NOTEBOOK

NOTEBOOK
Steelers vs. Ravens
Season finale: The Steelers close the 2006 season Sunday against the Bengals in Cincinnati. Game time is 1 p.m., unless NBC selects the game for its Sunday night telecast. NBC's decision is expected by Tuesday morning.Key tackles out: Both teams were without key offensive linemen. The Ravens were without left tackle (and likely Hall of Famer) Jonathan Ogden while the Steelers played without right tackle Max Starks. Willie Colon started in place of Starks. Adam Terry played for the Ravens and was flagged twice in the first half for false starts.Series: Since the original Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore 11 years ago, the Steelers lead the series with the Ravens, 13-9. One of those wins came in January 2002 in a playoff game. "This is a tough place to play," Ravens coach Brian Billick said of Heinz Field. "We have won here before [but] it's been a while. No one can say [the Steelers] didn't have a lot going, a lot that was important to them. Some of our guys answered -- [that's] something to be proud of ... but we've got things to finish out." The Ravens, who close at home against the now-eliminated Buffalo Bills, remain in the chase for the AFC's top seed or a playoff bye. Rushing woes: Steelers running backs struggled to move the ball against the Ravens defenders. Willie Parker had 13 carries but produced just 29 yards. "They just play together so well," Parker said of the Ravens' defenders. Baltimore running back Jamal Lewis gained 77 yards against the Steelers in 24 carries. Disappointment: Steelers coach Bill Cowher said he didn't see Sunday's struggles coming. "We fought very hard to get to this -- I thought we had a good week of work," Cowher said. "Confidence and momentum [are] such a fragile thing. We couldn't get anything going on offense until the end of the first half. We had some third downs we had to convert."
Tom Williams