NFL Playoff Capsule: Ravens

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2011
BALTIMORE RAVENS–AFC NORTH (13-4) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS–AFC NORTH (12-4)
SERIES LEADER (REG. SEASON) : Steelers (18-12)
TREAKS (REG. SEASON): Steelers (4 of past 6)
OPP. (REG. & POSTSEASON)                                                                                                                                            Ravens-Harbaugh: 2-5 / Steelers-Tomlin: 6-3
COACHES PLAYOFF RECORD: Ravens (4-2) / Steelers (3-1)
VS. COMMON OPP. (REG. SEASON)                                                                                                                                      Bal.: Ravens: 9-3 (Atl. 0-1, Buf. 1-0, Car. 1-0, Cin. 1-1, Cle. 2-0, Mia. 1-0, NE 0-1, NO 1-0,
NYJ 1-0, TB 1-0)
Steelers: 9-3 (Atl. 1-0, Buf., 1-0, Car. 1-0, Cin. 2-0, Cle. 2-0, Mia. 1-0, NE. 0-1, NO 0-1,
NYJ 0-1, TB 1-0)
PLAYOFF RECORD: Ravens (9-5) / Steelers (31-19)
LAST WEEK: Ravens-W 30-7 at Chiefs / Steelers-Bye (Wk. 17: W 41-9 at Browns)
LAST GAME (REG. SEASON)12/5/10: Steelers 13 at Ravens 10.  Pittsburgh scores 10 4th-quarter points to erase 10-3 deficit, including 9-yard TD pass to RB Isaac Redman from QB Ben Roethlisberger.
LAST GAME AT SITE:
(REG. SEASON)10/3/10: Ravens 17, Steelers 14.  Baltimore QB Joe Flacco completes game-winning 18-yard TD pass to WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh with 32 seconds remaining.
LAST PLAYOFF (1/18/09): Ravens 14 at Steelers 23.  Pittsburgh S Troy Polamalu’s 40-yard INT-TD with 4:24 to play in 4th quarter helps seal AFC Championship victory.
BROADCASTCBS (4:30 PM ET): Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf.  Westwood One Radio: Dave Sims, James Lofton, Steve Tasker (Field reporter).  SIRIUS: 124 (WW1), 125 (Bal.), 123 (Pit.).  XM: 124 (WW1), 103 (Bal.), 102 (Pit.).

REGULAR SEASON STAT LEADERS
PASSING: Ravens-Flacco: 306-489-3,622-25-10-93.6 / Steelers-Roethlisberger: 240-389-3,200-17-5-97.0 (3C)
RUSHING: Ravens-Rice: 307-1,220-4.0-5 / Steelers-Mendenhall: 324-1,273-3.9-13 (T2L)
RECEIVING: Ravens-Boldin: 64-837-13.1-7 / Steelers-Wallace: 60-1,257 (3C)-21.0-10 (T3C)
OFFENSE: Ravens-322.9 / Steelers-345.3
TAKE/GIVE: Ravens (+7) / Steelers (+17) (2L)
DEFENSE: Ravens-318.9 / Steelers-276.8 (2L)
SACKS: Ravens-Suggs: 11 / Steelers-Harrison: 10.5
INTs: Ravens- E. Reed: 8 (1L) / Steelers-Polamalu: 7 (T2L)
PR: Ravens-Webb: 9.5 / Steelers-Brown: 5.8
KR: Ravens-D. Reed (R): 29.3 (1L) / Steelers-Sanders: 25.1
PUNTING: Ravens-Koch: 43.6 / Steelers-Kapinos: 41.9
KICKING: Ravens-Cundiff: 117 (39/39 PAT; 26/29 FG) / Steelers-Suisham: 61 (19/19 PAT; 14/15 FG)

 
NOTES
TEAMS MEET for 3rd time in postseason. Steelers are 2-0 vs. Ravens in playoffs.
 
