Mathematically, the Ravens are still alive.

Realistically, they are on life support.

After a crippling 14-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Ravens (7-8) are the league's biggest long shot to make the playoffs heading into the season's final week.

The Ravens need to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road and for six other AFC teams to lose next weekend, and the team's chances of earning a wild-card spot stand at 128-to-1.

"I know it's remote and I'm not sticking my head in the sand," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "The moons have to be in alignment, the Dow Jones has to go over 10,000 and a lot of things have to happen. But we're not out of the playoffs."

Although the odds are stacked against them, their picture isn't entirely bleak.

In addition to winning in Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Ravens need the Browns, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers - all at 8-7 - to lose this weekend. Only the Broncos and Chargers are favored to win.

If all the teams finish 8-8, the Ravens would earn the wild-card berth because their conference record would be the best at 8-4.

Asked about their postseason hopes yesterday, some of the players didn't know they were still in contention.

"Whew," linebacker Peter Boulware said. "I'm feeling a little better now. At least when we play this game, we know there's hope. ... We'll go after our one-in-a-million chance."

Actually, there's a chance the Ravens could board the plane for Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon still in playoff contention and be eliminated by the time they convene for their team meeting that night. The Chiefs play the Raiders at 5 p.m. Saturday and could knock out the Ravens with an upset victory.

The biggest frustration for the Ravens is that they could have had a clear path to the playoffs if they had kept Cleveland out of the end zone in the final two minutes. With the Patriots, Broncos and Chargers losing, the Ravens could have earned a wild-card berth with a win in Pittsburgh regardless of what other teams did.

But by losing control of the game Sunday, the Ravens lost control of their playoff destiny.

"We had an opportunity to put our fate in our hands," wide receiver Travis Taylor said. "You don't look to anybody else to give you help."

Rehashing the final three minutes of the Ravens' meltdown dominated Billick's news conference yesterday.

The second-guessing began with the Ravens punting on fourth-and-two rather than going for the first down with the ball on Cleveland's 35-yard line with 2:31 left.

Billick, though, banked on his defense's success in shutting down foes on the last drive. At the start of that series, he told offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh that going on fourth down would not be a consideration.

So the Ravens punted and downed the ball at the Browns' 8.

"When we got it down to the 8, that's as winnable a scenario as you could put them in as a coach compared to any other options," Billick said.

Another topic for debate was calling an outside run for Jamal Lewis on third-and-seven with three minutes left when the Ravens needed him to stay in bounds to run time off the clock. The Ravens decided to gamble for the first down by running off the edge rather than pounding the ball up the middle for a minimal gain against a stacked front.

Lewis, though, was hit out of bounds to stop the clock at 2:31, giving the Browns roughly a half-minute more for their final drive. That extra time came back to haunt the Ravens when Cleveland scored the winning touchdown with 29 seconds left.

"We felt like we needed to get out on the edge to have any chance of making the play," Billick said. "But it doesn't always turn out the way you plan sometimes."

According to Billick, the call should not have come into question because the officials missed the Browns yanking Lewis' face mask. A 15-yard penalty would have given the Ravens a first down with the Browns being unable to stop the clock.

"[The officials] missed it; what can I say?" Billick said. "To talk anymore about it is to make excuses, and there's a dozen other plays that could have happened that could have impacted the game."

The biggest play of the Browns' game-winning 92-yard drive was helped by two Ravens mistakes. Cleveland moved 42 yards into the Ravens' red zone on a catch by Browns running back Jamel White and an unnecessary roughness penalty by Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister.

White gained 28 yards down the right sideline because the Ravens misdiagnosed the formation, overshifting to the left side. Then, McAlister was flagged for a late hit on White.

"He was out of bounds, but all I did was put my hands on him," said McAlister, who had previously brushed off reporters after the game. "It's something you can call questionable."

Questionable sums up the Ravens' playoff chances heading into their season finale.

But the NFL's youngest team is focused on the opportunity, not the odds.

"Right now, it's about making the playoffs and the here and now," Billick said. "Going into the last game and still having a playoff possibility - whatever the circumstances - is probably more than we could have hoped for when the season started."

Next for Ravens

Matchup: Ravens (7-8) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5-1)

Site: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh

When: Sunday, 1 p.m.

TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WJFK (1300 AM), WQSR (102.7 FM)

Line: Off the board

SunSpot: For more coverage, visit sunspot.net/ravens