One down, only a half-dozen to go.

An hour after the Kansas City Chiefs' 24-0 loss to the Oakland Raiders last night, the Ravens headed to their team meeting knowing today's 1 p.m. season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers will either be the backdrop of a phenomenal finish to the league's wild playoff race or the end of the line.

In order to capture a wild-card berth, the Ravens (7-8) have to upset the AFC North champions at Heinz Field and the five AFC teams with an 8-7 record have to all lose at home. The odds of that six-game scenario occurring stand at 64-to-1, making the Ravens the NFL's biggest long shots for the postseason.

When assessing their slim chances, the Ravens' locker room is split. There are some saying probably not, and others asking, why not?

"You don't get your hopes up ... but at the same time, crazier things have happened in the NFL this year," tight end Todd Heap said.

Besides dealing with this complicated playoff picture, the Ravens have to battle the temptation of scoreboard watching, the letdown from last Sunday's loss and the heated emotions of this divisional rivalry.

At the same time the Ravens are trying to notch a victory in Pittsburgh for the fourth straight season, they need the Cleveland Browns to lose to the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots to fall to the Miami Dolphins. The Ravens players admit they'll be peeking at the scoreboard for updates on those games.

"They always put scores up and you do see them, but what can you do about them?" Heap said. "I don't know if it makes the job tougher, but it's something in the back of your mind."

If the Browns and Patriots lose, the Ravens still won't know their playoff fate even with a win in Pittsburgh. They'll have to sweat out three games that begin at 4:15 p.m.

The Ravens would need the Denver Broncos to lose to the Arizona Cardinals, the New York Jets to fall to the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers to lose to the Seattle Seahawks. Many within the Ravens' organization believe the toughest part of the formula is depending on the Broncos - an 11-point favorite - to lose.

If all those AFC teams drop to 8-8, the Ravens would earn a wild-card spot based on a superior conference record and would likely play a first-round game at Miami.

Instead of getting bogged down in this postseason scenario chaos, the Ravens are focused on a simpler resolution.

"Regardless of what the future has for us, you want to go into this game and win," cornerback Gary Baxter said.

Before the Ravens can handle the pressures of the present, they have to cope with the heartache of the past.

The Ravens could have controlled their playoff destiny if they could have stopped the Browns from driving 92 yards and scoring the game-winning touchdown with 29 seconds remaining last Sunday. Many of the Ravens have said that loss will stick with them through the offseason.

There could be a mental strain for the NFL's youngest team heading into the final game of the regular season.

"I don't doubt their effort or focus," coach Brian Billick said. "This young team is tired and there's not enough veteran leadership to offset that in a tangible way. I'm not saying that to set up an excuse, but this team is at that point."

The Steelers (9-5-1) have little to play for having already wrapped up their seventh division title in 11 seasons under coach Bill Cowher. They have an outside shot at a first-round bye if they win today and the Tennessee Titans surprisingly lose to the expansion Texans in Houston.

But both teams realize no game between them is entirely without meaning, even if the winner gains nothing more than the satisfaction of not losing to the other. This season's first meeting of these AFC rivals featured jawing, players stomping on one another and the helmet of Pittsburgh receiver Plaxico Burress getting ripped off by James Trapp.

"Let's face it: they don't like us, and we don't like them," Steelers running back Jerome Bettis told Pittsburgh reporters.

This rivalry could mark the end of the season as well as some Ravens careers.

There are 14 Ravens players, including seven starters, who will be unrestricted free agents at the end of this season. While cornerback Chris McAlister will either be re-signed or have the franchise tag slapped on him, other players like left guard Edwin Mulitalo and quarterback Jeff Blake could be playing their last game as Ravens.

"I've thought about it," Mulitalo said. "It's weighing in the back of my mind. I want to definitely leave that last impression."

A loss would also boot Billick from an exclusive club.

Presently, there are only three coaches - Vince Lombardi, John Madden and Billick - who have won Super Bowls and never had a losing season.

"Certainly, if my name can be mentioned in the same paragraph as Vince Lombardi and John Madden, that's great," said Billick, who has never had a losing record in three seasons as the Ravens head coach and seven seasons as a Minnesota Vikings assistant. "But that's not something I'm going to dwell a lot on. There are a lot of reasons for me to want to win this game, but that's not exactly high on the list."

A bigger motivation extends beyond evening their record or keeping their faint playoff hopes alive.

If the rebuilding Ravens want to consider themselves playoff contenders in the future, they know the road to the division title runs through Heinz Field.

"We need to beat this beast right now," Mulitalo said. "That sets up for the years to come. We're going to have to beat this team anyway to become the caliber team we want to be. Hey, we might as well start now."

Ravens today

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

Site:Heinz Field, Pittsburgh

Time:1 p.m.

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

Line:Steelers by 7 1/2

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