(My Sportsbook) - The red-hot Baltimore Ravens will welcome the rival Pittsburgh Steelers to town Sunday for an AFC North showdown from M&T Bank Stadium.

Baltimore leads the division with a franchise-best 8-2 start and has ripped off four straight wins since entering its bye week on a two-game skid. Head coach Brian Billick has done an excellent job (4-0) since taking over the offense, and has his eyes set on capturing another division title.

Helping Billick achieve that goal is veteran quarterback Steve McNair, who passed for 236 yards in last Sunday's 24-10 home victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Running back Jamal Lewis ran for 91 yards and three second-half TDs on 22 carries in the win.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is riding a winning streak of its own, having won two in a row following a three-game skid. On Sunday, the Steelers edged the division-rival Cleveland Browns by a 24-20 score, and are now alone in third in the AFC North standings behind Baltimore and Cincinnati (5-5).

The Steelers wouldn't be there had it not been for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who engineered three scoring drives in the fourth quarter to help counter three first-half interceptions. He found running back Willie Parker in the end zone from four yards out with 32 seconds left in the game to lift the defending champs to victory.

Pittsburgh's win was the first in five tries on the road this season.

SERIES HISTORY

The Steelers hold a 13-7 edge in the all-time regular season series with the Ravens, including a home-and-home split in 2005. Pittsburgh scored a 20-19 Monday Night win when the teams met in the Steel City in the Week 8, then dropped a 16-13 overtime decision when the teams played in Week 11. The home team has won the last seven installments of the series since Pittsburgh won in Baltimore during the 2002 campaign.

Pittsburgh won the only postseason meeting between the teams, a 27-10 triumph in a 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff at home.

Pittsburgh head coach Bill Cowher is 14-7 against Baltimore all-time (including postseason), while the Ravens' Billick is 6-9 overall against both Cowher and Pittsburgh.

STEELERS OFFENSE VS. RAVENS DEFENSE

Roethlisberger (2,315 yards, 12 TDs, 17 INTs) is not having a Super Bowl-type season, and needed a late rally to fend off the miserable Cleveland Browns last week. Big Ben completed just four first-half passes for 36 yards and also tossed three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Roethlisberger ended up hitting seven different receivers to lead the fourth- quarter comeback, however. Hines Ward (53 catches, 753 yards, 6 TDs) was Big Ben's go-to receiver against the Browns, and finished with 81 yards on seven catches. Ward leads the team in receiving yards, and his 21-yard reception late in Sunday's game set up Parker's game-winning touchdown reception. Ward, though, has just one TD catch in his last four games, and is questionable with a hyperextended knee. Ward has missed only one game to injury in his nine-year NFL career. Rookie wideout Santonio Holmes is enjoying a solid rookie season, and posted his first NFL touchdown against the Browns. Holmes (29 catches, 455 yards, TD) hauled in five passes for 75 yards on Sunday, including a 20-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass and two more clutch catches for 23 yards during the game-winning drive. Wideouts Nate Washington (23 catches, 386 yards, 3 TDs) and Cedrick Wilson (26 catches, 384 yards, TD) are also at Roethlisberger's disposal, and contribute when called upon. Roethlisberger was sacked twice at Cleveland, but got veteran center Jeff Hartings back after the Pro Bowler missed two games with a knee injury.

The Ravens will send defensive ends Trevor Pryce and Terrell Suggs to pressure Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh line. Pryce (24 tackles, 6 1/2 sacks) made his presence felt against Atlanta, sacking quarterback Michael Vick twice and recording four tackles. Suggs (33 tackles, 4 sacks) also took down Vick on Sunday, and finished with four tackles. Baltimore is 16th against the pass this season, with cornerbacks Samari Rolle (30 tackles, 2 INT) and Chris McAlister (27 tackles, 4 INT) fueling that effort. McAlister posted five stops against the Falcons. If the corners get beat by Pittsburgh's wideouts, safeties Ed Reed (36 tackles, 2 INTs) and Dawan Landry (48 tackles, 3 INTs) are the last line of defense. Landry and McAlister each posted tipped passes last week for the second-ranked defense in the NFL.

Steelers running back Willie Parker put himself on the NFL map last season, and played an instrumental role against Cleveland last week. Parker used his legs and his hands to lead Pittsburgh back, with his four-yard TD grab in the waning seconds lifting the Steelers to victory. Parker (893 yards, 9 TDs) contributed 46 yards and a score on 16 carries and 17 yards and a TD on four receptions. Parker was coming off a game against New Orleans in which he ran for a career-high 213 yards and a pair of scores on 22 carries. The North Carolina product has at least one rushing touchdown in six of his last eight games, and the team is 9-1 when he hits the century mark.

