PITTSBURGH — Home. Alone.
On an NFL weekend taken over by unruly guests, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed they're still the kings of their castle. They did what the Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers and even the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants couldn't.
They defended their home turf -- and next Sunday will play host to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game at Heinz Field.
"It can't get any bigger than that, man," Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes said. "The road to the Super Bowl runs through Pittsburgh."
Unlike the NFC road -- which, shockingly, is freshly paved through Phoenix -- the AFC version is as weather-worn and old-school as the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Pittsburgh and Baltimore will play for the third time this season, giving the Ravens a chance to avenge losses of three and four points to their bitter AFC North rivals. It's not a comfortable scenario for either franchise, even though the Steelers are evolving into an outstanding all-around team, and the Ravens just knocked off top-seeded Tennessee in Nashville.
"We're both very familiar with each other, so there's not going to be any tricks," Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior said. "It's just going to be a drag-down, dirty dogfight. . . . You've got two great defenses, so I think it's going to be a low-scoring, hard-hitting game."
The Steelers finished the regular season with a defense ranked No. 1 overall, first against the pass and second against the rush. The Ravens were second overall, second against the pass and third against the run.
"What else would you expect? Us and the Ravens," Pittsburgh Coach Mike Tomlin said. "It would be a big game if it was a scrimmage. It just happens to be the AFC championship game."
When the teams played at Pittsburgh in Week 4, the Steelers won in overtime, 23-20. They lost first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall for the season in that game and were down to their fourth running back before rallying from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to win.
In the rematch four weeks ago, Pittsburgh won in Baltimore for the first time since 2002, holding the Ravens to a season-low 202 yards in a 13-9 punch-out.
Even as the story of Baltimore's season is still being written, the Ravens' strongest suit stands to pay big dividends for defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. He interviewed in Baltimore on Sunday with the New York Jets for their head-coaching vacancy. In fresh ink on his resume: The Ravens have forced eight turnovers in the last two games.
