BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Jamal Lewis has the NFL rushing record in his sights and the Baltimore Ravens have the AFC North title within their grasp heading into Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In his fourth season since being selected fifth overall in 2000 out of Tennessee, Lewis has enjoyed a monster year and has rushed for 1,952 yards, leaving him 153 shy of matching Eric Dickerson's league record. Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams.
"Anything is possible," Lewis said. "I think it is attainable and I think we can go out and get those kinds of yards. The whole line will be psyched up and ready to go so I think I will just put it in their hands. I will just follow their lead."
Lewis also is just 48 yards shy of becoming the fifth back in league history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and first since Terrell Davis accomplished feat with Denver in 1998. Barry Sanders (2,053), Davis (2,008) and O.J. Simpson (2,003) are the other backs to reach 2,000 yards.
Even if he does not get the record, it has been a magical season for Lewis, who set the single-game rushing record by gaining 295 yards against Cleveland on September 14.
Lewis, who missed the entire 2001 season with a torn left ACL, has three straight and 11 100-yard games this season.
This will be Lewis' second crack at the Steelers this season. In the opener, he was limited to 69 yards rushing on 15 attempts in the Ravens' 34-15 loss.
Pittsburgh ranks 11th in the league against the run, allowing 107.5 yards per contest.
Led by Lewis, the Ravens are on the verge of winning their first division title since relocating to Baltimore following the 1995 season. They lead Cincinnati by one game in the AFC North and would capture the division with a win here or if the Bengals lose earlier Sunday to Cleveland.
Last Sunday, Lewis continued his march toward the record books by rushing for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens' 35-0 blanking of Cleveland.
Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, who is in the final year of his contract and likely will be playing elsewhere next season, is 14 yards shy of moving past Hall of Famer Jim Brown into sixth place on the all-time rushing list. Bettis has rushed for 12,299 yards in 11 seasons.
Bettis rushed for 115 yards, his second 100-yard game in the last three weeks, in last week's 40-24 rout of San Diego. Tommy Maddox also completed 11-of-18 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
Pittsburgh has won the last four meetings and leads the series, 11-4.
