When’s the last time Steelers played Ravens in NFL playoffs? What fans need to know

The Steelers and Ravens will take their rivalry to 2024’s AFC Wild-Card round. Here’s a look back at their thrilling postseason history.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens this Saturday, January 11, 2024, in this season’s Wild-Card round of the playoffs. The Steel City has faced its AFC North rivals four times previously, and the postseason history between these two foes is rich with competitive spirit. Here is a historical look at how the previous four playoff meetings between the Steelers and Ravens played out.

2001 Playoffs: Divisional Round

The Pittsburgh Steelers faced the reigning Super Bowl XXXV champions, the Baltimore Ravens, in the divisional round of the 2001 playoffs on January 20, 2002. It was the first postseason meeting between the two teams, and Pittsburgh made sure to end the Ravens’ aspirations of back-to-back Super Bowl victories with a 27-10 Steelers win. One Steeler who stood out was none other than RB Amos Zereoué, who helped seal the victory with two rushing touchdowns on the night.

2008 Playoffs: AFC Championship Game

The second meeting between these AFC North rivals took place during the 2008 season in the AFC Championship Game on January 18, 2009. Once again, the Black and Gold ended the Ravens’ playoff hopes, sending Baltimore packing with a 23-14 Steelers victory. This game featured one of the most iconic plays in Steelers postseason history, as SS Troy Polamalu intercepted Ravens QB Joe Flacco and returned it 40 yards for a pick-six late in the fourth quarter.

2010 Playoffs: Divisional Round

Pittsburgh’s postseason dominance over Baltimore continued in the 2010 season’s divisional round on January 15, 2011. The Ravens gave the Steel City a tough fight, but the Steelers ultimately prevailed, securing the Pittsburgh victory, 31-24. One of the standout performances of the game came from FS Ryan Clark, who forced a fumble on Ravens RB Ray Rice and intercepted Ravens QB Joe Flacco.

2014 Playoffs: Wild-Card Round

All good things must come to an end, and so did the Steelers’ perfect postseason record against the Ravens on January 3, 2015, in the 2014 season’s Wild-Card round. There was little for the Black and Gold faithful to cheer for in this matchup, as both the offense and defense struggled mightily, leading to a 30-17 Steelers loss. A bright spot for Pittsburgh was K Shaun Suisham, who accounted for nine of the team’s 17 total points.

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WATCH: Derrick Henry breaks the Ravens single-season TD record vs. Texans

Baltimore running back Derrick Henry just broke the Ravens single-season TD record with a two yard score against the Houston Texans

It’s his first game against Houston as a member of the Ravens, but Derrick Henry has a history against the Texans from his time with the Tennessee Titans. Henry started early, rushing for 26 yards on the first drive, and his two-yard touchdown run made team history.

Henry (15) needed one more touchdown in 2024 to surpass Ray Rice (15 in 2011) and Mark Ingram II (15 in 2019) for the most total touchdowns in Ravens single-season history.

Henry has eight carries for 61 yards (7.6 avg) and one score through the first quarter.

In 14 career games versus Houston, Henry averaged 102.2 yards per contest and 5.66 yards per carry. Henry has exceeded the 200-yard mark in four straight games against the Texans between 2019 and 2022 and eclipsed the century mark in a game twice.

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NFL free agency: Looking at the Ravens history with the franchise tag

With 27 pending free agents and several key players looking for big money, we’re taking a look at the Baltimore Ravens’ history with the NFL franchise tag

When the Chiefs Super Bowl parade was completed, the NFL world started to focus on 2024 entirely and the critical offseason that awaits.

As teams around the league prepare for the NFL scouting combine, the franchise tag window opens on Tuesday and closes on March 5.

Any unrestricted free agent not tagged in that period will be able to sign with any suitor when the new league year and free agency opens on March 13. (The negotiating period, when teams can reach out to agents of potential free agents to start talks, begins March 11.)

Lamar Jackson was among six players tagged last year, with two, including defensive tackle Daron Payne (Giants) and tight end Evan Engram (Jaguars) signing long-term extensions.

The 2024 salary cap hasn’t been set yet, but it’s expected to land north of $240 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

Baltimore has a long history of tagging players and getting a deal done at a later date. They have done so with five of their previous seven franchise-tagged players.

With the new league year fast approaching and Justin Madubuike or Patrick Queen likely candidates for the designation, we’re looking at the Ravens’ history with the franchise tag.

Watch: Ray Rice, a former Rutgers football standout, gets an ovation as he is honored by the Baltimore Ravens

Rutgers football legend Ray Rice gets warmly greeted in return to the Baltimore Ravens.

