A Super Bowl berth was on the line the last time the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens renewed their bitter rivalry. While the stakes won't be quite as high when the two AFC North inhabitants square off this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, both teams still have plenty of incentive for this primetime showdown.

Ten months after competing in the AFC Championship Game, the Steelers and Ravens each find themselves on the fringe of the conference's playoff picture entering the final six weeks of this season. Baltimore's predicament is particularly perilous, as last Sunday's painfully-tough loss to the still- unbeaten Indianapolis Colts dropped the club to 5-5 on the year and a game off the pace in the Wild Card race.

The defending world champion Steelers, who downed Baltimore by a 23-14 count for the right to represent the AFC in last February's Big Game, are in better shape in regards to their postseason hopes, but still trail surprising Cincinnati by one game for first place in the competitive AFC North. The Bengals also hold the tiebreaker in the event the teams wind up with the same final record, by virtue of having already swept its season series with Pittsburgh.

At 6-4, the Steelers are presently tied with Jacksonville and Denver for the AFC's two Wild Card spots, but missed out on a chance to move in front of those squads after being dealt a startling overtime loss by non-contending Kansas City this past weekend. Despite outgaining the Chiefs by a sizeable 515-282 margin in total yards, Pittsburgh committed three turnovers and had a costly breakdown on special teams that resulted in a 27-24 defeat.

The Steelers allowed Kansas City's Jamaal Charles to run back the opening kickoff 97 yards and gave up a 61-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Chambers in overtime that set up the winning points. And while quarterback Ben Roethlisberger piled up 398 passing yards and three touchdowns on the day, Pittsburgh's hard-nosed field general was intercepted two times and had one of those picks stall a potential scoring drive deep in Chiefs' territory.

Roethlisberger also failed to finish out the game after suffering a concussion when being sacked on the Steelers' only drive of overtime, and the incident is expected to keep the two-time Super Bowl winner from suiting up on Sunday. Following an injury to former backup Charlie Batch's left wrist last week, second-year-man Dennis Dixon could be in line for his first career NFL start on Sunday night.

Dixon, the former University of Oregon star, has thrown one career NFL pass.

Pittsburgh will also be without playmaking safety Troy Polamalu for a second straight contest due to a left knee sprain the five-time Pro Bowler incurred in his team's 18-12 loss at Cincinnati back in Week 10.

The Ravens won't have one of their defensive stars available for Sunday's clash as well, with outside linebacker and proven pass rusher Terrell Suggs still dealing with a sprained knee that forced him to exit Baltimore's 16-0 win at Cleveland on November 16.

SERIES HISTORY

The Steelers hold a 16-10 edge in the all-time regular season series with the Ravens, including a sweep of last year's home-and-home. Pittsburgh scored a 23-20 home win in overtime when the teams met in a Monday Night contest in Week 4, then wrapped up the AFC North title with a 13-9 win at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 15. The clubs embarked on a conventional home-and-home split of the 2007 series, including a 27-21 home victory for Baltimore over the Steelers.