National Football League

Ravens back in first place after Steelers' loss

Published Dec. 21, 2011 3:10 a.m. ET

foxsports

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh arrived for work in a good mood Tuesday morning following the San Francisco 49ers' victory Monday night over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And with good reason: The Ravens moved back into first place with the Steelers' loss.

''He was coming in: `Did you see that game? Who won?''' quarterback Joe Flacco said about Harbaugh. ''OK, we all know who won the game. We know you're way more excited now than you were two days ago. You could definitely tell he was excited, and we should be. We're obviously in a better position because of what happened.''

The 49ers' win over the Ravens' AFC North rival put the Ravens (10-4) back in first place in the AFC North and into the second seed in the playoff standings.

The Ravens' embarrassing 34-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday night knocked them out of first place in the division for a day, and they fell from the top-seeded team in the AFC to fifth. Now, they're second behind the New England Patriots.

The Ravens own the tiebreaker edge over the Steelers (10-4) after sweeping the annual series. They are in position to earn a first-round bye and a home playoff game provided they win their final two regular-season games against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals.

''Man, it was a fun to watch,'' Harbaugh said. ''It was pretty cool. The fact that if we win both games now, we will win the division, that means a lot. That's really meaningful. It's a tough league, and we have to win every week.''

However, the Ravens would have preferred to not require assistance.

''It's a gift, but we wish we didn't have to get it that way,'' linebacker Terrell Suggs said.

The Ravens are 7-0 at home heading into their home game Saturday against the Browns.

And they're undefeated in their previous games against Cleveland and Cincinnati this season.

''We've just got to take care of business,'' Suggs said. ''We're playing two teams that know us very well, two division foes, so it's going to be interesting. We've got to get back to doing what we do best, and that's playing Ravens football.''