Ray Rice was honored on Sunday by the Baltimore Ravens, the former NFL running back being brought back to the organization after a decade away from the team. A former Rutgers football running back, Rice is one of the most successful players from the program to find sustained success in the NFL.

During his six years in the NFL, the hard-running, physical back had 6,180 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns. Three times he was selected to the Pro Bowl.

In 2014, Rice was the center of a domestic violence video that saw him hit his wife and drag her body off an elevator. He was suspended indefinitely by the NFL, released by the Ravens and never played another snap in the league.

The moment clouded his legacy and certainly saw to ending his career in the NFL.

But Rice has turned into an outspoken advocate against domestic violence, openly talking about how the moment changed him into a different man as a husband and a father.

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On Sunday, the Ravens honored Rice as a ‘Legend of the Game.’ He was greeted by the crowd in Baltimore with no hint of the controversy that surrounded the end of his career:

 

Beginning in 2005, Rice spent three tremendous years at Rutgers. His growth and development saw him spearhead a Rutgers offense that led the Scarlet Knights to bowl game wins in 2006 and 2007.

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He is the all-time leading rusher (4,926 rushing yards) in program history, as well as holding the record for most rushing touchdowns (49) at Rutgers.

Watch: Former Rutgers star Gus Edwards scores touchdown in Ravens win

Gus Edwards has a touchdown run for the Baltimore Ravens.

On Sunday afternoon, the Ravens offense impressed in a 56-19 win over the Miami Dolphins. While Baltimore got contributions throughout their roster, former Rutgers star Gus Edwards played a key role out of the backfield.

With Baltimore facing a 14-10 deficit, Edwards changed the game’s momentum. The 28-year-old gave Baltimore a 14-10 lead on a one-yard run in the second quarter. Edwards touchdown proved to be a fatal blow as the Dolphins trailed for the rest of the game.

 

Just as Edwards has done all season, he came through for Baltimore in the red zone. Edward’s touchdown on Sunday was his 13th rushing touchdown of the season. Before the 2023 campaign, the former undrafted free agent had never recorded more than six touchdowns in a season.

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While Edwards took center stage, he was not the only Rutgers product that made headlines. Before kickoff, Ray Rice was honored as the Ravens’ “Legend of the Game.” It is a game day tradition in Baltimore to recognize a former player for his accomplishments on and off the field.

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With only one game left in the regular season, Edwards will look to add another touchdown to his resume in Week 18. Before the Ravens begin their playoff run, they will welcome Pittsburgh to M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

Ravens to honor former RB Ray Rice as Legend of the Game against Dolphins

Ravens to honor Ray Rice at halftime of game vs. Dolphins

This Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens will honor former Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice as the Legend of the Game against the Miami Dolphins.

This decision is controversial, given the situation that ended Rice’s NFL career. In 2014, TMZ released a video of Rice striking his fiancee in an elevator while in Atlantic City. The Ravens released the three-time Pro Bowler following the reveal of the video.

Rice has since worked diligently to raise awareness for domestic violence. Still, for many, his actions that night in Atlantic City will always supersede his accomplishments as a player and his work off the field since.

Rice was initially drafted out of Rutgers by Baltimore with the No. 55 overall pick in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. In his six seasons with the Ravens, Rice rushed for 6,180 yards and 37 touchdowns on 1,430 carries while adding another 489 receiving yards and six touchdowns through the air on 369 receptions.

Rice’s on-field career is best remembered by the 4th-and-29 conversion, now famously called “Hey Diddle Diddle, Ray Rice Up the Middle,” in which Rice turned a checkdown into a miraculous first down to keep the game alive against the San Diego Chargers in 2012. Baltimore went on to win that game and eventually the Super Bowl that season, with Rice being a significant contributor.

Rice is being honored during the Ravens’ biggest game of the season as they take on the Dolphins for the claim to the coveted AFC’s No. 1 seed. If Baltimore wins, they will clinch the top seed and enter Week 18 with the option to rest several players against the Pittsburgh Steelers before the playoffs start.

 

When Rutgers football needed a ‘Ray Rice moment,’ up stepped Kyle Monangai

Kyle Monangai produced a throwback performance on Saturday for Rutgers football.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Kyle Monangai delivered in key moments on Saturday afternoon for Rutgers football, the junior running back turning into quite the closer for the Scarlet Knights.

It wasn’t quite Enter Sandman but Rutgers needed a lunchpail effort from Monangai to finish off a most improbable win. Down 24-6 to Michigan State at the start of the fourth quarter, Rutgers scored three straight touchdowns for a win that will go down as among the most dramatic in program history.

