It was a tough choice for week four, but in the end I couldn't resist the urge to go with a pivotal AFC North battle. The Baltimore Ravens will take their stagnant offence with them to Steeltown, to take on the Big-Ben-less Pittsburgh Steelers. This will be the last game the Steelers will be without their All-Pro quarterback, but will he be in game shape when he returns?

The Steelers have been winning with amazing defensive play, and with or without Roethlisberger, the defence will be good. They will have their work cut out for them, as the Ravens are not as bad as they looked back in week two in Cincinnati. And with either Charlie Batch or Byron Leftwich at QB, the Steelers may be in big trouble.

While it is still fairly early in the season, this game will be huge down the stretch. If the Steelers can come out of Roethlisberger's suspension with at least three wins, it will be a huge boost for when he returns. The Ravens have struggled with inconsistency on offence, but that has been the case for about 15 years now. Just ask Ray Lewis.

Key Match-ups
1. Ed Reed vs. Hines Ward: If Ed Reed is healthy for this game; this will be a critical matchup. These two have a long history of smacking each other around on the field, and I expect this match-up to be no different.

2. Joe Flacco vs. Inconsistency: Flacco established himself as a great up-and-coming quarterback a season ago. This year, he has been very inconsistent. The Ravens have done a lot to help him out, bringing in Anquan Boldin and T.J. Housmanzadeh at the wide receiver position. Now, Flacco must step up and play to his full potential.

3. Michael Vick vs. Kevin Kolb: Completely unrelated to the game of the week, but this could be the controversy of the year. Vick has looked very good in his early-season action, and it has lots of football fans wanting more. The Eagles appear to be confident in Kolb to be their starter down the road, but if he slips up, will Vick be right back in? Their best choice would be to play Vick until the trade deadline, and hope they can swing a deal with a desperate team in search of a quarterback. Hey Buffalo ... that's you.

The Rundown
Now, back to the Ravens- Steelers. The Steelers' D has kept them in the games this year, allowing the offence to merely score 10- 20 points and get a win. While I expect much of the same in this one, I think Flacco and the Ravens offence will step it up. Ravens take it 20-10.

For next week, a return to Monday Night Football, as Brett Favre leads his Vikings out of their bye week and into New Meadowlands Stadium for a matchup with his former green teammates, the New York Jets.

For more from the NFL Czar, check out his blog at jvzsblog.blogspot.com