisham extra point is good). Ravens 10, Steelers 6 Fourth quarter: 12:46 Pittsburgh Field Goal - 19-yarder by Shaun Suisham. Ravens 10, Steelers 3 Third quarter: 7:14 Baltimore Field Goal - 24-yarder by Billy Cundiff. Ravens 7, Steelers 3 Third quarter: 10:54 Pittsburgh Field Goal - 45-yarder by Shaun Suisham.

Ravens 23, Steelers 20 Fourth quarter: 0:08 Baltimore Touchdown - Joe Flacco pass to Torrey Smith for 26 yards. (Billy Cundiff extra point is good). Steelers 20, Ravens 16 Fourth quarter: 4:59 Pittsburgh Touchdown - Ben Roethlisberger pass to Mike Wallace for 25 yards. (Shaun Suisham extra point is good). Ravens 16, Steelers 13 Fourth quarter: 14:32 Pittsburgh Touchdown - 1-yard run by Rashard Mendenhall. (Shaun Suisham extra point is good)

The Pittsburgh Steelers won a major game Sunday against the New England Patriots, and it will be interesting to see if they can regain both the mental and physical edge to defeat the Ravens on Sunday night. Pittsburgh was impressive in its 25-17 win against New England, and the Steelers controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes with a short passing attack. Mentally, the Steelers will have an edge because they'll remember how they got blown out 35-7 to the Ravens in the season opener in Baltimore, a game in which they committed seven turnovers.

It wasn't easy for Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to watch the Ravens win the Super Bowl two weeks ago. He told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Tuesday that “it hurts to see the Ravens win anything.” And that is especially true because he feels the Steelers could have been the ones playing in the Super Bowl. “Do I feel we could have done the same thing they did? I do. I do,” LeBeau said. “It didn't break that way.” The longtime defensive coordinator and zone blitz guru pointed to injuries while bemoaning a lost 2012 season in Pittsburgh.

As a lifelong fan of football, history and the Pittsburgh Steelers, I was compelled to root against the New England Patriots Monday because their owner and coach once received just a slap on the wrist for their lack of integrity. I remember the AFC Championship in 2005, when it seemed as if their coach seemed to know in advance every defensive play the Steelers called - and how his cheating was later proved. It reminded me of how, once upon a time, true sports commissioners such Bart Giamatti and Judge Landis took proper steps to protect the integrity of their games, and I found myself hoping the Ravens would do what Commissioner Roger Goodell had not - that is punish the cheaters.

No one would confuse Andrew Luck with the Washington Redskins' Robert Griffin III, the Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton or the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson - three quarterbacks who finished the regular season at the top of the NFL at their position in rushing. But that doesn't mean that the Indianapolis Colts rookie can't take off when he wants to or has to. Luck ranks second in the AFC and eighth in the league in rushing, compiling 255 yards. His five rushing touchdowns put him in a third-place tie with the San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick behind Newton (eight)

Ed Reed had plenty of Christmas spirit this year, judging by a video of him singing “Silent Night” that was posted this month. The clip was reportedly made Dec. 2, during a karaoke party just hours after the Ravens were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-20. The video shows the Ravens safety and likely NFL Hall-of-Famer dressed in a three-piece suit and showing off a sometimes-shaky falsetto. Among the pack of fellow singers is tackle Bryant McKinnie, providing backup, moral support and a giant, striped cardigan.  Clearly, both the Ravens players and everyone else in the bar, identified as Supano's Steakhouse downtown (“Supano's knows how to throw a party,” one poster comments unnecessarily)

Head coach John Harbaugh and several players quickly offered the reminder after today's embarrassing 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos that the Ravens still have everything that they wanted to accomplish this season right in front of them. Then, several hours later, the Ravens finally put one goal behind them, courtesy of their biggest rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Steelers' 27-24 overtime loss to Dallas, the Ravens clinched a playoff berth despite being in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

For the fifth straight season, the Ravens are headed to the playoffs. Despite their 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos, the Ravens clinched a playoff berth Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 27-24, in overtime. The Broncos (AFC West), Houston Texans (AFC South), New England Patriots (AFC East), Atlanta Falcons (NFC South) and Green Bay Packers (NFC North) have also clinched playoff berths.

At the beginning of the season, NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes predicted that the Ravens and San Francisco 49ers would meet in Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans in February. While his selection of the 49ers - currently 9-3-1 and the No. 2 seed in the NFC - looks strong, the 9-4 Ravens have dropped two winnable games, fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, and may be forced to play the 10-3 Denver Broncos this Sunday without their two top three inside linebackers and the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in outside linebacker Terrell Suggs.