It Started With a Loss to Ravens

The Times’ ratings scale for this week’s games:

**** -- Don’t miss a down.

*** -- Could be good.

** -- Who let the dogs out?

* -- Stupor Bowl.

Three months ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were finished.

Not only were they reeling after a 30-13 loss to Baltimore that dropped them to 1-1, but they were without starting quarterback Tommy Maddox, who was sidelined by an elbow injury. It looked as if they were on their way to an encore of their 6-10 season a year earlier, if not worse.

Twelve consecutive victories later, a rising star in rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and the Steelers’ world looks very different.

“Seems like it’s been a long, long, long time ago,” said Steeler Coach Bill Cowher, whose team will meet the Ravens again Sunday.

Likewise, it has been a long couple of months for the Ravens, who will play their fifth consecutive road game against a playoff-bound opponent -- the Eagles, Jets, Patriots, Colts and Steelers -- teams with a combined record of 59-11.

The Ravens have lost three of four and can’t afford to lose again if they hope to make the playoffs. Sunday, they’ll be reintroduced to Roethlisberger, who threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes against them after replacing Maddox.

At least one Raven believes Baltimore can conjure the past.

“We’re Pittsburgh kryptonite,” linebacker Terrell Suggs told reporters this week. “They only lost to one team this year, and that team is us.”

**** Green Bay (8-6) at Minnesota (8-6), noon today -- How’s this for simplicity: The winner takes the NFC North. Brett Favre is 3-9 at the Metrodome. Randy Moss has more career receiving yards (1,213) and touchdowns (11) against the Packers than against any other team.

** Oakland (5-9) at Kansas City (6-8), 2 p.m. Saturday -- Both teams are coming off lopsided -- if probably meaningless -- victories. The Chiefs, behind the impressive running of Larry Johnson, have won three in a row. The Raiders, who have won three of their last five at Arrowhead Stadium, are coming off a five-touchdown performance by Kerry Collins.

** Denver (8-6) at Tennessee (4-10), 5:30 p.m. Saturday -- These are the teams that were thumped last week by the Chiefs and Raiders, respectively. The Broncos still have playoff hopes, although they’ve lost three of four. In seven games, Tennessee’s Billy Volek has thrown for 19 touchdowns and had at least a 90.0 passer rating five times.

** New York Giants (5-9) at Cincinnati (6-8), 10 a.m. Sunday -- This game could pit the NFL’s most recent No. 1 picks, Carson Palmer and Eli Manning. Palmer, who started the first 13 games before suffering a sprained left knee Dec. 12 at New England, is walking without crutches. Manning is coming off his first two-touchdown performance.

** Chicago (5-9) at Detroit (5-9), 10 a.m. Sunday -- It appears as if Lovie Smith plans to stick with Chad Hutchinson at quarterback, rather than send in Jeff George to take over the NFL’s worst offense. The Lions hope to pick up the pieces after a heartbreaking last-second loss to Minnesota.

**** San Diego (11-3) at Indianapolis (11-3), 10 a.m. Sunday -- Peyton Manning is one touchdown pass from tying Dan Marino’s 20-year-old season record. The Chargers, the league’s most surprising team, have won eight in a row and last Sunday clinched their first AFC West title since 1994. Remarkable.

*** Houston (6-8) at Jacksonville (8-6), 10 a.m. Sunday -- The Jaguars are in a four-way tie with Buffalo, Baltimore and Denver for the AFC’s last playoff spot. Jacksonville is the only one of the four that finishes against two teams with losing records. That said, Houston can play better than expected at times.

** Atlanta (11-3) at New Orleans (6-8), 10 a.m. Sunday -- It could be time for the Falcons to rest some of their players. They can’t catch Philadelphia for home-field advantage, after all, and they’ve locked up the No. 2 seeding in the conference. Regardless, Coach Jim Mora insists his team is “playing to win.” We’ll see.

** Carolina (6-8) at Tampa Bay (5-9), 1:15 p.m. Sunday -- Carolina’s offensive line has been breaking down lately. In their first 10 games, the Panthers gave up only 12 sacks. But in the last four games, they’ve surrendered 14 more. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is the only franchise to record consecutive losing seasons on the heels of a Super Bowl victory.

**** New England (12-2) at New York Jets (10-4), 1 p.m. Sunday -- The Patriots are looking to regain their balance after a stunning loss Monday at Miami. They lost that game despite leading at halftime, something they hadn’t done since October 2001. The Jets are a victory away from clinching a playoff berth.

* Buffalo (8-6) at San Francisco (2-12), 1 p.m. Sunday -- The 49ers are looking to avoid losing seven home games for the first time in franchise history. Good luck. The Bills have forced 16 turnovers in the last three games, four of which they returned for touchdowns.

** Washington (5-9) at Dallas (5-9), 1:15 p.m. Sunday -- The Redskins haven’t won in Dallas since 1995, and the Cowboys have won 13 of the last 14 meetings. Washington’s defense has been the team’s bright spot. The Redskins have given up an average of only 53.3 rushing yards in the last three games.

** Arizona (5-9) at Seattle (7-7), 1:15 p.m. Sunday -- Disappointing as their season has been, the Seahawks can win the NFC West by winning the next two games. By doing that, they’d also get a first-round home playoff game. Arizona, which defeated Seattle earlier this season, has lost 19 of its last 20 road games.

* Cleveland (3-11) at Miami (3-11), 5:30 p.m. Sunday -- This is the battle for the AFC cellar -- and the showdown of two interim coaches, Miami’s Jim Bates and Cleveland’s Terry Robiskie. Miami has never finished last in the conference; the Browns did it in 1999. Cleveland has lost eight consecutive games and has yet to win on the road, going 0-6.

*** Philadelphia (13-1) at St. Louis (6-8), 6 p.m. Monday -- Can the Eagles cope with the loss of Terrell Owens? Fortunately for them, they’re playing in the NFC and still look to be the class of the conference. In the last two games, the Rams have scored one offensive touchdown with a total of 14 points. According to STATS Inc., the last time the Rams were limited to fewer than 10 points in consecutive weeks was December 1983.