Baltimore Ravens

"This is a confidence booster. Not only against a great team with a great legacy, but a division opponent," said Ravens running back Ray Rice, who rallied Baltimore in overtime. "It sets us up for a five-game season right now."

DE Paul Kruger intercepted a Dennis Dixon pass to set up a 29-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff with 6:42 left in overtime, and the Baltimore Ravens outlasted the Steelers 20-17 on Sunday night. Playing in place of injured linebacker Terrell Suggs, Kruger picked off the pass and returned it 26 yards to the Pittsburgh 28, and six plays later Cundiff delivered the game-winner in Baltimore's first overtime win since November 2005 (against the Steelers).

Joe Flacco completed 23 of 35 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown to keep Baltimore in the thick of the playoff hunt. "You have to be ready to play 60 minutes. Today we played more than that," Flacco said. "It feels good. It's what we needed. Against these guys, it's even bigger." The contest was a rematch of last season's AFC title game, when the Steelers completed a three-game sweep of the Ravens with a 24-13 victory.

Trailing 17-14 and facing a fourth-and-5 from his own 46, Flacco completed a 44-yard pass and run by Ray Rice to set up a 24-yard field goal by Cundiff with 1:51 to go. Cundiff came up short on a 56-yard try on the final play of regulation. The Ravens went up 14-7 with an 89-yard drive late in the second quarter. Flacco completed passes of 11 and 54 yards to Mark Clayton before connecting with Derrick Mason for a 10-yard score. Baltimore nearly picked off Dixon's first pass and forced a punt on Pittsburgh's first possession. Willis McGahee then capped a 73-yard drive with a 2-yard run, the Ravens' first touchdown on offense before halftime since Oct. 4. Baltimore has won six of seven over Pittsburgh in Baltimore.

Cincinnati Bengals

"I'm just glad they trust me to go in there, especially with the division and the playoffs on the line," said Bengals running back Larry Johnson, who was released by Kansas City after a suspension. "I just came here for a second chance."

Larry Johnson piled up 107 yards on Sunday, leading the way as the Bengals ran the table in the AFC North by running over the Cleveland Browns 16-7. Less than two weeks after the Cincinnati Bengals signed him as an inexpensive insurance policy, Larry Johnson showed he can still be the leading man. Although he barely knows the playbook, Johnson ran it to triple-digit perfection. "By far, this isn't what I was expecting," said Johnson, who carried 22 times and averaged 4.9 yards per try. "I wasn't expecting to come in and play as much as I did today."

The Bengals were determined to run against the Browns, who don't score much and have given up a lot of yards on the ground. Cedric Benson missed his second straight game with a sprained hip, and rookie backup Bernard Scott was slowed by a minor knee injury for part of the game. The Bengals rushed for 210 yards overall, their second time topping the 200-yard mark this season. Carson Palmer was relegated to handing off most of the time -- Cincinnati threw it only 24 times and ran it 45. Palmer was 13 of 24 for 110 yards and a touchdown.

The Bengals now have the longest stretch of domination in the series' history, winning nine of the past 11 games. ... Bengals top pick OL Andre Smith was active for the first time in his rookie season and got into the game on some running plays. ... Palmer didn't miss a play after a horse-collar tackle by Shaun Rogers at the end of the first half, returning for the opening drive of the second half.

Cleveland Browns

"I caught one my senior year in high school in our homecoming game," Browns Quarterback Brady Quinn said on his TD reception from Josh Cribbs. "That definitely allowed us to stay in the game. At that point, we felt extremely confident."

The Browns reached double-digit losses for the eighth time in their 11 years as an expansion team, done in by an offense that's historically bad. Cleveland's Brady Quinn caught a pass from Joshua Cribbs and ran for a touchdown during his first start in the rivalry, but repeatedly was off-target while passing for only 100 yards. Cribbs' throw was one of the Browns' best of the day. Quinn grew up as a Browns fan in central Ohio, watching the let-it-fly match-ups between Cleveland's Bernie Kosar and Cincinnati's Boomer Esiason. His first start in the rivalry came on a “hand-it-off” day.

The teams combined for 63 yards passing in the first half, which ended with another unexplainable Browns blunder. Carson Palmer was running toward the sideline with the clock running out when Shaun Rogers caught him from behind and made a horse-collar tackle, slamming the quarterback hard on his back. A dazed Palmer rolled over and lay face-down for several seconds, then got up and walked off slowly without assistance. The penalty gave the Bengals an extra play with no time left, and Shayne Graham matched his career high with a 53-yard field goal that made it 13-0. It was the second week in a row that a Browns penalty resulted in an extra play and points. Safety Hank Poteat's interference in the end zone in Detroit set up an extra play last week, allowing Matthew Stafford to throw a touchdown pass for the Lions' 38-37 victory. Rogers injured his left ankle late in the game and was taken off the field on a cart. Mangini said he would have tests to determine the severity.

