Heinz Field braces for World War III, as the Steelers face the Ravens
It doesn’t get any better than this. Division rivals fighting it out in a divisional playoff game. The Pittsburgh Steelers will be slugging it out with the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz field this Saturday, and the excitement is already taking over the fans
and players alike. Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs might in fact be too excited. In a press conference Suggs put on a t-shirt which featured a raven presenting the one finger salute and a caption that read ‘Hey Pittsburgh.’
An excited Suggs told reporters, “This game is World War III to us. This is Armageddon. This is the game everyone wants to see.”
He is right too. It promises to be football at its very best. The energy at the line of scrimmage puts the Large Hadron Collider to shame. Both teams are defensive power houses, and defence is where the game will be won or lost.
The World War III reference is also appropriate because this will be the third time the two teams will meet this season. The Ravens won the first game 17-14. The Steelers won the second game 13-10, and this Saturday Pittsburgh host Baltimore for the finale.
The game is going to be physical, and although the fans probably won’t be treated to a high-scoring encounter, there will be some interesting contests on the field.
The last time the Steelers were up against the Ravens Ben Roethlisberger broke his nose. Actually the Ravens’ Haloti Ngata broke it for him, but no matter how you put, in the end it means that the game is going to be intense. The Steelers know it and that
is why they want to win.
“The team that wins this game is going to be the most violent team, the team that is most physical,” Steelers defensive lineman Chris Hoke said. “It's the team that goes out there to push the other team around.” The Steelers want to be that team but the
Ravens won’t readily budge.
The division rivals are peculiarly alike. They are both powered by a strong and aggressive defence. They are both excellent at stopping the rush, and neither team likes giving up points. Their offenses though, leave a lot to be desired. They each have a
win over the other in the regular season with a difference of just a field goal, and what is particularly odd is the fact that both teams have scored exactly 302 points against each other since 2003. They are as evenly matched as two distinct teams can be
and aren’t intimidated by each other, or at least that is what they say.
“For such a small margin, what a big difference that makes,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said regarding their week-13 defeat against the Steelers. “But we kind of understand who we are. We understand our path, our road. We're not intimidated by it at all.
We're looking forward to it. We wouldn't have it any other way.”
Roethlisberger would if he had a chance. “As a competitor, yes, you love it, but heck no, I hate playing the Ravens,” Roethlisberger has been reported as saying. “They're so good. Defence, every single person and every scheme, everything they do, it just
challenges you. As a competitor, you like that challenge and you like the competitiveness, but man, they're good.” The Steelers might be better or at least they have been better with Roethlisberger. Big Ben is on a six- game winning streak against the Ravens.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has a huge responsibility on his shoulders. Both Ben and Joe are excellent quarterbacks, but sometimes they have to rely on their running backs to bail them out. The Ravens have the fifth best running defence in the league but
the Steelers are the best team against the run. If the Ravens want to rake up the yards, they will have to do it through the air. If anyone can do it, the quarterback with the second highest rating in the league this year can do it.
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