But it needed Monangai to churn out yards and end any hopes Michigan State had to wrestle control back of the game. That’s when Monangai ran his best.

With 7:05 left in the game and Rutgers possessing the ball on their own yard line, head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag] turned to his star running back. During his first tenure at Rutgers, moments like this called for a steady diet of Ray Rice to finish off games.

On Saturday afternoon, Schiano called on Monangai.

“In my own mind, I’m thinking we could use one of those old-fashioned Ray Rice drives right now,” Schiano said after the game.

“We’ve had a lot of them. Just bleed the clock out, and then walk out with them a knee, and that’s just what we did, so that was gratifying.”

Trust the process

During the final possession to end the game, Rutgers ran 12 plays to kill off the clock. On nine of those 12 plays, Monangai ran the ball.

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Even against a stacked box with Michigan State knowing that Monangai was going to carry the ball, the Rutgers running back managed 55 yards. He broke tackles and plowed through, his legs churning in a blur as he fought for inches, knowing that each step he took brought his team one win closer to bowl eligibility.

The result was four first downs as Rutgers iced the game.

The other three plays on the drive were kneels by quarterback Gavin Wimsatt.

Count Monangai among the true believers.

Monangai was among the first players to buy into this rebuild of Rutgers. A member of the 2021 recruiting class, Rutgers came in late and offered the Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey) running back.

Holding just two Power Five offers, the other being Cal, Monangai became one of the first commitments upon Schiano’s return to the program. It is easy to see why.

Wins like the one on Saturday resonate in an especially meaningful way for the running back. He ran like he did late in the game because Monangai is a true believer in Rutgers football, both the rebuild and its culture.

“I mean, for the guys that have been in my class and even older this is what – year three, year four and year four in coach’s coming back the second time around,” Monangai said.

“We’ve been waiting for it. But like I said, it’s just trusting the process and having faith. Having faith in what we’re doing and not growing weary of doing the things that we’re doing.  We don’t change much. We just…you hear it all the time,, ‘CHOP’ in the moment. Everybody says the same things. It’s because it’s all we do every day. Like I said, just trust in the process and happy to see it all come to fruition.”

Run Kyle run

On an afternoon when former Rutgers running back [autotag]Isiah Pacheco [/autotag]was on the sidelines, Monangai produced a vintage performance. He had 24 carries for 148 yards and his 21-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter gave Rutgers their first lead of the game.

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Monangai runs hard and violent, with a disdain for defenders and an almost sinister desire to plow through anything impeding his way. He is a throwback player who not only thrives on contact – he seems to relish it.

But Monangai off the field is a serious student and one who held several Ivy League offers out of high school. As a running back, he is a physical presence who plays with a ferocity not seen in many players these days.

Away from the field, he studies as hard as he runs and is a quiet young man with a firm handshake that mixes with an easy nature.

But when the lights go on, opposing defenses have found the affable and at times gregarious Monangai to be a blur of determination mixed with blunt force trauma. It is hard to think of a Big Ten running back this year who runs as physically as Monangai.

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“Yeah, when I first committed here. I used to always hear Ray jokes; he and I were the same size,” Monangai said after the game.

“And I’ve actually met Ray before – we are about the same size. So you know, I’ve seen his film. You know, Ray was a special back here – had a great career in the NFL and just to be put in the same sentence, it’s an honor.”

Watch: Rutgers football commit Jashon Benjamin has shades of Ray Rice in his running style

Jashon Benjamin runs a bit like former Rutgers star Ray Rice.

On Wednesday, Rutgers football got a commitment from Jashon Benjamin. The Florida three-star running back is an intriguing take for the Scarlet Knights, with a running style reminiscent of Ray Rice.

Rice, who was three times a Pro Bowl selection in the NFL, was a legendary running back at Rutgers who twice was an All-Big East selection. He was also an All-American his final season at Rutgers in 2007.

As for Benjamin, he runs with power and good leverage as well as balance. He hits the hole hard and has good vision. Down the field, he follows his blockers well and has the ability to cut back to find more space.

He lowers his pads well, often getting him an extra yard or two before being taken down by multiple tacklers. But it is his ability down the field to read and cut back that is impressive.

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He held Power Five offers from Rutgers and Purdue.

He had 205 rushing yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns on the season for Pahokee High School (Pahokee, FL). He also has three catches for 97 yards with a touchdown.

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Pahokee is 1-1 to start the season.

