What did I tell ya'?

The silver lining in the Steelers' 27-21 loss Sunday to the Ravens is that it gives them a 10-6 record, which was my prediction at the beginning of the season.
 

That's right. I could tell way back in training camp that this team had 10-6 written all over it.

Well, I didn't get everything right. Some of my preseason NFL forecasts were just a bit, uh, off the mark. Click here for a few good laughs.

It looked like a Pop Warner game was being played Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Steelers' Willie Reid, filling in for the inactive and ineffective Allen Rossum, fumbled the opening kickoff to give the Ravens a short field. They took advantage by scoring a touchdown, points that came back to haunt the Steelers when their furious comeback in the fourth quarter fell short. After the Steelers scored their first touchdown, the kickoff bounced off the facemask of Ravens return man Yamon Figurs. But Cory Ross recovered the ball at the 20. Later in the second quarter, the Ravens' David Pittman, who intercepted Charlie Batch twice, made his first pickoff and returned the ball 30 yards to the Steelers' 32 before fumbling. Once again, the Steelers couldn't take advantage. Nick Greisen recovered at the Steelers' 33, and the Ravens turned it into three more points.

Considering how seriously the Steelers were taking this game, it's not surprising that it turned into a treasure trove of material for NFL Films' next bloopers package. They could have earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs with a win and a San Diego loss to Oakland. But it didn't seem like Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had his eye on the scoreboard. Whatever happened in San Diego, the Steelers were going to rest Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu. The Steelers were locked into a home playoff game next weekend anyway. The only benefits from the No. 3 seed would have been avoiding Jacksonville in the first round of the playoffs. Getting healthy outweighs having an easier opponent.

That said, there weren't a lot of positive signs to take from Sunday's game. Najeh Davenport barely looks like he's capable of carrying a bag of groceries, never mind the Steelers' running game. There was one play that typified Davenport's day, in which he ran for 27 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Late in the first quarter, on first-and-10 from the Steelers' 26, Davenport took a handoff and fell backward as he was stopped by the Ravens' defense. It looked like a brick wall shot up from the turf. Then Davenport needed three tries to punch the ball into the end zone from 2 yards out. Even when he did score the touchdown, it wasn't immediately clear. He couldn't bull his way through the goal-line defense like a true power back. He had to burrow his way under the pile and the officials had to pull bodies away before anyone could tell if he broke the plane. I had said that if Davenport can be a poor man's Jerome Bettis, the Steelers might have a fighting chance in the playoffs. He'll be lucky if he can be a broke man's Jerome Bettis.

Running the ball and stopping the run used to be the Steelers' hallmark. Now, not only can they not run the ball, but their run defense is like Charlie in "Me, Myself & Irene," letting people walk all over them. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew are going to be doing a lot of trespassing on the Heinz Field lawn Saturday night. Unless the Steelers find a way to stop the run, they might need to have a few pooper scoopers handy.

Surprisingly, James Harrison beat out Ben Roethlisberger as the Steelers' Most Valuable Player in a team vote. Maybe Aaron Smith should have been voted the MVP. There's clearly a gaping hole on the defensive line without him.

Roethlisberger is going to have to deliver some MVP-caliber performances if the Steelers are going to win any playoff games. The offensive line protected Charlie Batch a lot better than they've protected Roethlisberger. They didn't allow any sacks Sunday. It would be nice if the O-Line was turning the corner with its pass protection. But if Sunday's performance was an aberration, then Roethlisberger's sprained ankle is going to have to heal quickly, because he'll need two good wheels to avoid the Jaguars' pass rush. By the way, I wonder if Roethlisberger got anything for his offensive linemen for Christmas this

year. They were more naughty than nice.

The Jaguars' schedule was more naughty than nice this season. Jacksonville has four wins over 2007 playoff teams. The Steelers have just one, a 21-0 win over Seattle at home on Oct. 7. And the Steelers have been exposed since then. I was on the money with my prediction for the Steelers' regular-season record. I'm afraid I'm also going to be on the money with my prediction for how far they'll advance in the playoffs. I hate to be the skunk at the lawn party, but I don't see the Steelers getting past the Jaguars on Saturday night.

That's what my head tells me. My heart, of course, wants something else to happen.

It's playoff time.