FanHouse Chris Hoke

Casey Hampton is heading into the final year of his contract, but Steelers coach Mike Tomlin isn't exactly taking it easy on the Steelers nose tackle.

Last year, Hampton showed up too fat for training camp (well fatter than normal), so Tomlin sat him out of practices until he melted away some of the extra pounds. He ended up playing his normal key role as the anchor of the Steelers' defensive line, but that hasn't earned him a pass from Tomlin. When asked if Hampton is in better shape this year, Tomlin could have easily said something like: "I'm sure he will be because Casey's a professional," or something like that to send a message while also going out of his way to not needle the big man.

Instead, he made it clear that he's not going to coddle Casey.

Every time you rewatch the Steelers-Ravens games from earlier this year, it's hard to not get even more excited about Act III.

You have the league's two best defenses facing off, and two offenses that will be trying to prove that they aren't over their head. You'll watch James Harrison try to terrorize Joe Flacco again, while Ed Reed will try to once again turn a game around with an interception.

And after charting every Ravens' offensive play from both games, it's clear that Baltimore is facing an uphill battle. For all the talk about Flacco's amazing success as a rookie, the Ravens finished 28th in the NFL in passing yardage this season, and while most teams have two or three significant receiving threats, Baltimore had only one receiver with more than 700 yards receiving.

But in rewatching the first two Steelers-Ravens games, there are some things Baltimore can take advantage of.

It sounds crazy to say that Ben Roethlisberger's interception that was returned by Rashean Mathis for a touchdown could help Pittsburgh, but in a whacky way, it may have.

Because the Jags scored on a defensive play, Pittsburgh put together a pair of time-consuming drives before the Jaguars offense ever took the field. On a night where the Steelers are playing without two starting defensive linemen and a key backup, that edge in time of possession could be crucial in the second half.

Exactly halfway through the second quarter, Jacksonville had run only 13 offensive plays compared to the Steelers 31. By taking only 13 snaps, it was no problem for Aaron Smith, Chris Hoke and Travis Kirschke to be out there for every play (with the exception of the dime package). Flip the number of plays around and the Steelers would be trying to stop Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew with a gassed Chris Hoke and Scott Paxson playing his first pro game.

So when the Steelers defense still looks fresh in the second half, thank the Steelers offense for holding the ball for the first eight minutes of the game.

It was already known that Steelers defensive tackle Casey Hampton suffered a groin injury in Sunday's loss at Philadelphia, and we knew there was a good chance it would keep him out of Monday night's game against division rival Baltimore. So, it wasn't much of a surprise when Head Coach Mike Tomlin ruled Hampton, a 4-time Pro Bowl selection, out for this weeks game.

It was, however, a gigantic surprise, and a pretty heavy punch to the gut, when Tomlin told the media that Starting running back Willie Parker has also been ruled out. Tomlin described Parker's injury as a "knee sprain," and that he suffered it late in the game on Sunday. A reporter asked Tomlin if it was an MCL sprain, and Tomlin responded by simply saying it was "a knee sprain" and that he'll be "week-to-week."

This is a huge loss for the Steelers' offense, but it's also a gigantic opportunity for first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall, who will be getting the bulk of the carries against an always tough Ravens defense. Mendenhall has been used sparingly over the first three weeks, and hasn't had a carry since the season opener against Houston.

When the Steelers face the Jaguars tonight, there won't be a whole lot of personnel changes Pittsburgh can make defensively to try to improve on their horrendous performance in the regular season matchup.

Troy Polamalu should be back in the lineup after missing two games, but he was in the lineup against Jacksonville last time, and he played one of his worst games of the season. Tyrone Carter will replace Anthony Smith as the starting free safety, which hopefully should eliminate the big pass plays that gashed the Steelers in early December.

But the biggest difference may come from a backup lineman. When Aaron Smith went down with a season-ending injury, Chris Hoke became the Steelers' third-best lineman. But since he plays nose tackle and not defensive end, that didn't really mean a whole lot.

The Steelers are healthier than expected after a bruising loss to the Cardinals. Coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that Casey Hampton, Troy Polamalu, Chris Hoke and Matt Spaeth should all be back on Sunday despite injuries that left them sidelined against the Cardinals. Wide receiver Hines Ward also is likely to be back after missing only the fourth game of his career.

The only Steeler knocked out on Sunday who will miss significant time is Bryant McFadden. The cornerback has a high ankle sprain, the worst possible kind of sprained ankle. He'll likely miss a month or more, although the Steelers upcoming bye week will help give him some extra time to recover without missing a game.