After the owner of the Cleveland Browns, Art Modell, moved his team to Baltimore in 1996 where they became the Ravens, an intense competition with the Steelers ignited. The AFC North division winners invariably come from Baltimore or Pittsburgh which ensures the rivalry is always a fierce affair.
It took just five years for Modell’s venture to pay off when the Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV. That success certainly added spice to the rivalry as the Steelers were suffering from a drought of Lombardis.
Pittsburgh lead the series 34-25 overall, but on the road the Steelers are just a tad in front with a 14-13 record having won the last three.
Although Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed success when he first became the Steelers starter in 2004, his initial visits to Baltimore would be ones he would choose to forget. His first trip saw him replace an injured Tommy Maddox when the Steelers lost.
The following year it was Tommy Maddox who started after Roethlisberger spent the game on the sideline with a damaged cartilage. His first start in Baltimore in 2006 saw the Steelers shutout 27-0. The following year it was the turn of Charlie Batch to face defeat in the season finale after Roethlisberger was sidelined with a sprained ankle.
Roethlisberger did return to face the Jaguars in the wildcard game at Heinz Field. The Steelers lost which meant the team spent the offseason preparing for the 2008 season strengthening their offensive line.
When the 2008 season began, Roethlisberger was clear on his ambition. “I set my goals so high. The Super Bowl is what we are going for.”
The season opener saw the organization pay tribute to Myron Cope before a triumph over the Texans. The Steelers would lose just three games before their week 15 contest in Baltimore. One of their ten wins was a 23-20 overtime triumph over the Ravens in Pittsburgh. That win was the difference between the teams when the rivals met in Baltimore with both challenging for the division title again.
“Realistically, you really can’t ask for a better scenario,” offered Ravens’ Ray Lewis. “I don’t think I need any extra boost for this one,” Terrell Suggs added.
Ravens’ defensive coordinator Rex Ryan oozed confidence. “Nobody defends them better than we do, so bring ‘em on. I think we know how to stop them.”
Pittsburgh had failed to win in Baltimore for five straight seasons and Hines Ward was aware of the game’s history and what was at stake. “For whatever reason, it’s hard to win in Baltimore,” Ward said. “So, we are trying to get that monkey off our back, trying to stay undefeated in our division and we’re playing for a home-field bye. We could get a home game and a bye at the same time.”
The (10-3) Steelers at the (9-4) Ravens; December 14, 2008
With the two best defenses in the NFL facing each other, this was always going to be a defensive contest and so it proved.
During the first quarter of a sixty-minute kicking contest, the highlight was Ryan Clark’s interception of a Joe Flacco pass. A Ray Lewis sack of Ben Roethlisberger negated any advantage from the turnover.
Matt Stover broke the deadlock at the beginning of the second quarter with his 28-yard field goal. The Steelers replied on their next possession. Roethlisberger took his team 68 yards to Baltimore’s 12 before the drive stalled and Jeff Reed kicked a 31-yard field goal.
After Stover kicked a 26-yard field goal, Baltimore took a 6-3 lead into the locker room at the half.
The defensive control by both teams continued in the second half as the teams exchanged four punts with no benefit to either team. The stalemate was only broken after Santonio Holmes was stripped of the ball by Ravens Samari Rolle. The Steelers defended the short field forcing another field goal from Stover of 28 yards.
The teams entered the final quarter with the Ravens holding a 9-3 edge. The Steelers woes continued when they lost the ball following a sack by Suggs forcing a Roethlisberger fumble.
After Baltimore recovered the fumble, the Steelers’ defense stepped up to force a three and out. The offense rewarded that contribution with a drive that finished with a 30-yard field goal.
The Ravens took five minutes off the clock on their next drive which ended abruptly with a Lawrence Timmons sack that pushed them back out of field goal range. Baltimore’s punt was fielded on the Steelers 8 with 3:36 remaining.
The Steelers needed to go ninety-two yards to win the game although a field goal would take it into overtime. Despite the Ravens putting him under immense pressure, Roethlisberger took to the air using Hines Ward and Nate Washington to move the chains. Roethlisberger threw 9 passes with 6 completions and with one short run from Mewelde Moore which gained a first down.
With a first and goal on Baltimore’s 4 and a minute remaining Roethlisberger spiked the ball to stop the clock before throwing an incomplete pass. On third down, he scrambled left looking for an open receiver with the Ravens defense chasing him around the field.
Santonio Holmes found himself open just inside the end zone and began to wave for the pass. Roethlisberger threw across the field and Holmes leant forward back into the field of play to haul it in. The completion looked close to being in the field of play and the linesman marked it short. Steelers Nation held its breath as the decision went to review.
After the referee confirmed that Holmes had two feet down in the end zone with possession, he signaled a touchdown. A call that Ravens coach John Harbaugh was unhappy with but Steelers fans were ecstatic about!
When the extra point was kicked, Jeff Reed did his team no favors by reacting to a Ravens player spitting in the face of holder Mitch Berger. Reed was penalized 15 yards for a personal foul.
After the penalty was enforced on the kickoff, the Ravens gained good field position beginning their drive on their own 47 with 0:43 remaining. When Flacco threw a long pass into the Steelers end zone, he was picked off by William Gay and the Steelers took the victory to earn Roethlisberger his first win in Baltimore.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 13 at the Baltimore Ravens 9
With the victory, Coach Tomlin set a Steelers record with 21 wins in his first two seasons as head coach. He was also the first Steelers coach to win division titles in their first two years. The win was also the 550th in the Steelers history as they became the first AFC team to reach that milestone.
The Ravens had conceded just 13 points in their last nine fourth quarters. The Steelers made 10 of them.
The 71,502 crowd in M&T Bank Stadium was its largest to date.
“We make the plays when they count,” Santonio Holmes said. “It doesn’t matter how the game goes through the course of three quarters. It always comes down to playing four quarters of football.”
The Steelers went into the playoffs as the number two seed. They beat the San Diego Chargers 35-24 in the divisional game and the Ravens for the third time in the Conference game.
In Super Bowl XLIII, they met the Arizona Cardinals in one of the great Championship games. Ben Roethlisberger led his team on another late drive and his touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes saw the Steelers put a sixth Lombardi in their trophy room.
