BALTIMORE -- The Steelers ended the regular season by losing to Baltimore 27-21 tonight in a game at M&T Bank Stadium that had no bearing on their playoff situation.

The Steelers finished with a 10-6 record as AFC North Division champs and will play Jacksonville at Heinz Field next Saturday night with kickoff between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Baltimore, the defending division champ, ended a 9-game losing streak to finish 5-11.

But the Steelers made a game of it at the end.

They trailed 27-7 entering the fourth quarter. The Steelers scored for the second time in the game when Batch hit Holmes on a slant and Holmes broke free and ran untouched for a 59-yard touchdown catch with 7:13 left. That made it 27-14.

Nate Washington recovered the onside kick and on fourth down, Charlie Batch hit Cedrick Wilson with a 7-yard touchdown pass to make it 27-21.

With 1:36 to go, the Steelers got the ball at their 11 after a punt but could not score after the Ravens intercepted with 1:04 left.

Baltimore scored the only points of the third quarter when Troy Smith threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Devard Darling.

Baltimore scored twice in the second quarter to offset the Steelers' only score of the half.

Baltimore, leading 10-0 after one quarter, scored early in the second quarter and did so in what has become an alarming way for the Steelers lately. Cory Ross, a 5-foot-6 second-year back, scooted through the Steelers defense for a 32-yard touchdown run.

That gave the underdog Ravens a 17-0 lead, reversing the kind of game that was played in Heinz Field on Nov. 5 when the Steelers held a 35-0 halftime lead.

The Steelers broke through with a touchdown on Najeh Davenport's 1-yard run, thanks to a 47-yard pass interference penalty against cornerback Corey Ivy on Nate Washington at the two.

Ravens cornerback David Pittman helped atone for that when he intercepted Batch's pass late in the second quarter and returned it 30 yards, starting another Baltimore drive at the Steelers' 38.

That led to a 31-yard field goal by Matt Stover.

The Steelers de-activated return man Allen Rossum for today's game and will try the two players they drafted in 2006 to return punts and kickoffs, Santonio Holmes and Willie Reid.

Two starters, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, also got the day off in addition to injured starter Marvel Smith and Ben Roethlisberger, who will dress as the No. 3 quarterback.

The rest of the Steelers inactives: LB Andre Frazier, LB Clint Kriewaldt and OL Darnell Stapleton.