13. 2010 BALTIMORE RAVENS at 4. 2008 SUPER BOWL CHAMPION PITTSBURGH STEELERS
4. 2008 SUPER BOWL CHAMPION PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Record: 12-4
Pythag: 12-4
Off: 20th
Def: 1st
1st AFC North
d. Chargers Div Rnd 35-24
d. Ravens AFC Title 23-14
d. Cards Super Bowl 27-23
HC Mike Tomlin OC Bruce Arians DC Dick LeBeau
Heinz Field: 45 degrees
Bill Hillgrove/Tunch Ilkin
Offense
QB Ben Roethlisberger 26 Miami (Oh)
RB Melwelde Moore 26 Tulane
WR Santonio Holmes 24 Ohio St
WR Hines Ward 32 UGA
TE Heath Miller 26 UVA
TE Matt Spaeth 25 Minn
LT Max Starks 26 Florida
LG Chris Kemoeatu 25 Utah
C Justin Hartwig 30 Kansas
RG Darnell Stapleton 23 R Rutgers
RT Willie Colon 25 Hofstra
Defense
LDE Aaron Smith 32 No Colorado
NT Casey Hampton 31 Texas
RDE Brett Keisel 30 BYU
LOLB LaMarr Woodley 24 Mich
LILB James Farrior 33 UVA
RILB Larry Foote 28 Mich
ROLB James Harrison All Pro 30 Kent St
LCB Ike Taylor 28 Louisiana
RCB Bryant McFadden 27
SS Troy Polamalu 27 All Pro USC
FS Ryan Clark 29 LSU
K Jeff Reed 29 UNC
P Mitch Berger 36 Colorado
KR Gary Russell 22 Minn
PR Santonio Holmes 24 Ohio St
5 Steeler teams are headed to Rnd 2, the '08 Champs are the 3rd seeds in the region and try to make it #6. Best defense in football. 30 year old James Harrison is an All Pro, he and 24 year old LaMarr Woodley combined for 27.5 sacks. 7 picks for 27 year old All Pro Troy Polamalu. Pedestrian offense, expecially for such a high seed, 26 year old Ben Roethlisberger had 19 scores and 15 picks. 32 year old Hines Ward had over a thousand yards receiving. This Steeler team beat the Ravens in both regular season games and in the AFC
13. 2010 BALTIMORE RAVENS
Record: 12-4
Pythag: 11-5
Off: 16th
Def: 3rd
2nd AFC North
d. Chiefs WC 30-7
lost Div Rnd Steelers 31-24
HC John Harbaugh OC Cam Cameron DC Greg Mattison
Offense
QB Joe Flacco 25 Delaware
RB Ray Rice 23 Rutgers
RB Le'Ron McClain 26 Alabama
WR Anquan Boldin 30 Florida St
WR Derrick Mason 36 Mich St
TE Todd Heap 30 Ariz St
LT Michael Oher 24 Ole Miss
LG Ben Grubbs 26 Auburn
C Matt Birk 34 Harvard
RG Chris Chester 27 Oklahoma
RT Marshal Yanda 26 Iowa
Defense
LDE Haloti Ngata 26 All Pro Oregon
NT Kelly Gregg 34 Oklahoma
RDE Cory Redding 30 Texas
LOLB Terrell Suggs 28 Ariz St
LILB Jameel McClain 25 Syracuse
RILB Ray Lewis 35 Miami
ROLB Jarret Johnson 29 Alabama
LCB Chris Carr 27 Boise
RCB Josh Wilson 25 Maryland
SS Dawan Landry 28 Geo Tech
FS Ed Reed All Pro 32 Miami
K Billy Cundiff 30 All Pro Drake
P Sam Koch 28 Nebraska
KR David Reed 23 Utah
PR Ladarious Webb 25 Nicholls
The '10 Ravens split in the regular season with the Steelers, but like their '08 predecessors, they lost to Pittsburgh in the playoffs. Just a great hard hitting rivarly, Baltimore's got the 3rd best defense in '08, this might be a really low scoring, tight game. 2 All Pros on defense (and a third, the punter, 30 year old Billy Cundiff) 26 year old Haloti Ngata, who had 5.5 sacks, 32 year old Ed Reed, who had 8 picks. 28 year old Terrell Suggs had 11 sacks.
It's a 4/13 game, but anything other than a tight rock fight would be a surprise. Lets go to Pittsburgh for the kick.
1st Qtr
Ravens at the 28
Baltimore gets a first down when Joe Flacco hits Anquan Boldin for a 23 yard gain, but the drive ends in a punt.
