Jan 17 2009
Steelers vs. Ravens: Let the trash talking begin
The AFC Championship game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens is fast approaching. It will be played tomorrow, starting at 6:30, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Everyone is expecting a tight defensive struggle with lots of trash-talking and big hits on both sides, a real grind-em-out matchup. Both defenses are ranked at the top of the league. And both teams hate the other.
The Steelers have recently had trouble at home when playing for the AFC championship. In the road to their last Super Bowl win in 2006, the Steelers played all their playoff games away from home. During the early 2000’s they had two tough losses at home in the AFC Championship game. But, as the coaches like to say, that’s all history, and the only thing that matters is today’s game.
One advantage the Steelers have, besides home field, is that they are in better physical shape than the Ravens. Quite a few Ravens’ players got beat up in their game against the Titans, and some are still hurting. In contrast, the Steelers are healthy. They certainly looked so in their game against the Chargers. Big Ben looked fine, and not at all troubled by the concussion he suffered. Fast Willie Parker also looked to be back in his old form, running for 146 yards, a season high. But the Ravens have a much better defense than the Chargers, and they will no doubt be focusing on Parker and probably head-hunting for Roethlisberger. The Pittsburgh offensive line has to play as well as they did last week, and give Big Ben plenty of protection and time to throw. That will be key for the Steelers.
The Steelers won both regular season games against their divisional rivals Baltimore, but both by close scores. Tomorrow’s game will most likely be similar, and hopefully the outcome will be the same-a Steelers’ victory. But it will be a hard-fought one for sure. It certainly looks to be a great smashmouth contest. Hines Ward was voted by Ravens’ fans as the most disliked player from another team playing in Baltimore this year. The Ravens’ players don’t like him either, especially for his smile after he delivers a hard hit or makes a big play. But Hines is always smiling. At the end of this game, hope he has an extra big one on his face. Go Steelers.
