On Saturday, the Steelers and Ravens will face off for the 8th time in the last 3 seasons. It's the playoffs. The intensity is already through the roof. If you're like me, you're going out of your mind asking why it isn't Saturday yet.
Glad it's not just me.
To help you get through the week and get you pumped for the game, we're going to take a look back at the last 7 meetings between the Steelers and the Ravens, dating back to the 2008 season. To put some perspective on how both fanbases reacted to the game, I tried to assemble a short list of game recaps from Steelers and Ravens bloggers.
December 5, 2010
Steelers 13, Ravens 10
Our Recap: Sunday, Bloody Sunday: Steelers Win
Blitzburgh Blog: 2008 All Over Again: Steelers Win
Three Rivers Burgh Blog: Restoring Order
Bmore Birds Nest: Haloti Breaks Bens Nose, Ben Breaks Our Hearts
This game was all about supremacy in the AFC North. The teams came in tied for the division lead. A win would put the Steelers in first place and essentially give them a 2 game lead in the division, thanks to the division record tiebreaker. Both teams still had to play Cincy and Cleveland so the result could change, but really, this game was for the division crown.
Ben, broken foot and all, comes out running the Pistol Offense to some success before Haloti Ngata breaks his nose. No flag of course. Not that it mattered. Ben's shattered nose became the story of the game. He didn't miss a play.
Baltimore draws blood again, this time on the scoreboard, when Ryan Clark gets beat down the seam by Anquan Boldin for a 60+ yard gain then Boldin eludes defenders in the end zone while Flacco scrambles. Those 2 plays were really all Boldin did all game.
The second quarter was pretty boring, aside from Dan Sepulveda getting hurt. This could have been a big factor in the game. Luckily, Shaun Suisham wound up being a good enough punter to get us by.
The O-line, after a disastrous start to the game, started to turn things around after the first few drives. Terrell Suggs was a monster.
The Steelers are able to chip into the Ravens lead at the beginning of the second half when Suisham nailed his 5th field goal of the year from 40-49. Reed was 0/4. Suisham was 5/5 at this point.
The Ravens came right back and got all the way down inside the 10 before the defense locked it down and forced a field goal, keeping it a 1-score game.
Heath Miller gets jacked up by one of the Ravens defenders in a hit that was pretty much the definition of the "head shots" rule. Somehow, the refs don't throw a flag. NBC gets the head of NFL officiating on the line and gets him to say it should have been a penalty. Yeah, that doesn't help us much.
Ben ends the 3rd with one of the grittiest plays of the year, scrambling out of the pocket, broken foot and all, and hitting Manny Sanders down at the 2 yard line. Sadly, the offense can't tie the game after the quarter flip. Suisham cuts the lead to 4.
The teams trade punts as time winds down in the 4th quarter. It looks like the Ravens offense is going to be able to hang on to the ball long enough to win, but Troy comes at Flacco unblocked and knocks the ball out. Woodley pounces on it and rumbles back to the 10, setting up the Steelers with a first and goal.
Ben makes one of the plays of the game to push a rabid Terrell Suggs away from him and throw the ball away. Two plays later, the Steelers run their double-slant route and Ben hits Redman in stride who REFUSES TO BE DENIED, busting through the Ravens defense like a bowling ball and bulldozing his way into the end zone.
BOOM
13-10
Flacco has time to lead the Ravens back, and gets them past midfield. Rather than trying a 53-yard field goal, Baltimore opts to go for it on 4th and 2. Flacco makes a Mark Sanchez-esque pass, throwing the ball well short of his receiver and the Steelers took command of the AFC North.
We said after the game that we'd see them in the playoffs, and that time has come. All this game really meant was that this week's game is in Pittsburgh and not in Baltimore.
You really can't ask for anything better than playing your most hated rivals for the right to move on in the playoffs.
One and done.
Win or go home.
Baltimore-Pittsburgh.
4:30pm Saturday.
Get. Ready.
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