Steelers vs. Ravens 2014: An old rivalry renews itself in Baltimore

The Ravens hope to avoid the week’s distractions and focus enough for a win, while the Steelers hope to send their rivals reeling to an 0-2 start.

by Jason Hirschhorn

Sep 11, 2014, 11:31 AM UTC

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

For much of the last decade, the most physical, dirty and entertaining rivalry in the NFL was between AFC North foes the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. Each possessed a stingy defense, each regularly made the playoffs, and each brought home a Lombardi Trophy or two.

Neither team went to the playoffs last season, however. The pressure has grown particularly heavy in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers failed to reach the postseason each of the past two seasons. Beating rival Baltimore would silence some of the criticism calling for Mike Tomlin’s job with a solid 2-0 start, including two divisional wins.

The Ravens football operations aren't under fire like they are in Pittsburgh, but the organization is still reeling from the aftermath of Ray Rice's assault investigation and the team's cloudy accountability. While it won't erase the mistakes made regarding Rice, a win over the Steelers would provide a welcome diversion for a locker room bombarded with unwanted media attention.

Let’s take a look at the two teams below.

Meet the Steelers

The Steelers are a markedly different team now than they were in 2011, the year they last qualified for the postseason. Star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is still in place, but the offensive linemen, receivers, and running backs around him have nearly all been replaced in the time since. In place of Hines Ward and Mike Wallace on the outside, Big Ben now looks to Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton. Likewise, second-year tailback Le'Veon Bell handles the majority of Pittsburgh's carries.

On the other side of the ball, the Steelers have turned over a large percentage of their starters and important reserves. In the place of former stars like James Harrison, Casey Hampton and James Farrior, Pittsburgh's defense features young blood such as Cameron Heyward, Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier. The transition hasn't been flawless, as Dick Lebeau's defense is famously difficult for younger players to grasp. However, the Steelers are trending in the right direction.

Since the start of the 2013 season, the Steelers are 5-2 against AFC North opponents.

Meet the Ravens

The Ravens narrowly missed the playoffs last season, frustrated by a sputtering ground game and the inconsistent play of quarterback Joe Flacco. After a magical postseason run which culminated in Super Bowl MVP honors, Flacco regressed badly in 2013, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns for the first time in his career. The backfield combo of Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce struggled all year, combining for a yards per carry average of just under 3.0.

Defensively, the Ravens have seen several stalwarts of their championship defense depart for other teams or retirement. Of their dominant mid-2000s defenses, only Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata remain. Surrounding them are developing youngsters Matt Elam, Courtney Upshaw and 2014 first-round pick C.J. Mosley. Together, they hope to reclaim the consistently and playmaking that characterized their most successful defenses.

Baltimore has a 3-4 record within the division since the start of 2013.

Injuries

Steelers

Out: RB Dri Archer (ankle/knee), WR Lance Moore (groin)

Probable: RB Le’Veon Bell (not injury related), WR Antonio Brown (not injury related), WR Martavis Bryant (shoulder), DE Brett Keisel (not injury related), CB Brice McCain (groin), DT Steve McLendon (stinger), TE Heath Miller (not injury related), S Troy Polamalu (not injury related), QB Ben Roethlisberger (not injury related), CB Ike Taylor (not injury related), S Shamarko Thomas (Achilles/ankle), C Cody Wallace (finger), WR Markus Wheaton (not injury related), LB Vince Williams (not injury related)

Ravens

Questionable: CB Lardaris Webb (back)

Probable: RG Marshal Yanda (foot)