Mike Wallace's 19-yard TD catch with no time remaining immediately vaulted near the top of the list of best catches from the 2009 season — and like the Steelers' thrilling 37-36 victory over the Packers, it became an instant classic.

The rookie left Steelers teammates, coaches and fans smiling from ear to ear after not only snaring Ben Roethlisberger's laser-beam pass to the front corner of the endzone with no time remaining while fully stretched out, but managing to artfully touch his toes inbounds as he secured the ball and fell out of bounds despite having a Packers defender right on him.

It was a perfectly thrown and placed pass and a brilliant grab considering the circumstances. If Wallace hadn't made the catch, the Steelers would've lost their sixth consecutive game and, for all intents and purposes, would have been knocked out of the playoff race.

Instead, Wallace's catch has rejuvenated the defending champions, who must win this week against Baltimore to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The rookie from Mississippi helped set the tone for a wild game that saw the Steelers and Packers combine for 848 passing yards when he hauled in Roethlisberger's 60-yard bomb on the Steelers' first offensive play for an early 7-0 lead.

Remarkably, he didn't catch another pass until the game-winner, which is kind of how his first year has gone. Wallace had a nice start to the season, with a 102-yard receiving day in Week Three, but had disappeared to some degree in recent weeks, with just seven catches the past five games.

Roethlisberger showed his confidence in the young pass catcher by going his way with the season on the line — and Wallace came through.

It'll be interesting to see if Wallace's role in Pittsburgh's potent passing offense will continue to grow this season. We know the Steelers think highly of him for the future, with Wallace likely becoming Hines Ward's successor in the starting lineup at some point down the line.

However, his ability to produce in the clutch — and his toughness, as he had to visit the locker room to get stitches in his knee shortly before making his decisive catch — will certainly enhance the trust Roethlisberger has in him. It won't be surprise to see Wallace, who has 34 catches for 609 yards (17.9 avg.) and five TDs on the season, build on those numbers in the final two weeks.

On to this week's Rookie of the Year Meter:

1.OLB Brian Cushing, Texans (first round, 15th overall)
Made seven tackles, half a sack and two QB hits in a 16-13 victory over the Rams to help the Texans get back to the .500 mark at 7-7. Now back in the playoff picture, the team still has a shot at the first winning season in franchise history, and Cushing has been a big part of the team's defensive renaissance.

2. WR Percy Harvin, Vikings (1, 22)
Was held to one catch for 10 yards, and his two kickoff returns netted only 31 yards in the Vikings' dismal 26-7 loss to the Panthers Sunday night. After not playing in Week 14 because of migraine headaches, he was limited in practice once again last week because of migraine issues.

3. OLB Brian Orakpo, Redskins (1, 13)
Was held to one tackle for loss in an embarrassing 45-12 loss to the Giants on "Monday Night Football." It was his lowest tackle total since Week Two. Still leads all rookies with 11 sacks.

4. OLB Clay Matthews, Packers (1, 26)
Produced another big performance in a playoff-type atmosphere, totaling seven tackles, two sacks and three QB hits in a thrilling 37-36 loss at Pittsburgh. His speed rushes gave Steelers OLT Max Starks all kinds of trouble throughout the game. He now stands one sack behind Brian Orakpo for the rookie lead, with 10 sacks on the season.

5. MLB James Laurinaitis, Rams (2, 35)
Made five tackles in a 16-13 loss to Texans and ranks second in tackles amongst all rookies with 109.

6. CB Jairus Byrd, Bills (2, 42)
Started against the Patriots but did little, failing to make the stat sheet after a zero-tackle, zero-interception performance. Has been hampered by a nagging groin injury and was unable to add to his league-leading total of nine interceptions.

7. OT Michael Oher, Ravens (1, 23)
Helped keep Joe Flacco relatively clean as the Ravens' QB tossed a season-high four TD passes in leading Baltimore to an easy 31-7 victory over the Bears.

8. WR Hakeem Nicks, Giants (1, 29)
Caught two passes for 66 yards in the Giants' 45-12 romp over the Redskins Monday night. Though he didn't score, both of his catches set up New York touchdowns. Has 40 catches for 751 yards (18.8 avg.) with six TDs. 

9. RB Beanie Wells, Cardinals (1, 31)
Had a career high in carries and yards in a 17-110-1 rushing performance that was a huge reason why the Cardinals were able to outlast the pesky Lions 31-24. Also had one catch for 13 yards. That follows on the heels of a 15-79-1 rushing day in the Monday-night loss at San Francisco the week before. His role in the Cardinals' offense is growing each week as it appears he might be able to finally provide balance to the Arizona attack.

10. S Louis Delmas, Lions (2, 33)
Had a 100-yard interception-return touchdown in the Lions' 31-24 loss to the Cardinals. Became the first rookie to record a 100-yard interception-return TD since Mike Gaechter did it for the Cowboys in 1962. Delmas also is the first rookie in NFL history to register an interception return for a TD (vs. Arizona), a safety (vs. Green Bay,  Nov. 26) and a fumble return for a touchdown (65 yards, at New Orleans, Sept. 13) in the same season.

On the cusp (listed alphabetically)

WR Kenny Britt, Titans (1, 30)
WR Austin Collie, Colts (4, 127)
CB Vontae Davis, Dolphins (1, 25)
DT Terrance Knighton, Jaguars (3, 72)
OT Phil Loadholt, Vikings (2, 54)
RB LeSean McCoy, Eagles (2, 53)
RB Knowshon Moreno, Broncos (1, 12)
CB Jerraud Powers, Colts (3, 92)
CB Glover Quin, Texans (4, 112)
OG Louis Vasquez, Chargers (3, 78)

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