Cleveland's points came off a little trickery, with Quinn morphing into a receiver/runner on the Browns' opening drive of the second half. Cribbs cut in front of the quarterback to take a snap, then threw back to his left for an 18-yard completion to Quinn, who was covered by a linebacker and held on as he was tackled. Quinn completed the drive with a 9-yard draw play that cut the lead to 13-7, diving in headfirst for his first career rushing touchdown. The passing game? Not so good. In his third start since regaining the job, Quinn went 15 of 34 for 100 yards. Cleveland managed only 169 yards overall, the fewest allowed by the Bengals in 26 years.

Pittsburgh Steelers

"We will not go gently," Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said. "We won't go in a shell. We're going to go into attack mode, because that's what's required."

Dennis Dixon started at QB for the Steelers because Ben Roethlisberger was sidelined with a concussion and backup Charlie Batch had a broken left wrist. Dixon had thrown only one pass in two seasons before getting the nod against the Ravens. For much of the game, Dixon did his best impersonation of Roethlisberger. He threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes, and even added a personal touch, running for a 24-yard touchdown to put Pittsburgh up 17-14 in the fourth quarter. "I like his demeanor throughout it all. He made some plays," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "I thought he represented himself relatively well." But in overtime, Dixon's lone turnover propelled the Ravens to a much-needed win.

The Steelers have lost three straight, their longest skid since a three-game run in 2006. Pittsburgh's past two defeats have come in overtime. Dixon went 12 for 26 for 145 yards, and Rashard Mendenhall gained 95 yards on 24 carries.

With Roethlisberger in full uniform looking on from the sideline as the third quarterback, Dixon ran around the right end for a touchdown on a third-and-5 from the Baltimore 24 to give the Steelers their first lead, 17-14, with 6:24 left. Pittsburgh closed to 14-10 in the third quarter when Jeff Reed kicked a 44-yard field goal to end a 24-yard drive that featured a 20-yard pass from Dixon to Mendenhall. On Pittsburgh's second drive, Dixon had an impromptu 31-yard run wiped out by holding. But there were no flaws the next time he got the ball: Dixon was 3 for 3 for 60 yards, including a touchdown pass to Holmes.

Baltimore     20       Pittsburgh   17

Week #13 Match-ups and ITH Predictions

Baltimore (6-5) at Green Bay (7-4)

This game has significant play-off implications for both teams. Many observers will point out that the Ravens secondary will have difficulty containing the Packers pass offense as Aaron Rodgers has physical weapons to throw to in Donald Driver and Greg Jennings on the outside, as well as tight end Donald Lee. The Packers have won 3 straight and currently have the number 1 ranked team in total defense in the league.

The Ravens have not had success in prior visits to Lambeau Field and will need to pressure Aaron Rodgers consistently to have a chance to win a 3^rd straight nationally televised game. Not having Terrell Suggs available significantly compromises their chances. They will need to continue to use all of their offensive weapons to compete and win. Game time temperatures will dip into the low 20’s. This might be the time for the Ravens to unleash the three-headed monster rush attack.

The Ravens are very banged-up physically and the Packers have a few extra days to rest and prepare coming off of their Thanksgiving Day beat-down of the Lions. That could be the difference in what should be a close game.  

Green Bay   24     Baltimore   17

Cincinnati (8-3) vs. Detroit (2-9)

Cincinnati is a 2 touchdown favorite at home against the Lions. The franchises have faced off 9 times with the Bengals taking 6 of the 9 games played. Detroit’s 2 wins in 2009 have come against the Browns and the Redskins. ITH can’t envision a scenario whereby the Lions can win this one, or even stay close.

Cincinnati   35     Detroit   7

Cleveland (1-10) vs. San Diego (8-3)

San Diego has hit its stride and has won 6 straight since starting the season 2-3. Tomlinson and Sproles versus the Browns defense is a huge mismatch, even if Shaun Rogers is able to play. The Browns only weapon on offense these days is Josh Cribbs. The only question is how many Browns fans make it to halftime?

San Diego   37     Cleveland   10

Pittsburgh (6-5) vs. Oakland (3-8)

It might surprise some readers to know that the Oakland Raiders hold a 9-8 lead all time in games versus the Steelers. Having lost 3 in a row, 2 of those in overtime the Steelers need to win this game at home to stay in the play-off hunt. If we take Coach Tomlin at his word that his team will be in “attack mode” and will not go away “gently”, they may leave the door open for the mistakes that sometimes accompany aggressive play. The Raiders were competitive for most of the game in their loss to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. They have wins logged against Philadelphia and Cincinnati, so Pittsburgh will be well-served to not look past this team.

If the Raiders can make some plays early, they might be able to find a way to upset a desperate Steelers group that is showing signs of locker room dissension.  

Record Week #12/YTD: 1 – 1/17 - 11