Steelers

CLEVELAND (4-8) AT PITTSBURGH (9-3) TV: NFL Network, 5:15 p.m. PST Line: Steelers by 14. Over/Under: 38. Lowdown: Pittsburgh hasn't lost to the Browns at Heinz Field since 2003. The Steelers are peaking at the right time, coming off a stomping of Cincinnati. Sam Farmer's pick: Steelers 23, Browns 10

No. 24 Pittsburgh Steelers: OG David DeCastro, Stanford - - Although DeCastro is from Bellevue, Wash., his parents are South African and both his father and grandfather played rugby for the University of Cape Town. DeCastro is so intense, he refuses to high-five teammates after big plays. Said NFL Network's Mike Mayock: "I think with DeCastro, when you get him, you're going to plug him in Day One, and he's going to be your starting guard. " Comment: Rebuilding Pittsburgh's line has been a project for the Steelers for several years.

NFL tonight CAROLINA (2-12) AT PITTSBURGH (10-4) TV: NFL Network. Line: Steelers by 14. Over/under: 37. Story line: Even though the Steelers already have secured a playoff berth, they need to stay ahead of Baltimore in the race for the AFC North crown and have their eye on the second seeding in the conference. Sam Farmer's pick: Steelers 24, Panthers 9.

Peyton in prime time? It won't take long. As the NFL revealed Tuesday with its schedule release , the Denver Broncos - Peyton Manning's new team - will play host to the first "Sunday Night Football" game of the 2012 season, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's one of five prime-time games for the Broncos, the maximum allowable in a league that, for the first time, will give each of its 32 teams at least one night game on national TV. Eight days later, the Broncos will be on "Monday Night Football," marking the first time the Broncos have opened the season with consecutive prime-time games.

The Pittsburgh Steelers would like to move from wild-card leader to the top-seeded team in the AFC during the NFL's final weeks. Take away quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and linebacker James Harrison on Monday night at NFC West-leading San Francisco, and that pursuit gets more difficult. Roethlisberger was kept out of full practices last week after spraining his left ankle in a 14-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 8, and Coach Mike Tomlin said the quarterback with two Super Bowl rings is "day-to-day" with the pain.

His name might not have a ring to it with everyone in Pittsburgh, but John Kuhn's finger has a Pittsburgh ring on it. Kuhn, a 250-pound fullback for the Green Bay Packers, is the only player on that roster with a Super Bowl ring. He earned it in 2005 as a member of the Steelers' practice squad. Only three players on Green Bay's roster have been on teams that made it this far. The other two are cornerback Charles Woodson, a member of the Oakland Raiders team that lost to Tampa Bay in the 2002 season, and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, who played on the 2001 St. Louis team that lost to New England.

The agent for Bam Morris said the former Pittsburgh Steeler running back is taking a deserved second chance, but the Steelers think Morris is profiting unfairly from a drug-related suspension. Agent Steve Zucker argues it was the Steelers' choice to abandon Morris on July 10 after he was put on probation in Texas for possessing nearly six pounds of marijuana. Morris would have made $185,600 with the Steelers this season.

Key: Ben Roethlisberger passed for three touchdowns and James Harrison had three sacks and forced a fumble. The Lions drove to the Steelers' 21 before three sacks and an incompletion ended the threat as black-and-gold-clad road fans cheered wildly. Steelers said: "That worked in our favor. Those offensive linemen couldn't hear the snap count, so they had to watch the ball just like we do." -- LaMarr Woodley Lions said: "I still think we have a good ballclub here, but a good ballclub will look at a situation like this and use it to find a way to start winning these games."

Ben Roethlisberger's throwing got fast-starting Pittsburgh going on its first two drives, Rashard Mendenhall surpassed his previous career total with 165 yards rushing and two scores and the Steelers opened a 28-point lead, then held on to beat the San Diego Chargers, 38-28, on Sunday night. The Chargers (2-2), outgained nearly four to one until late in the third quarter, made an apparent blowout close as Philip Rivers threw touchdown passes of 30 yards to Antonio Gates and 13 yards to Chris Chambers and Jacob Hester scored on a 41-yard fumble return, all in the fourth quarter.

