George Willis
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Blog: By George
PITTSBURGH --The Ravens and Steelers don't have to stand in front of microphones and notebooks and talk about how much they hate each other or how "personal" their impending game is. Terrell Suggs' T-shirt said it all.
On Wednesday, the Ravens linebacker wore a T-shirt that featured an illustration of a large Raven giving the Steelers the finger, er, the claw. Enough said.
Want to see what a real rivalry looks like, feels like and sounds like? The Steelers and Ravens are sure to provide an example today when they meet in a divisional playoff game at Heinz Field.
Hines Ward and Ray Lewis
"There's nothing really to talk about," Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said. "Both sides know that when the whistle blows you're going to get what we got and we're going to get what they got. So, once again -- I love to use this -- here we go again."
This will be the eighth matchup in the past three seasons between the AFC North rivals. The past four games all have been decided by three points and the margin of victory in the past eight games has been a touchdown or less.
The two teams split their regular-season games this season. The Ravens won in Pittsburgh, 17-14, in Week 4 when Ben Roethlisberger was serving his NFL suspension. The Steelers got revenge last month, winning 13-10 in Baltimore.
"They know what type of team we are," Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said. "We know what type of team they are. It's going to come down to whatever team executes the best. That's how it has been over the years."
Buckle up.
LET'S GET PHYSICAL
This will be a grown man's game. Bones will be jarred, teeth will be rattled and more than a few players will feel like they've been in a car wreck.
"There is going to be a lot of hard hitting going on," Ward said. "They know it, we know it."
The fans know it, too, which is why this slugfest could be the most brutal of the weekend.
"When we play the Ravens, it is whoever can be the most physical team that wins," defensive lineman Chris Hoke said.
Keep your West Coast offense and your Wildcat. This will be all about smash mouth.
RESTED vs TESTED
The Steelers earned a first-round bye in the playoffs, sitting home while the Ravens advanced out of the wild-card round with a 30-7 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday. Which team benefited the most is in the eye of the beholder.
"It was a week that catered toward the needs of the group individually and collectively," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Those that needed work got work. Those that needed rehabilitation and rest got that."
But while Pittsburgh was resting, the Ravens steamrolled the Chiefs, dominating on both sides of the ball and creating the kind of momentum that could carry over into today's game.
OLD SPICE vs HEAD & SHOULDERS
They've taken plenty of grief for their respective commercials, but Lewis and Steelers defensive back Troy Polamalu are two of the most respected players in the NFL.
Polamalu, who is battling an ankle injury, made the key play in the Steelers' win at Baltimore when he forced a fumble with a sack of Joe Flacco and the Steelers converted the turnover into a 9-yard touchdown pass with 2:51 left. Polamalu also clinched the Steelers' 23-14 win over the Ravens in the 2008 AFC Championship game by returning an interception for a touchdown.
Lewis has never beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh in the postseason.
"I'm always going to be [ticked] anytime we walk off that field and we're not a winner," Lewis said. "Hopefully, we can change that this time."
DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
The Steelers had the third-best rush defense in NFL history and best since the 16-game season was instituted. Only one player has had a 100-yard game against them in the past 50 games -- and that was the Ravens' Ray Rice, who ran for 141 yards in a Week 16 loss in 2009.
Only two teams rushed for more than 100 yards against Steelers this season, the Jets and Patriots. The Ravens defense has forced 14 turnovers in its past three games, including five in the wild-card triumph at Kansas City.
BIG BEN vs JOE COOL
There are tons of key matchups in this game, but the outcome will depend on quarterback play. Flacco threw three interceptions in the 2008 AFC Championship game won by the Steelers, and the Ravens have never beaten the Steelers when Roethlisberger was the quarterback. After missing the teams' first meeting this year, Roethlisberger had his nose broken at Baltimore in December but still won the game.
WILLIS' WINNER
Heads the Ravens win, tails the Steelers win. That might be the best way to figure out who advances to the AFC Championship game. Flacco is not the rookie he was in 2008, and the Ravens are riding the emotion of playing for Ed Reed. Polamalu might not be at full strength. Ravens 21, Steelers 20
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qtdz
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