Below are our Tuesday Top 7 Ravens players in the 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. We’ll track our rankings throughout the 2012 season using the following point system:

No. 1 – 7 points
No. 2 – 6 points
No. 3 – 5 points
No. 4 – 4 points
No. 5 – 3 points
No. 6 – 2 points
No. 7 – 1 point

To hear the full explanation for the respective lists, click HERE.

Luke Jones’ Top 7 …

7) Arthur Jones

6) James Ihedigbo

5) Dannell Ellerbe

4) Anquan Boldin

3) Paul Kruger

2) Corey Graham

1) Jacoby Jones

Drew Forrester’s Top 7 …

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After leaving in the first quarter of Sunday night’s game against Pittsburgh with a reported concussion, tight end Dennis Pitta immediately began feeling better and the Ravens are optimistic he will return to action this week against San Diego.

It was the second straight week that Pitta had been shaken up after he briefly left the Ravens’ 55-20 win over Oakland in Baltimore last Sunday. The third-year tight end was evaluated for concussion-like symptoms before being cleared to return to action.

However, he was unable to bounce back in the same way after being hit by Steelers safety Ryan Clark and inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons.

“We held him out — had some symptoms — but by the end of the game [and] during the game he was fine,” Harbaugh said. “At the end of the game, he showed no symptoms. He’s feeling really good today, so he should be fine. But, he’ll have to go through the protocol that we put our guys through and it’s a very strict protocol.”

Harbaugh also offered clarity on the status of nose tackle Terrence Cody, who missed Sunday’s game with an elbow injury. Cody suffered the injury last week and was unable to get the elbow loose enough during pre-game warmups to give the Ravens enough confidence that he’d be able to engage blockers along the defensive line.

He was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game before ultimately being listed as inactive.

“He had tweaked his elbow in practice,” Harbaugh said. “We did not think it was going to be an issue. We thought he was going to be fine, [but] the swelling just never came out of it.”

Harbaugh reported a few other minor injuries as reserve safety James Ihedigbo suffered a neck strain and newly-signed cornerback Chris Johnson left the game with a hamstring injury sustained during Jacoby Jones’ 63-yard punt return for a touchdown. Tight end Ed Dickson also suffered a “little bit of an ankle” tweak in Harbaugh’s words.

Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (knee/shoulder) and Jones (ankle) both made it through the game without any setbacks, according to Harbaugh. Inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe also continues to play through a thumb injury.

Defensive end Pernell McPhee missed his third straight game as he continues to recover from knee and thigh injuries. The second-year defensive lineman practiced on a limited basis last Wednesday and Thursday before sitting out Friday’s workout and being listed as doubtful for the Pittsburgh game.

The perceived decline in activity led many to wonder whether McPhee had suffered a setback — especially after declaring himself close to “100 percent” last Thursday — but the Baltimore coach cleared up any confusion and reminded everyone he wasn’t the one who had discussed McPhee’s progress.

“He’s working hard. There was no setback,” Harbaugh said. “He’s on schedule very soon. This week’s a possibility. Last week, in all fairness, was not a possibility, so I just want to make it clear who made the ’100 percent’ statement and who didn’t.”

McPhee has not played in a game since before their Week 8 bye.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Shortly before Ravens coach John Harbaugh met with the media for his Monday press conference, the NFL announced a one-game suspension for safety Ed Reed for repeated violations of player safety rules.

The 34-year-old was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a blow to the head of Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the third quarter of the Ravens’ 13-10 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Per the NFL’s official release, Reed will be suspended one game without pay for repeated “hits to the head and neck area of defenseless players.”

According to the league, the hit on Sanders was Reed’s third violation in the last three seasons. Earlier this year, Reed hit Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch to draw a $21,000 fine. The safety also hit Saints quarterback Drew Brees in a similar fashion in 2010.

“None of those were intent to injure or harm in any way,” said Harbaugh, who admitted he was surprised to learn of the league’s decision to suspend the star player. “I think when you look at the hits, that’s pretty obvious. We all know Ed. Ed respects the game; he respects his fellow players.”

The one-game suspension without pay means Reed stands to lose approximately $423,529 of his $7.2 million base salary.

The free safety will appeal the suspension and the Ravens anticipate a decision by Wednesday in order to determine whether he will be available against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. Harbaugh described Reed’s potential absence as a “blow” to the Baltimore defense for obvious reasons.