The last two Super Bowl champions will open the season Thursday in a national-television showcase — a pregame party, fireworks and celebration for everyone spared from a locked-out season when the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints take the field. Good times don't fuel football players, coaches and fans, however. Heartache and defeat do. The Pittsburgh Steelers feel the burn, after losing to the Packers in last season's Super Bowl. And the Baltimore Ravens have been stewing even longer, since squandering a lead in an AFC divisional-round playoff game against the Steelers.

Peyton in prime time? It won't take long. As the NFL revealed Tuesday with its schedule release , the Denver Broncos -- Peyton Manning's new team -- will host the first “Sunday Night Football” game of the 2012 season, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's one of five prime-time games for the Broncos, the maximum allowed in a league that, for the first time, will give each of its 32 teams at least one night game on national TV. Eight days later, the Broncos will be on “Monday Night Football,” marking the first time the Broncos will have opened the season with consecutive prime-time games.

On a day when one aging NFL star is beginning the final chapter of his playing career, another could be calling it quits. Hines Ward, released last month after 14 seasons with Pittsburgh, will meet with the media at Steelers headquarters Tuesday, presumably to announce his retirement. Ward, arguably the best blocking receiver in the game, has 1,000 receptions and 85 touchdowns. ( 11:14 a.m. update : It's official. Ward announces retirement .) The 36-year-old receiver was born two weeks before Peyton Manning, who will be introduced Tuesday as the new quarterback of the Denver Broncos.

Pro Bowl receiver Hines Ward announced his retirement Tuesday after 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The news came at a tear-filled press conference at Steelers headquarters attended by Coach Mike Tomlin, General Manager Kevin Colbert, team President Art Rooney II, and former teammates Jerome Bettis and Aaron Smith, among others. "I will remain a Steeler for life," said Ward, who retired with 1,000 receptions and 85 touchdowns. He was widely considered the best blocking receiver in the game.

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward retired Tuesday rather than try extending his career with another team. The decision comes three weeks after Ward was released by the Steelers in a salary-cap maneuver. The 36-year-old Ward is the franchise's all-time leader in every major receiving category, including receptions, yards and touchdowns. Ward said following his release he believed he "still had some football in him," but changed his mind. Ward, a four-time Pro Bowler, saw his playing time decrease last season behind Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown . He finished with 46 receptions, the fewest since his rookie year in 1998.

As Times NFL reporter Sam Farmer reported Wednesday , the Pittsburgh Steelers will release veteran wide receiver Hines Ward. "We had a conversation today with Hines Ward and informed him that we plan to release him of his contract prior to the start of the 2012 NFL calendar year," Steelers President Art Rooney II told Steelers.com. "Hines has been an integral part of our success since we drafted him in 1998, and we will forever be grateful for what he has helped us achieve.

Reporting from Denver -- Steel City, meet Steal City. In a shocking upset Sunday, the Denver Broncos heisted the Super Bowl dreams of the heavily-favored Pittsburgh Steelers, capping wild-card weekend with the wildest of wins — a 29-23 victory in overtime. On the first play from scrimmage in the extra period, Tim Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas over the middle, and Thomas outraced the defense for an 80-yard touchdown. The delirium in Sports Authority Stadium seemed to cause it to sway, the unbelievable outcome scripted in orange.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will win the Super Bowl. The Cowboys won't be able to concentrate--they're already looking ahead to playing next year in Miami against Jimmy Johnson. JOHN ELK Los Angeles

Reporting from Denver -- Champ Bailey, All-Pro cornerback for the Denver Broncos, has faced Pittsburgh enough to know he has to trust his eyes and not his ears when it comes to reports about Ben Roethlisberger's health. So does Bailey buy the argument that Roethlisberger will be compromised by a bum ankle Sunday when the Steelers play at Denver in a first-round playoff game? "No, not at all," he said. "Because I know how tough he is. I was watching the Cleveland game and there's no way he should have went back in there, but he did. They pretty much were already in the playoffs, so to have him go back out there, that shows his toughness right there.

The way Las Vegas sees it, the Denver Broncos have a 1% chance of winning the Super Bowl, the longest odds in the playoff field. According to R.J. Bell of Pregame.com, a $100 bet on Denver to win it all would pay $7,200 if the Broncos were to make good on the wager. The Broncos, who play host to Pittsburgh on Sunday, are definitely struggling. They've lost three in a row, and quarterback Tim Tebow has one touchdown pass and nine turnovers over that span. Their defense, however, is coming off a strong performance in a 7-3 loss to Kansas City.