One of the best rivalries in the NFL will be renewed for Wild Card weekend as the Ravens travel to Pittsburgh to take on the AFC North champion Steelers in the first round of the 2014 playoffs.
After prevailing 27-17 over Cincinnati, the Steelers clinched the No. 3 seed in the AFC and will host Baltimore on Saturday night. It will mark the fourth time these bitter rivals have met in postseason history with the Steelers owning a 3-0 record with all three coming at Heinz Field.
The Ravens and Steelers split the regular-season series with Baltimore prevailing 26-6 at home in Week 2 and Pittsburgh earning a blowout 43-23 win in Pittsburgh in Week 9. In that contest, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for six touchdown passes against a vulnerable Ravens secondary that’s struggled throughout the season.
One of the developing stories of the first-round matchup will be the health of Pro Bowl selection Le’Veon Bell, who left Sunday night’s game with a hyperextended right knee and did not return. The Steelers running back will need to recover on a short week in order to play in his team’s first postseason game since 2011.
The game will be televised on NBC with an 8:15 p.m. kickoff.
Ravens set to take on Pittsburgh in first round of playoffs Saturday
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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