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They clawed at his feet like pesky mongrels, doubled-teamed his favorite receivers over four dramatic quarters and even hit him in the head.

But there was Tommy Maddox — wide-eyed and standing upright — running around Heinz Field on Sunday like he thought he was Fran Tarkenton, presiding over a flurry of third- and fourth-down conversions and, finally, leading the Steelers from 11 down with eight minutes left to a 34-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

His 21-yard slow trot through the unsuspecting Ravens defense led to one fourth-quarter touchdown — a 5-yard run by Amos Zereoue — and his 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Antwaan Randle El with 2:38 to go sealed the victory and the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs for the Steelers.

With victories in five of their final six regular-season games, the AFC North champion Steelers (10-5-1) open their Super Bowl quest in a wild-card round game next week at Heinz Field against the sixth-seeded Cleveland Browns (9-7).

"Now, you set a higher bar," Maddox said.

They aren't the favorites in the tournament — that distinction belongs to the Oakland Raiders, who secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs — but the Steelers proved they could overcome adversity and beat a determined opponent. Perhaps most impressive of all is the fact that the Steelers won a big game without three injured starters: running back Jerome Bettis, inside linebacker James Farrior and cornerback Chad Scott.

"To come and maybe not play the prettiest game but play a game where everybody showed what they're made of," Maddox said, "I can't say enough about the guys in the locker room."

Coach Bill Cowher stopped just short of anger in assessing a Steelers defense that allowed 422 yards and four touchdowns, but he was pleased with the comeback and the ensuing 6-0 record against three division foes.

"I think this was an important game, particularly with the way the game unfolded, the way those guys came back at the end," Cowher said. "There is a lot to be said for that. There is no give-up in this football team. There is a lot to be said for that mentality every time you walk on the field."

"We could have folded up and packed things up and said, 'We're in the playoffs,' " Ward said, "but we showed a lot of character."

"We didn't play as well as we need to play today," Cowher said, "but we won the football game."

They almost lost, robbing themselves of momentum and, possibly, confidence going into the playoffs.

The Steelers scored first on a 23-yard touchdown reception by Hines Ward in the first quarter, built a 20-14 halftime lead but watched it disappear after three poor plays in the third quarter.

First, wide receiver Plaxico Burress dropped a pass on fourth-and-1, and the Ravens took over at their 37-yard line and converted the mistake into a 43-yard Matt Stover field goal.

Second, cornerback James Trapp intercepted a pass that fullback Dan Kreider bobbled and returned to the Steelers 47. At that point, tight end Todd Heap, who had his way with the Steelers secondary throughout the game with 146 yards receiving, caught a 31-yard touchdown pass, despite interference from cornerback Dewayne Washington. That gave the Ravens their first lead of the day, 24-20.

Third, on the Steelers' next possession, Maddox tried to slip a pass through two defenders to Burress in the end zone, but free safety Anthony Mitchell intercepted and returned it to the Baltimore 29. All of a sudden, the Ravens' lead ballooned to 31-20 early in the fourth quarter after Steelers linebacker Kendrell Bell sprained his left ankle and left the game, leaving a big hole in the defense. Ravens running back Chester Taylor took advantage of it, scoring on a 20-yard catch-and-run.

Cue the comeback.

Despite the 11-point deficit, the Steelers turned to the running game with the Ravens double-teaming Ward and Burress. On fourth-and-1 from the Steelers 42, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala ran for 17 yards. On third-and-10, the Ravens left a void in the middle of the field that Maddox ran through for 21 yards.

"Nobody else was really left in the middle of the field, except the safeties and they were deep," Maddox said. "I figured I could at least get a first down."

He got more than twice that on the longest run of his career and then turned it over to Zereoue, who totaled 104 yards on 26 carries. Zereoue ran 5, 10 and 5 yards for the touchdown. After Zereoue's two-point conversion run failed, the Ravens' lead was 31-26.

Taylor muffed the ensuing kickoff and Steelers rookie linebacker Larry Foote dug the football out of a scrum at the Baltimore 31. The Steelers converted three third downs, wilth Ma'afala running 9 yards on third-and-1, Ward catching a 5-yard toss from Maddox on third-and-4 and Maddox finding Randle El for the winning score.

The deciding score started with Maddox looking for Ward, but the Ravens smothered him with three defenders. Maddox drifted to his right, with linebacker Peter Boulware at his feet. Maddox kicked out of Boulware's grasp and the offensive line gave him just enough time to find Randle El, who had started left, but reversed his field and found himself wide open in the end zone.

"I was yelling, but he didn't hear me," Randle El said. "I came out the backdoor and I just stayed with him and he found me. You just want to stay in Tommy's vision."

The Ravens had plenty of time to come back themselves and moved to the Steelers 11 with 18 seconds left before Washington intercepted a pass in the end zone that was intended for wide receiver Randy Hymes.

"It's not the way you would have drawn it up coming into the game," Maddox said, "but it forced us to play the whole game and stick together through the ups and downs. Everybody out there kept fighting."

The Steelers will take that as a sign that they are ready for the playoffs. But they're coming, ready or not.

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