PITTSBURGH (AP) -- By a foot, the Pittsburgh Steelers missed

taking a firm grip on the AFC Central and hurting the Super Bowl

champion Baltimore Ravens' chances of returning to the playoffs.

Kris Brown's foot.

Brown, usually one of the league's most dependable kickers,

missed a 35-yard field goal try in the closing seconds and the

Ravens got two field goals from Matt Stover in the fourth quarter

to beat Pittsburgh 13-10 Sunday in matchup of the NFL's two best

defenses.

The Ravens (5-3), winning in Pittsburgh for the third straight

season, were in danger of going three losses down to the Steelers

(5-2) in the division. Instead, they got just enough offense to win

on a day their No. 2-ranked defense had just enough left to keep

from losing.

The Steelers had 21 first downs to the Ravens' 10 and outgained

them 348-183, only to lose because the most reliable component of

their offense broke down. Brown missed 4-of-5 field goal attempts

on a breezy, 59-degree day.

Brown was 11-of-13 going into the game and had made nine of his

previous 10.

Can the Steelers claim any kind of a moral victory knowing that they

played better than Baltimore?

Pittsburgh basically dominated the Ravens; four missed field goals are the

reason the Steelers lost the game. But there are no moral victories in the

NFL.

Sure, the Steelers can feel good about moving the ball effectively, and

Kordell Stewart looked good throwing the ball. They looked strong

offensively and defensively.

The key was that Pittsburgh lost the special-teams game -- returns, field

position, field goals. The special teams cost the Steelers the game.

ESPN.com's Vinny Cerrato was director of player personnel for the

Redskins and 49ers.



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"It just was a bad stroke," Brown said, referring to his

decisive miss with eight seconds remaining. "I lost the game for

my team. I don't have any excuses."

After making a 38-yarder in the first quarter, Brown was wide

right on a 41-yarder later in the half, and also missed a 33-yarder

in the third quarter that was partially blocked.

Brown missed yet again, a 48-yard attempt at the windy end of

Heinz Field with 4:22 remaining that would have put the Steelers

ahead. His final miss also came at the open end, where swirling

winds blow in from Pittsburgh's three rivers.

Stover followed Brown's third miss by putting the Ravens ahead

on a 39-yarder with 1:49 left, on a drive highlighted by Randall

Cunningham's 26-yard completion to tight end Shannon Sharpe. The

two also hooked up in the first half on a 13-yard scoring pass for

Baltimore's only touchdown, one set up by Jermaine Lewis' 53-yard

kickoff return.

"The wind was really tough at the open end," said Stover, who

made both of his attempts. "When you look at the flags, it looks

like it's going one direction, but it's actually going at the other

direction down at field level."

Stover tied it at 10 with a 25-yarder he was forced to kick

twice. Following a long conference, the officials decided the

quarter ended before he got the first kick off. That forced him to

make it again at the protected end of the stadium.

"I don't want to give Matt Stover too much credit -- he's a

glorified soccer player -- but I've got to give it to him," Ravens

lineman Tony Siragusa said, laughing. "With the wind today, it was

tough to kick field goals."

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis pointed out this is the same time of

the season the Ravens began their run to the Super Bowl last

season. They also were a game above .500 in early November, but

didn't lose again.

"The thing is, early in the season, everybody jumps out and has

great records, but it's about consistency. When you get into ball

games you really need to win, those are the ones you have to pull

out," Lewis said.

Still, the Steelers got the better of that highly confident

Ravens defense. Kordell Stewart was 22-of-37 for 236 yards and

Jerome Bettis ran for 91 yards, but Pittsburgh settled for field

goals too many times -- then didn't make those.

"We played better than them, we outplayed them, but that's why

they're the Super Bowl champs," Steelers safety Lee Flowers said.

"They found a way to win."

Brown might have had the worst day of his career, but the

Ravens' special teams weren't perfect, either. Kyle Richardson's

punt out of the end zone -- yes, the windy end -- traveled only 30

yards. That allowed Stewart to hit Plaxico Burress in the right

front corner of the end zone on a 21-yard scoring pass, Burress'

first touchdown in 1½ NFL seasons, with 15 seconds left before

halftime.

Game notes

Bettis fell nine yards short of becoming the first runner to

gain 100 yards against Baltimore in 45 games. The Ravens have held

him below 100 six straight times. ... Steelers LT Wayne Gandy (flu,

hamstring) didn't play, so Oliver Ross made his first NFL start.

... The Steelers' first loss in Heinz Field came in their third

game there. ... The Ravens rallied in the fourth quarter for the

second straight week. Cunningham, making his second start for the

injured Elvis Grbac, threw two TD passes in the fourth quarter last

week to beat Jacksonville 18-17. ... The Ravens are 14-2 in

November and December under coach Brian Billick. ... Pittsburgh

hasn't started 6-1 since 1978.