National Football League

Ravens still have sights on winning AFC North

Published Dec. 6, 2010 6:41 p.m. ET

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The Baltimore Ravens can still achieve all the goals they've set for this season, although coach John Harbaugh expressed concern Monday about his team's sputtering offense.

The Ravens (8-4) scored only three points over the final three quarters Sunday night in a deflating 13-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defeat dropped Baltimore out of a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the AFC North with four games left in the regular season.

''It's disappointing because it was such an opportunity for us that we probably have lost in terms of putting ourselves in position to control our destiny for that seed,'' Harbaugh said. ''But we still have an opportunity to achieve everything from a division championship to the wild card.''

For that to happen, however, Baltimore needs to ramp up a flawed attack that ground to a halt against the Steelers after Joe Flacco directed a 92-yard drive that put the Ravens up 7-0 late in the first quarter.

Baltimore finished with 43 yards rushing on 20 attempts, failed to turn a first-and-goal from the Pittsburgh 6 into a touchdown and allowed Flacco to be sacked four times. On one of those sacks, by safety Troy Polamalu, Flacco fumbled to set up the winning score in the closing minutes.

''We just busted a protection, flat out,'' Harbaugh said. ''It cost us the game. We've got to get better. That should never have happened.''

That was merely the most glaring shortcoming of an offense that was held to 10 points for the third time this season.

''I don't think we are consistent. Right now we're not good at all on third down. A lot of that is we're in third-and-long a lot,'' Harbaugh said. ''We're not good in the red zone, in terms of putting the ball in the end zone like we should. And therefore, we don't score a lot of points. We should be an offense that's scoring a heck of a lot more than 10 points.

''We've got to get better. We're not good enough on offense; there's no question about it.''

What to do?

''We've got to find a way to run the ball better, for one thing. That would take a lot of pressure off a lot of the other elements,'' Harbaugh said. ''Protection is important. We have far too many sacks. That's got to be dramatically reduced.''

Harbaugh expects to have fullback Le'Ron McClain (sprained ankle) back for Monday night's game against Houston, and that should help the blocking scheme. But the Ravens almost certainly will be without tight end Todd Heap, who pulled a hamstring on the first play from scrimmage Sunday night against the Pittsburgh and did not return.

''It doesn't look good for next week,'' Harbaugh said.

Clearly, the defense was exceptional against Pittsburgh. But the offense didn't do its share, and as a result, Baltimore's eight-game home winning streak ended and the Ravens lost their edge in the race for the division crown.

''Everyone on defense played a great game, and we didn't do anything to help them out,'' wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. ''That's the disappointing part about it because we should have had a lot more than 10 points.''

Ten points might have been enough, had Polamalu not turned the game around with his pivotal sack. It was the sixth time this season that Baltimore lost a lead in the fourth quarter - a common thread in each of its four defeats.

''That's a tough thing for us,'' cornerback Josh Wilson said.

''When we lose, we lose close ones,'' Harbaugh said. ''That's not closing out. We've got to find a way to get that done in the next four weeks.''

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