The comparisons to Rice, a former three-star recruit, are striking. The hard-running styles and vision are very similar, as is Benjamin’s ability to keep his legs moving and grab an extra or yard or two before being tackled. Even in terms of their frames, they almost are mirror images of each other.

As a senior at New Rochelle High School (New Rochelle, N.Y.) in 2005, Rice was 5-foot-9, 188-pounds. Benjamin measures in close to Rice, checking in at 5-foot-8 and 194-pounds.

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Both players run with a similar pad level and explosiveness in the open field.

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Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII win ranked among the best since 2000

The Baltimore Ravens second Super Bowl victory was dubbed 5th best of the last two decades and even that might be underselling it.

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will headline Super Bowl LV. In celebration of yet another champion being crowned, List Wire ranked every Super Bowl over the last 20 years. While the Ravens are naturally featured twice on the list, having won twice over that timespan, it’s Super Bowl XLVII that got the blood pumping.

According to Barry Werner of List Wire, Baltimore beating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII ranks fifth. It’s easy to see why when Werner breaks down the basic story of the game.

“The Ravens were a force and then there was a blackout that turned an apparent easy victory into a nail-biter. Baltimore boasted a tremendous defense that had all sorts of issues with Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers.”

Come on, that’s something you’d expect to see in a movie or made-for-TV special. The Ravens had gotten to a 28-6 lead early in the third quarter thanks to a Jacoby Jones 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. But a power issue caused the stadium to go dark for more than 30 minutes, ultimately seeing the 49ers rally in the second half to put the victor in question. As we all know, Baltimore prevailed, beating San Francisco 34-31 to claim their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.

While the game itself was magical and full of twists and turns, the lead up to it was somehow even better.

The Ravens hadn’t been great throughout the regular season, finishing with a 10-6 record to squeak into the playoffs. But, between linebacker Ray Lewis announcing he’d retire at the conclusion of the season and quarterback Joe Flacco having arguably the greatest postseason in NFL history, Baltimore seemingly had everything fall in their favor in what can only be described as a Cinderella story.

The Ravens got matched up with Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round, giving Lewis one final home game before riding off into the sunset. Up 24-9 in the closing minutes of the game, Lewis lined up at running back while Baltimore was in victory formation, doing his famous squirrel dance to close out his career at M&T Bank Stadium to the cheers of the crowd.

With one game down, the Ravens were matched up against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the divisional round. It would take double-overtime and a miracle to get the job done, however. Down seven points in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, Flacco heaved a pass to Jacoby Jones just over the outstretched arms of safety Rahim Moore, seeing him streak into the end zone untouched for an improbable 70-yard touchdown pass that has since been dubbed “The Mile High Miracle.” Kicker Justin Tucker put the final nail in the coffin after a Corey Graham interception gave Baltimore the ball in Denver territory, nailing a 47-yard field goal to win, 38-35, in double overtime.

Now in the AFC Championship, the Ravens needed to go through a familiar foe in Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. It was a rematch of the AFC Championship Game from a year prior that saw New England barely edge out Baltimore, 23-20. This time, however, there would be no Brady heroics. After a tight first half, the Ravens’ defense ratcheted things up in the second half, forcing four turnovers (including a turnover on downs). Meanwhile, Flacco and the offense feasted, putting up 21 unanswered points to win 28-13 to head to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII.

Though other Super Bowls were ranked higher, the playoff storylines and the big game itself make the Ravens’ run something special. It’s certainly one Baltimore will never forget.

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Why is Rutgers featuring Ray Rice in throwback uniform video?

A promotional video for throwback uniforms by Rutgers football features Ray Rice, whose football career ended in scandal.

Rutgers University made the great choice to feature Eric LeGrand’s No. 52 as it debuted throwback uniforms. LeGrand is the player paralyzed on a kickoff who has done incredible work since suffering the injury on a kickoff in 2010.

The school produced the McCourty twins, who have gone on to long and impressive careers in the NFL. Devin McCourty is a  three-time Super Bowl champion, two-time Pro Bowler, and a speaker of stature when it comes to athletes.

His brother, Jason, is also a Super Bowl champ and has played next to his brother for New England since 2018.

Players to proudly promote.

Which begs the question of why the State School of New Jersey decided to feature Ray Rice first in its highlights of Scarlet Knight players in the video about the throwbacks.

Rice is the former NFL running back who never played a down after a video surfaced of him knocking out his wife in an Atlantic City elevator in 2014.

Another curious choice from a school whose players have made curious decisions recently that have led to a coronavirus break among 28 players and other staff members.

Is the downtrodden football program so bad that the best it could do is rekindle Rice? This is one call that should have been audibled.