PITTSBURGH — The Baltimore Ravens are everything the Pittsburgh Steelers expected to be this season.

Their quarterback doesn't get rattled by big-game pressure or hostile surroundings. Their running game is productive, consistent and frequently extends drives. Their defense, if not the best in the league, might be close to it.

So perhaps it was only fitting the Ravens not only won the AFC North — a few months after Steelers linebacker Joey Porter all but predicted Pittsburgh would win it — but ended any opportunity the Super Bowl champions had of repeating.

This time it was Ravens 31, Steelers 7, Pittsburgh's worst loss at home since Heinz Field opened in 2001.

A month ago, it was Ravens 27, Steelers 0 in Baltimore, in what Hines Ward called the worst Steelers loss he could remember.

So the now-eliminated Steelers (7-8) won't be surprised if the Ravens (12-3) do what the Steelers themselves did last season by rolling through the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl, right? After all, Baltimore has a chance to be top-seeded and secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

Uh, not so fast.

"I don't know if they're Super Bowl caliber," Steelers linebacker James Farrior said Sunday. "That's to be seen. But they played us well. They beat us both times, so you have to give it up for them. Give them a lot of credit. They came into a hostile environment and took it to us today."

Make that twice in a season, something the Ravens had never done since the former Cleveland Browns relocated to Baltimore in 1996. The Steelers had not been swept in a season series by a division opponent since moving into Heinz Field.

But if the Steelers aren't ready to proclaim Baltimore as a Super Bowl favorite, the Ravens are.

"We're in a prime position to get home-field advantage," linebacker Ray Lewis said. "With the way we're playing defense and the way our offense is clicking, we're going to be a hard team to beat in the playoffs."

The Ravens got some unanticipated help from the Houston Texans, who upset the Indianapolis Colts 27-24 to move Baltimore ahead of the Colts (11-4) for the No. 2 seeding in the AFC playoffs. Baltimore finishes at home next Sunday against Buffalo (8-7), and can be top-seeded if the San Diego Chargers (13-2) lose to Arizona (5-10) and the Ravens win. Baltimore beat San Diego 16-13 on Oct. 1.

The Ravens anticipated playing defense this well; the Steelers managed only a turnover-generated touchdown against them in two games. But it is their improved offense that has convinced the Ravens they can make their best playoff run since winning the Super Bowl in 2000.

Steve McNair (21-of-31, 256 yards, two interceptions) took advantage of repeatedly good field position Sunday to throw three touchdown passes, two with All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu in coverage.

"To me, he's the secret weapon this year," Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel said of McNair, acquired from Tennessee in a trade earlier this year. "He's the reason they are where they are. He came into a new system and now he's taking them to the playoffs."

Jamal Lewis helped out with 77 yards rushing, giving him 1,063 yards for the season, and a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Ravens (12-3) matched a franchise record for victories in a season set by that 2000 Super Bowl championship team. They also won in Heinz Field for the first time since their initial game there in 2001.

If this was Bill Cowher's last home game as Steelers coach, and there is a possibility it was, his players didn't throw much of a going-away party. Cowher is weighing whether to retire, though team chairman Dan Rooney said he knows nothing new about that.

With Ben Roethlisberger (156 yards passing, 2 interceptions) and Willie Parker (29 yards on 13 carries) experiencing rough days against Baltimore for the second time in a month, the Steelers became the first defending Super Bowl champions since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 to miss the playoffs.

"We just didn't play the way we played last year," wide receiver Hines Ward said, pointing to a season-long problem with turnovers — 35, including three more Sunday. "You never give yourself a chance to win when you turn it over."

The Steelers tried to rally by winning five of six following a 2-6 start, but now can finish no better than 8-8 — the same record they had in 1980, the year after they won the fourth and last of the Super Bowls under coach Chuck Noll.

"Nobody expected us to be in this position," linebacker James Farrior said. "Everybody is going to have to pick themselves up after this."

Parker, a Pro Bowl running back, had averaged 144 yards rushing in the previous four home games only to be held below 30 yards for the second time in a month by Baltimore. He had 22 yards on 10 carries in the Ravens' rout on Nov. 26. The Steelers were outgained 634-423 and outscored 58-7 in the two losses to the Ravens.

Notes: The Steelers had won their last five at home against Baltimore. ... Pittsburgh went 5-3 at home, the same record as last season. ... Mark Clayton caught a 35-yard touchdown pass for Baltimore's first score and ended with seven catches for 108 yards, his fourth 100-yard game this season. ... The Steelers have had only one losing season (6-10 in 2003) since 2000.