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Steelers-Ravens III: A Reflection On The NFL’s Greatest Rivalry

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Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens

Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

It’s one thing for fans to hate each other. It’s something completely different to see the players showing that same disdain for their fellow man, but that is exactly what sets apart the greatest rivalry in the league.

Once the Cleveland Browns were reinstated to the NFL as the “new Browns” in 1999, it looked like Cleveland and the Baltimore Ravens would be, as the Joker told Batman in The Dark Knight, “destined to do this forever.” After all, it was Art Modell who stole away the city’s beloved Browns, cementing his legacy as the most hated man in Cleveland, so much so that a vocal minority of Browns fans saw no issue with desecrating his grave after his passing in 2012.

That rivalry has never materialized to its fullest extent. The Browns became an incompetent shadow of their once-storied self, and the Ravens went on to win two Super Bowls. Matching that towering tally were the Pittsburgh Steelers. In short time, the Steelers and Ravens would develop a Batman-Joker relationship of their own; the hero and villain of the narrative depending solely on which stand you took.

To the Steel City, and its transplants across America, the Steelers represent strength and integrity, sharing the values of their black-and-gold-wearing superhero counterpart. The Ravens, meanwhile, don the purple of the Joker, and like him, take pleasure in spreading chaos and disorder throughout the world in which they live.

And just like the Caped Crusader and the Clown Prince of Crime, the Steelers and Ravens cannot live without one another. Their differences in execution are matched only by their similarities in dominance. With every encounter, the balance of power between the irresistible force and the immovable object tips in favor of one side ever so slightly, only to be righted again with their next clash.

Their rivalry has been punctuated by the performances of some of the greatest players of the modern era. When many members of the old guard moved on – think Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, James Farrior and, briefly, James Harrison – whispers began to surface that the rivalry was dead. It was, of course, far from over. Instead, the battlefield was repopulated by a colorful cast of characters who you’d hate if they stood across from you, but would defend to the death if they wore your colors.

Were the Steelers-Ravens rivalry to be turned into an anthology, Hines Ward and Terrell Suggs would write the prologue and epilogue respectively. For over a decade, the pair has epitomized that very sense of mutual insufferable hatred.

Each man is almost as famous for his play as he is his mouth. Ward took pleasure in hitting unaware opponents with bone-rattling blocks that said, “You are my worst enemy,” all the while maintaining a smile that suggested, “Let’s grab a beer afterwards.” Suggs could blow by an entire offensive line and sack Ben Roethlisberger before his first pump fake, then laugh at Pittsburgh’s misfortunes as he bared his gummy grin to the world.

To this day, the iconic shot of Ward raising his hands in a protest of innocence as a flock of Ravens struggle to tear him apart remains rage inducing to any Baltimore fan. Similarly, Suggs’ deadpan stance as he rocks a T-shirt showing a Raven giving the bird to the ‘Burgh is enough to give even the most Zen Steeler an aneurysm. It’s almost unfair that only one of those two will take the field on Saturday night.

The foundation of any basic rivalry is the undying assurance that – through good and bad – opposing fan bases will always hate each other.

Even through their lean years, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys fans would call 2-14 a successful season, as long as it meant sweeping their rival. Outside of a couple of stellar seasons, the New York Jets have been the punchline of the NFL, but they always play the New England Patriots like it’s their last game. This year, as thoughts of losing their coach filled the minds of the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks gleefully filled their bellies with Thanksgiving turkey in the middle of Levi’s Stadium.

All sure signs of a rivalry, albeit a basic one — there is nothing basic about Steelers-Ravens.

Jonathon Natsis covers the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnHollywood92, ‘like’  him on Facebookor add him to your network on Google+

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