Before Parker can get to Baltimore's linebacking corps, he must get through a beefy defensive line. The Ravens' interior line is comprised of tackles Kelly Gregg (47 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks), rookie Haloti Ngata (19 tackles, INT), and Justin Bannan (14 tackles). Those players were responsible for stopping the NFL's top-ranked rushing offense last week. All three tackles make life easier for the linebackers, especially veteran and future Hall of Fame r Ray Lewis. Lewis (65 tackles, 2 INTs, sack) has missed the last two games with a back injury and had blood removed from a bruise in the area last week, but still leads the team in tackles and is probably frothing at the mouth to get back on the field. The seven-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker, who hasn't played since a Week 9 victory over Cincinnati, is questionable for this matchup. Stepping up in Lewis' absence have been linebackers Adalius Thomas (54 tackles, 8 sacks, INT) and Bart Scott (69 tackles, 5 sacks, INT). Thomas has a sack in five of his last six games.

RAVENS OFFENSE VS. STEELERS DEFENSE

Ravens first-year quarterback Steve McNair (1,928 yards, 10 TDs, 9 INTs) has been the answer for Baltimore's offense this season. Although he hasn't put up astronomical numbers -- 236 yards passing against Atlanta, for instance -- McNair has been in the driver's seat for one of the AFC's best teams. Over his last four games, all wins, McNair has thrown for five touchdowns and two interceptions. The veteran's top receiving targets are Mark Clayton (46 catches, 591 yards, 3 TDs), Derrick Mason (42 catches, 489 yards, TD) and tight end Todd Heap (44 catches, 477 yards, 5 TDs). Heap recorded 62 yards on six catches against the Falcons, but hasn't caught a TD pass since Week 8 at New Orleans. Clayton added five receptions for 89 yards on Sunday for the 16th-ranked passing offense in the NFL.

The Pittsburgh defense registered five sacks last Sunday, but Browns quarterback Charlie Frye passed for 224 yards, including 137 to top receiver Braylon Edwards. Steelers defensive ends Aaron Smith (37 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks) and Brett Keisel (35 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks) have been lacking the push Bill Cowher would like to see from his three-man front. Smith will look to continue a two-game streak with a sack against the Ravens this week. The Steelers' secondary needed big plays to stop a driving Browns team late in the game, with strong safety Troy Polamalu (56 tackles, 3 INTs) tipping away a Frye pass late in the game to force a punt and finishing with seven tackles. The rest of the Pittsburgh secondary is comprised of free safety Ryan Clark (57 tackles, INT) and cornerbacks Ike Taylor (50 tackles, INT) and Bryant McFadden (23 tackles, INT). Clark chipped in Sunday with a fumble recovery in the third quarter, giving the Steelers the ball at the Browns 44-yard line. The Steelers were able to convert the fumble recovery into a 43-yard Jeff Reed field goal. McFadden started on the right side for Deshea Townsend last Sunday. Townsend had an ankle injury, but saw limited time in the nickel and dime defenses.

Hoping to reach Pittsburgh's banged-up secondary is Ravens bruising running back Jamal Lewis, who tied a career high with three touchdown runs against the Falcons. Lewis (669 yards, 5 TDs) fell just short of his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, ending with 91 yards on 22 carries. Lewis capped a lengthy 15-play, 87-yard drive with a five-yard TD run to put the game out of reach. He also recorded 79 of his 91 rushing yards in the decisive second half. Since Billick took over the offense four games ago, Lewis is averaging 23.3 carries for 79.3 yards per contest. Behind Lewis are two solid backups in Musa Smith and Mike Anderson.

Pittsburgh will have to contain Lewis on Sunday after having a bit of trouble with Cleveland backup Jason Wright, who had 74 yards on 18 carries to contribute to the team's 99 yards rushing last week. Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton (25 tackles) will try to plug any holes Lewis attempts to run through. Hampton had three tackles and forced a fumble last week for a Steelers line that has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season and is eighth against the run, averaging 98.0 yards a contest. The last back to have a 100- yard rushing day against the Steelers was the Colts' Edgerrin James on Thanksgiving weekend of last year. Behind the first line of defense is a set of linebackers worth noting. Led by leading tackler James Farrior (80 tackles, 3 sacks, INT), the Steelers have one of the best linebacking corps in the NFL. Larry Foote (56 tackles, 3 sacks), Clark Haggans (56 tackles, INT) and Joey Porter (30 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks, 2 INTs) can make life miserable for an opposing quarterback with shifts and cover techniques used to confuse. Haggans, who was hampered by an ankle injury in Cleveland, leads the Steelers in sacks (5 1/2).

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Sunday's matchup between Baltimore and Pittsburgh figures to be a battle to the end. Both teams sport impressive defenses and are riding winning streaks, though if the Steelers want to repeat as champions, they will have to do exactly what the 2005 squad did and put together an impressive run. The only problem is that Roethlisberger is not playing at a championship level, and faces a daunting task in beating an intimidating Ravens defense in Baltimore. McNair is reborn, and Jamal Lewis is running well since Billick took over play-calling. It will not be a walk in the park for McNair, but once again, he will do just enough to put his team on top when the final whistle blows.

My Sportsbook Predicted Outcome: Ravens 24, Steelers 20