Ravens vs. Steelers is a Bitter Rivalry

Preach on James Walker. Preach on.

"Welcome to the most underrated rivalry in the National Football League. It involves toughness, familiarity, hatred, mutual respect and, on Sunday, the AFC North division title. There is never a shortage of excitement when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens meet. But when you think of the NFL's top rivalries on a leaguewide scale, this one rarely comes to mind."

Ravens Defense Ranks High In Every Category

The Baltimore Ravens defense is and has been one of the best in the NFL for over a decade. They currently rank no worse than 3rd in any of the major defensive categories. This week they face one of the two defenses that can challenge them for the title of "Best defense in the NFL." The Pittsburgh Steelers have been really impressive this year playing behind former Raven, James Harrison. This will undoubtedly be a clash of titans.

Battle of the Beltway Goes to Baltimore

The Baltimore Ravens took the field Sunday Night in a game against the cross-town rival Washington Redskins that had major playoff implications. The Ravens came out victorious with a score of 24-10. This win allows the Ravens to keep pace in the AFC North Division race, just one win behind the 10-3 Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Redskins's chances of making the playoffs got significantly worse. They are competing with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles for a wildcard spot in the NFC.

Ed Reed=Good

The Ravens defense was fantastic. They battered Clinton Portis to the point of forcing him out of the game. Their blitz packages worked all night, allowing Terrell Suggs to tip a Jason Campbell pass into the waiting arms of Ed Reed. Reed finished the night with two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Did I mention that he ran the touchdown in backwards. The rest of the defense played well. Terrell Suggs was moving quickly around the field, abusing back-up offensive linemen. Haloti Ngata, Trevor Pryce, Bart Scott and Fabian Washington all made their presence felt throughout the game.

Joe Flacco=Bad

Ravens QB Joe Flacco played a terrible game. He seemed out of sync and distracted by the cold weather. Even when he completed passes to Todd Heap and Derek Mason they were floating ducks that were only caught because of outstanding plays by the receivers. The Raven's offense only found their rhythym when they took the ball out of Flacco's hand and put it in the workman-like hands of Le'Ron McClain who carried the team on the fourth quarter drive that sealed the victory.

Jason Campbell=Ugly

No game commentary here, Jason Campbell is just ugly. I actually think he is a really good QB, but man he needs to wear a Ladanian Tomlinson style dark visor.
The Ravens have won 7 of their last 8 games and are looking good. This week's game is huge because it is against the Pittsburgh Steelers, its for a share of the AFC North lead and its at M & T Bank.

Ravens and Steelers in a playoff race

Steve Garceau made the claim on BaltimoreRavens.com that it is a two horse race between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers heading into the final 4 weeks of the season. I agree that no other AFC North team (Ohio teams) are able to win because that simply can't be argued at this point, but this isn't just a two horse race.

The Steelers and Ravens both have intensely difficult schedules ahead including a second match-up against each other. If you remember, their first match up was a bruising, hard-fought 3-point game that the Ravens lost in Pittsburgh. If both teams want to make the playoffs, they both have to keep winning. The Patriots and Dolphins are nipping at their heels for a wild card spot.

Baltimore Ravens declaw the Cincinnati Bengals

Well the Baltimore Ravens did it again. They dominated yet another opponent, with this week's victim being the Cincinnati Bengals. The 34-3 victory was as dominant as a win could be.

The Ravens beat the Bengals in total yards (451 to 155), completion percentage (66.6 to 36.4), turnovers (0 to 1), possession time (38:58 to 21:02) and almost every other major positive statistic.

Mark Clayton stood out with one TD reception and one TD pass, his first since high school. In total he had 164 yards receiving and 32 yards passing.

It also has to be noted that Ray Lewis led the defense again, with 7 total tackles. This is a team effort, but Lewis, Haloti Ngata, Trevor Pryce, and Terrell Suggs have been stand outs.

The Ravens are now 8-4, winning 6 of their last 7 and find themselves in a good position to secure a wild card spot. Lets not get ahead of ourselves though. The team still has to play the Redskins, Cowboys, Steelers and Jags. There will be some tough games ahead, but for now Baltimore is partying.