(My Sportsbook) - The AFC North winner will be decided in Week 17. Baltimore, which leads Cincinnati by one game, can win the division with a win or tie against Pittsburgh, or a Cincinnati loss or tie versus Cleveland. The Ravens would be eliminated from playoff contention with a Week 17 loss and a Cincinnati win.
Aside from seeking a postseason bid, the Ravens enter the final contest of the 2003 regular season with their minds on the NFL record book.
The main reason the Ravens are on the brink of a playoff berth is Jamal Lewis. Lewis rushed for 205 yards in a 35-0 win over the Browns last week. He set a record for yardage against an opponent in a season by rushing for 500 yards against the Browns in 2003.
Lewis is 48 yards away from becoming the fifth back in league history to have a 2,000-yard season. The Tennessee product is 154 yards from eclipsing Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record.
There has been no secret to the Ravens' offense. They began the year wanting to ride Lewis to the playoffs and stuck with the plan. Coach Brian Billick wanted 1,800 yards from Lewis and those lofty expectations have been surpassed.
Lewis should reach 2,000 yards in Week 17, but breaking Dickerson's record may be trickier. If the Bengals lose, Lewis will likely rest for a good portion of the game. He will be featured all night, though, if the Ravens are in a must- win situation to make the playoffs.
Forty-eight more rushing yards would propel Lewis into an elite class of rushers. The 2,000-yard club currently has four members -- O.J. Simpson (1973), Dickerson (1984), Barry Sanders (1997) and Terrell Davis (1998).
The Steelers have actually had success against Lewis. In the season opener he carried 15 times for 69 yards. He has not had a 100-yard day against the Steelers. Steelers coach Bill Cowher said there is an easy answer as to why Lewis hasn't thrived against his defense: they've kept the ball out of his hands.
"Getting off to a good lead," Cowher said of the best way to slow Lewis down this week. "If you can do that and keep the ball out of the offense's hands, that's the only reason that I think we have been able to slow him down.
"Jamal Lewis is a very special back, for a guy his size to have his speed, quickness and durability. He has been there every week for them. He is a special back, a premier back. Even though we have been able to keep him under 100 yards, it hasn't been because he didn't run well. It is because of the situation of the game and our ability to control the ball and get a lead. His average is still pretty good. He is a very special back, though."
In five career games against the Ravens, Lewis has averaged 4.5 yards per carry, but he's only rushed the ball 66 times in those games.
Billick said Lewis' season has been twice as good because defenses have played with eight in the box to stifle Lewis.
"What I don't think that people respect or appreciate is the nature of the yards that Jamal has gotten -- people that are not as familiar with us, not realizing how many eight-man fronts we have faced," Billick said. "Everybody talks about eight in the box, but nobody -- I can't put numbers on it -- but nobody has faced it like Jamal. None of the great backs have carried the offensive load for their team the way Jamal has. I think that makes it a lot more spectacular [than previous 2,000-yard seasons]."
