It’s one of the best rivalries in the NFL and all sports: Baltimore Ravens versus Pittsburgh Steelers. Ravens-Steelers is more than an intra-divisional rivalry or a clash of two historically successful franchises that commonly battle for conference supremacy.
In the words of NFL Brand Ambassador Taylor Swift, “We got bad blood.” This rivalry has always been acrimonious, but this offseason shows the hostility turning up a notch.
ESPN pundit Louis Riddick, who played college football at the University of Pittsburgh and interviewed for the Steelers GM job in 2022, tweeted on Monday morning: “Yea…#Ravens #Steelers rivalry goin’ up another level…imagine that.”
Of course, he is referring to the quotes from Patrick Queen, which came out earlier today. Queen, who took less money to leave the Ravens for the Steelers this offseason, went out of his way to describe, in detail, how much he prefers Pittsburgh over Baltimore.
His trash-talking included the following comments:
“Everybody is cool, the people are cool, the players are cool, and the food spots are better. I am a big food guy. I love food. I am more of a true food guy rather than a seafood guy. I like meat and stuff like that. It’s just a better atmosphere for me here.”
And just a few weeks ago, Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who served as the Ravens DB Coach last season, described the rivalry as “a bloodbath.”
Earlier this year, Give Me Sport ranked in the top ten all-time NFL rivalries, and the Ravens-Steelers placed third. One specific quote from that piece stood out from the rest:
“If we were talking about the best NFL rivalries of the 21st century, Steelers-Ravens would be the most heated, and it wouldn’t even be particularly close.”
That sums it up pretty well, and this summer, the heat index is only rising higher. While many factors constitute a great rivalry, equal footing and concurrent success are two of the most important.
Pittsburgh leads the all-time series, but only 35-25, so it’s pretty egalitarian. The two sides have met four times in the playoffs since 2001, reflecting how relevant both clubs have been in recent decades.
Ravens-Steelers has another distinctive advantage over other historic and heated NFL rivalries. There is symmetry and balance here, something you will not find with Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers.
Yes, that is the league’s oldest rivalry, with far more meetings than any other, but Chicago has been far from competitive enough to make it a great rivalry. While basic facts are something that Aaron Rodgers has sometimes struggled to comprehend, he was spot on when he said that he owns the Bears.
Just like Brett Favre did before him, the NFC East division has many rivalries within it, as many teams hate the Dallas Cowboys, but there is no true pairing there.
You used to have Cowboys-Redskins (now the Commanders), but the Washington Football Team has struggled in the W-Ls department in recent decades.
You can make a case for Cowboys-Eagles or Cowboys-Giants, but again, none of those rivalries have the same sizzle or steak as Ravens-Steelers.