Grading the Steelers:

Jack McCurry is in his 25th season as the head coach of the North Hills High School Indians. He has won four WPIAL titles.

Grading the Ravens:

Ron Wabby is in his 21st season as the head coach at Brashear High School. His teams have won five City League championships.

Offense: B

The first half was outstanding as the Steelers scored four touchdowns on their first four possessions. Tommy Maddox's pinpoint passing to Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward, along with the running of Amos Zereoue, gave the Steelers an insurmountable lead. So what happened in the second half? Was it Burress being ejected, Maddox's ankle or complacency? Regardless, the Steelers didn't play well the second half.

Offense: D

The Ravens were ineffective and went three downs and out way too often in the first half. Quarterback Jeff Blake's best play was running out of the pocket with the Steelers in hot pursuit. Falling behind by four touchdowns forced the Ravens to throw the football, and that's not the strength of their team. The Ravens seemed to perk up when Tommy Maddox left the game, but it was too little, too late.

Defense: B +

The defense demonstrated the "Gumby" philosophy ... bend but don't break. The Ravens ran a lot of plays and gained a lot of yards, but they were never really in the game. The Steelers came up with three critical interceptions and a fumble recovery to stymie any hopes of a Ravens comeback.

Defense: D

Without linebacker Ray Lewis, the Ravens lost a lot of their intensity. In the first half, Baltimore was not able to stay with the "new" Steelers' offense. Allowing touchdowns on the Steelers' first four possessions was too much to overcome. The most exciting play was when cornerback James Trapp stomped on Plaxico Burress and was ejected.

Special Teams: B +

Antwaan Randle El. Say his name over and over. What an exciting kick and punt returner. He's capable of scoring a touchdown every time he touches the ball. Special note: Even the kickoff coverage team came up with the big plays. Did Todd Peterson actually get a kickoff to come down inside the 5 or was that my imagination. Oh, it came after a penalty. Sorry.

Special Teams: D

The lost fumble on the kickoff return after the Steelers' second touchdown gave the momentum to the Steelers and took the wind out of the Ravens' sails. Poor field position after the Steelers' kickoffs did nothing to help the Ravens' offense.

Coaching: A -

With Jerome Bettis and Jeff Hartings out of the game, the Steelers didn't miss a beat. That's a credit to the coaching staff and the replacement players. With the return of Kendrell Bell, the defense was more aggressive and that's a good sign. Even the special teams are getting better, and that's an even more positive sign.

Coaching: D

The Ravens' staff must have gotten the game plan from a fortune cookie ... just open it up and see if it works. After the Steelers scored on their first four possessions, the Ravens looked as if they were getting ready for Atlanta. It was as if the Ravens were not ready to play the Steelers, which is surprising since the game was for first place in the AFC North Division.

Team Score: 91

Team Score: 67

Key

100-95

Super Bowl performance

94-90

Division title contenders

89-80

Wild Card possibility

79-70

Shooting for high draft picks in 2003

69-less

Check waiver wire