“Ed has told us that he’s going to appeal the suspension right away,” Harbaugh said. “We should know something very soon.”

The eight-time Pro Bowl safety would not be allowed to take part in practices this week or even be present at the team’s training facility in Owings Mills. He would then be reinstated next Monday.

Reed has been critical of the league in terms of its failure to protect its players. His revelation that he was dealing with a torn labrum in his shoulder was a precursor to the Ravens being fined $20,000 for failing to list him on the injury report in the days leading into their Week 7 loss at Houston.

“He’s a good person,” Harbaugh said. “He’s got a good heart. He’s got tremendous respect for the game, and we stand behind him in that respect as a team and an organization.”

If Reed is unavailable to play against the Chargers, the Ravens would likely go with reserve safety James Ihedigbo as a starter next to Bernard Pollard in the secondary.

You can already hear the critiques and complaints about the Ravens’ 13-10 win over the Steelers on Sunday night.

The offense was anemic on the road once again, mustering just six points and finishing 3-for-14 on third down. The only saving grace was a turnover-free performance by quarterback Joe Flacco and the Baltimore offense.

Taking the offensive showing in isolation, you’d be more understanding as the Ravens went up against the top-ranked defense in the league in yards allowed, but we know better watching the unit operate away from M&T Bank Stadium at this point.

An inspiring performance from a maligned and banged-up defense did come against a Pittsburgh offense without Ben Roethlisberger.

It was ugly and uncomfortable as it usually is against Pittsburgh, with the defensive — or offensively-challenged — struggle being decided by one possession for the ninth time in 11 games played between the Ravens and the Steelers in the John Harbaugh era.

A 63-yard punt return by Jacoby Jones was the lone touchdown for the Ravens as they won their third consecutive regular-season game in Pittsburgh for only the second time in franchise history.

No, it wasn’t a work of art, but a win over the Steelers should never be taken for granted, regardless of who’s playing quarterback for Pittsburgh.

Last year’s season-opening 35-7 win aside, it’s never easy.

“Whatever procedure my brother had, I think I’m going to need it later tonight,” Harbaugh said minutes after the narrow win. “My heart’s moving a little fast right now.”

Join the club, John.

As much as we’ve focused on the Ravens’ many injuries, offensive shortcomings on the road, and overall defensive struggles, they stand at 8-2 and enjoy a stranglehold on the AFC North with six games remaining in the regular season.

It really doesn’t make sense, but I’ll remind you we just spent six months saying the same thing during the baseball season before the Orioles advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

This year’s version of the Ravens simply finds ways to win games and it’s landed them in a premium position despite their many flaws. At this point, I’m not sure we’ll see remedies to those weaknesses, which supports the notion of the Ravens needing to play playoff games in Baltimore in order to have a realistic chance of advancing to the Super Bowl.

But it’s becoming more and more difficult to bet against Baltimore when you see the rest of the overall competition in the AFC.

Talking to Terrell Suggs after Sunday night’s win, I expected the defensive bravado to resurface after holding the Steelers to 10 points, but that wasn’t the case. It was an interesting vibe offered by the 30-year-old linebacker, who admitted he’s still not where he wants to be physically in terms of explosiveness and being able to make his usual impact.

“I’m starting to believe the numbers really don’t matter,” Suggs said. “We’ve been a top-10 defense for years and yet, we have no Super Bowl rings to account for them. Last year, in the AFC championship, we lost to the 31st-ranked defense. The numbers are all good for [media] to kind of pile on, but I guess the only thing that really matters is wins and losses.”

Maybe it was a veteran realizing the Ravens’ window for winning a championship is closing — at least in terms of how the current team is constructed.

Or perhaps the Ravens are embracing the good karma coming their way in the win column week after week despite the obstacles they’ve faced.

Baltimore is counting on names such as Corey Graham, Chris Johnson, and James Ihedigbo to make game-changing plays at this point.

The defense is below average statistically. The offense looks elite at home but cannot get out of its own way on the road. The special teams have been exceptional.

The sum of those parts shouldn’t add up to the Ravens being a championship-caliber team.

But it’s somehow working out so far to put them in position to make a run.

An 8-2 record proves it.