Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Sak
I think for awhile there you could lump the Steelers/Ravens in that category.
|
That was easily the best rivalry in the NFL since the 49ers and Cowboys (and it was probably better than that one). It's down this year because the Steelers aren't good and Ray Lewis retired, but that was THE rivalry in the NFL for a good 10 years or so.
Remember that it's really a holdover from the Steelers-Browns rivalry that's one of the league's oldest. Just because the Ravens left the Browns name doesn't mean that the players didn't know the history. And when the Ravens went to Baltimore and that defense got great, it was on. It really got cooking in 2004 when the Ravens knocked out Maddox and Big Ben made his debut.
The games from around 2007 - 2011 were probably the hardest-hitting games in the NFL in the last 30 years. I really thought someone was going to die during that AFC Championship game. And the games are close - of the last 15, 13 of them have been decided by a touchdown or less, 10 by a FG or less. Since 2000, the Steelers hold only a 17-14 edge on the Ravens.
It's not quite what it was this year because the Steelers are down and Ray Lewis is gone from the Ravens, but it's still must-see NFL TV.