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Steelers look to clinch AFC North

Dec 9, 2008 - 7:09 PM PITTSBURGH (10-3) AT BALTIMORE (9-4), 4:15 pm EST

BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- After making life miserable for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers' top-ranked defense now turns its attention to Baltimore Ravens rookie signal-caller Joe Flacco.

The Steelers look to clinch their third division title in four years Sunday when they visit the Ravens in a key AFC North contest.

Pittsburgh's offensive line continues to have trouble protecting Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked five times in last week's 20-13 win over the Cowboys.

For the season, "Big Ben" has been dropped 38 times - the second-highest total in the league behind New England's Matt Cassel (42).

However, the Steelers (10-3) keep winning behind an opportunistic defense that has forced five turnovers in each of the last two games.

Two weeks ago, Pittsburgh created all five turnovers in the second half of a 33-10 victory in New England, when the Steelers outscored the Patriots, 23-0.

Last week, Pittsburgh rallied from a 13-3 deficit by scoring 17 points in the final 7 1/2 minutes, including two touchdowns in a 24-second span.

After the Steelers tied it on Roethlisberger's 6-yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller with 2:04 remaining, cornerback Deshea Townsend returned Romo's third interception of the game 25 yards for a score on the next play.

"What a beautiful game, and I mean that," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "People get too preoccupied with style points. That was a beautiful football game because we displayed mettle and hung together."

Pittsburgh posted its fourth straight win and remained one game ahead of the Ravens (9-4), who kept pace in the division with a 24-10 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Baltimore's defense also keyed the win over the Redskins as safety Ed Reed set up a touchdown with an interception and scored on a 22-yard fumble return.

The Ravens held Clinton Portis, who entered the game as the NFL's second-leading rusher, to only 32 yards on 11 carries, the 32nd consecutive game Baltimore has not allowed a 100-yard rusher.

Since a 30-10 loss to the New York Giants in Week 11, Baltimore has outscored its opponents, 94-20, during a three-game winning streak and remains tied with Indianapolis (9-4) for the AFC's two wild card spots.

"We want to be (division) champions," Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. "That's something every team in the division definitely plays for, so we're not backing down from the fact that that's our goal. The Steelers stand between us and the division championship, and they're next up on the schedule."

However, Flacco faces what could be his toughest test to date against a Pittsburgh defense that is surrendering only 241.9 yards per game.

In the earlier meeting, Flacco came close to winning in Pittsburgh in just his third career start, but the Steelers rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter before beating the Ravens, 23-20, in overtime.

A win Sunday would give Pittsburgh a two-game lead over Baltimore with two to play, and the Steelers would win the tiebreaker based on a season sweep.