RAVENS:  JOHN HARBAUGH joins BARRY SWITZER as only head coaches in NFL history to win playoff game in each of his 1st 3 seasons…Club has 7-3 road playoff record, best postseason road winning percentage (.700) in NFL history (minimum 5 games)…QB JOE FLACCO became 1st QB to start & win at least 1 playoff game in each of his 1st 3 NFL seasons.  Has 4-2 postseason record.  Flacco had Ravens playoff-best in passing yards (265), TD passes (2) & passer rating (115.4) last week…In past 3 postseason games, RB RAY RICE is averaging 128.3 scrimmage yards per game (283 rush, 102 receiving).  Incl. playoffs, club has 14-4 record (.778) when Rice has 80+ rush yards in game.  For career, Rice averages 121.4 rush yards per game when he has 25+ attempts (607 total in 5 games).  RB WILLIS MC GAHEE has 4 rush TDs in past 4 postseason games…WR DERRICK MASON had 6 receptions for 80 receiving yards in last regular-season meeting at Pit…WR ANQUAN BOLDIN had 5 receptions for 118 yards (23.6 avg.) with 1 TD in last game vs. Steelers.  In only career postseason game vs. Pit. (SB XLIII w/ Arz.), Boldin had 8 receptions for 84 yards (10.5 avg.).  Recorded 2nd postseason TD reception of career last week…TE TODD HEAP became 6th TE since Super Bowl era (since 1966) with 10 receptions (10) & 100 receiving yards (108) in playoff game last week…Ravens have 29 INTs in 14 postseason games, incl. 3 INTs last week…In 8 career postseason games, S ED REED has 7 INTs.  Club allows 12.2 points per game in postseason in franchise history…Bal. has not allowed RB to gain 100+ rush yards in 14 consecutive postseason games (tied for 2nd-longest current streak, Redskins, 17; Steelers, 14)…LB RAY LEWIS has 2 sacks in past 3 postseason games…LB TERRELL SUGGS has 7 sacks in past 6 postseason games…Ravens had 5 players selected to Pro Bowl (K BILLY CUNDIFF, LB Lewis, DT HALOTI NGATA, S Reed & LB Suggs).
 
STEELERS:  Have won 31 postseason games, 2nd-most in NFL history (Cowboys, 33)…Pit. has 14-8 (.636) record in Divisional Playoffs…Steelers have won an NFL-record six Super Bowl titles…Club has 18-9 (.667) record at home during playoffs…QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER is 8-2 (.800) in postseason & has completed 172 of 278 (61.9 pct.) for 2,239 passing yards w/ 15 TDs vs. 12 INTs & 87.2 passer rating.  Has thrown career-best 158 consecutive passes without INT, longest such streak for Steeler since KORDELL STEWART (159 consecutive passes without INT in ’01)…RB RASHARD MENDENHALL (1,273 rush yards, 13 rush TDs) joined WILLIE PARKER (1,494 rush yards, 13 rush TDs in ’06) as only Steelers w/ 1,200+ rush yards & at least 13 rush TDs in season…WR HINES WARD (76) needs 1 catch to surpass HOFer THURMAN THOMAS (76) for 5th-most receptions in playoff history…WR MIKE WALLACE (7) tied HOFer JOHN STALLWORTH (7 in ’84) for most 100-yard receiving games in season in Steelers history.  Had career-best in catches (60), receiving yards (1,257) & TDs (10).  Aims for 4th consecutive 100-yard receiving game…TE HEATH MILLER has 2 TD catches in 3 home postseason games…C MAURKICE POUNCEY became 1st Steelers rookie center to start all of his team’s games…Pit. has not allowed 100-yard rusher in 14 consecutive postseason games, tied w/ Bal. for 2nd-longest current streak (Redskins, 17)…Steelers allowed NFL-low 62.8 rushing yards per game this season, 5th-fewest rushing yards allowed per game in NFL history…LB JAMES HARRISON became 1st Steeler to post double-digit sacks in 3 consecutive seasons (16 in 2008; 10 in 2009; 10.5 in 2010)…LB LA MARR WOODLEY has 8 sacks in 4 career postseason games.  LB JAMES FARRIOR had 6 sacks this season, 2nd-most of career (6.5 in ’07)…Club had 3 players selected to 2011 Pro Bowl (LB Harrison,  C Pouncey, S TROY POLAMALU).