How about this for a reversal of fortunes?

In the NFL, one minute, one play can change the course of an entire season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, after their 38-10 demolition of the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, find themselves in a very good position just six games into the season.

Consider:

• They sit atop the AFCNorth with a 5-1 record

• They own a two-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens (3-3) and three over the Cleveland Browns.

• They have a 3-0 record against their division rivals and are 5-0 against AFCopponents, which are great tiebreaker advantages come playoff time.

But in its Week 4 game against Baltimore, things were on the verge of going terribly wrong.

A 38-17 rout over Houston in Week 1 was followed by a 10-6 victory at Cleveland to give the Steelers a 2-0 start. It was wet and windy when Pittsburgh played the Browns, so the 10-6 decision wasn't a concern at the time.

The Steelers then dropped a 15-6 decision to Philadelphia in which the offensive line was atrocious, allowing Ben Roethlisberger to be sacked eight times and giving him no time to throw.

So, the Steelers licked their wounds and staggered into the next game against Baltimore.

The Steelers trailed the Ravens 13-3 at halftime. The Ravens defense was making things tough on Roethlisberger while the offense had moved the ball methodically to take the 10-point lead.

Then, with 4:09 left in the third quarter, Roethlisberger hooked up with Santonio Holmes on a huge 38-yard scoring pass to trim the deficit to three points. On the Ravens' ensuing possession, James Harrison sacked Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and forced a fumble. LaMarr Woodley scooped it up and ran in for a 7-yard touchdown.

Fifteen seconds. Two touchdowns. And a team that had scored zero touchdowns in the previous eight quarters, a team that was battered, became confident again.

The Steelers went on to win the game 23-20, but lost right guard Kendall Simmons and backup running back Rashard Mendenhall for the season.

Mendenhall was making his first start in place of an injured Willie Parker.

Parker has not played since, but Mewelde Moore has stepped up admirably, rushing for 99 yards in a 26-21 decision over host Jacksonville — just six days after the Monday night game against the Ravens — then recorded a three-touchdown performance (including 120 yards rushing) against the Bengals following a bye week.

The Steelers were on the verge of a big-time collapse — similar to the Dallas Cowboys' current slump — but they found a way to resist. Their perseverance is what has put them among the top teams in the NFL right now, and they still are on their way to getting healthy.

Good teams find a way to push through and keep going. But it all could have collapsed before it got going. That game against Baltimore was a statement game. The Ravens were 2-0 and looking to take the upper hand in the division. A win would have given Baltimore a 1½-game lead through four weeks.

It looked good for them until the Steelers stormed back in a span of 15 seconds.

Now, that blink of an eye has the Steelers seeing the big picture much better.