Steelers at the 13.
1/10 - Ben Roethlisberger swing pass to Mewelde Moore, 10 yards.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/9 - Willie Parker gets 1
3/9 - Ben to Heath Miller, rumbles downfield for 15 yards to the 39.
1/10 - Moore gets a first down with a run to midfield.
1/10 - 2 for Moore.
2/8 - Ben to Hines Ward - a dozen yards and a first down to the Raven 36.
That's the end of the drive - and when the Steelers - Miss - a FG - Baltimore takes over at their own 36.
1/10 - 5 yards for Ray Rice.
2/5 - Flacco to Rice, 2 yards.
3/3 - Flacco to Derrick Mason, 21 yards to the Steeler 341.
1/10 - Rice gets 4.
2/6 - Flacco to Houshmandzadeh, a dozen yards to the 25.
1/10 - A dozen yards for Ray Rice and Baltimore is at the 13.
That ends the drive, LaMarr Woodley gets a sack - Baltimore hits the FG and it's 3-0.
Steelers at the 37.
1/10 - Incomplete and a false start on the next play backs them up 5.
2/15 - Roethlisberger picks it up, 15 yards to Hines Ward.
1/10 - Ben gers dropped by Terrell Suggs.
2/15 - Willie Parker hit in the backfield, the Steelers have third and long as the qtr ends.
2nd Qtr: Ravens 3 Steelers 0
Rivalry game, Pittsburgh got the better of their real life games in both seasons, Baltimore up early here. Third and 18 for Pittsburgh.
Ben picks it up -- 23 yard pass to Limas Sweed, the Steelers are at the Baltimore 36.
1/10 - Ben finds Santonio Holmes -- he gets a step -- But Is Then Stripped by Ed Reed -- it's a fumble - a fumble -- the Ravens take over at their own 27.
One first down - 15 yard Mason reception; James Harrison will get a sack and the drive ends in a punt.
Steelers at the 33 - it's a 3 and out with a Ray Lewis sack puntuating the defensive effort - still 3-0, this is the game we expected.
Ravens at the 35. 3 and out
Steelers at the 26. 3 and out.
Ravens at the 44. 3 and out. It is the game we expected.
Steelers at the 18. 3 and out. Baltimore takes the ball at their own 43, less than 3 minutes to go in the first half, it remains 3-0 Ravens.
They get 1 first down, it's a big one, 28 yard reception for Houshmanzadeh - that's enough to get Cundiff in position to hit a FG and it is 6-0 with a little more than a minute left.
Steelers at the 16.
1/10 - Willie Parker for 11.
1/10 - Willie Parker gains 25 yards - it looked like Pittsburgh might be content to run out the clock, but now, they are at the Baltimore 48 yard line and they uuse a timeout with 53 seconds left in the half.
1/10 - Ben quick out to Ward, 7 yards and out of bounds.
2/3 - Incomplete
3/3 - Ben picks it up, 19 yard gain to Moore, that's a first down at the Ravens 22 yard line with 34 seconds left, Steelers use their second timeout.
The don't move further - the half ends with the FG.
3rd Qtr: Ravens 6 Steelers 3
Each team with two sacks, Baltimore has picked up a turnover - this game sure looks like if anyone scores a TD that might be enough.
Steelers at the 19.
1/10 - 4 yards for Moore
2/6 - Parker gets one.
3/7 - Ben is levled by Haloti Ngata -- it's a strip sack -- the Ravens recover at the 9 yard line! Big, big play - Nagata strip sack, Baltimore has a first and goal to go at the 9!
But again, they cant get the ball in the end zone -- Cundiff's third FG makes it 9-3.
Steelers at the 28.
1/10 Ben to Ward, 7 yards.
2/3 - Moore picks it up.
1/10 - A big play -- Willie Parker goes for 43 - Parker breaks one agains this Ravens defense and the Steelers are at the 19!
1/10 - Gary Russell gets a carry, nothing.
2/10 - Parker goes for 5.
3/5 - Parker -- Willie Parker is through the hole -- Willie Parker is Gonna Go Into the End Zone -- TOUCHDOWN STEELERS - 14 yard TD run for Willie Parker - and the Steelers go in front, 10-9.
Ravens at the 27.
3 and out. Steelers at the 17.
3 and out. Ravens at the 42.
3 and out. Steelers at the 26. They get a first down on a 16 yard Willie Parker run, big third qtr for Parker - but at the end of the qtr - the Steelers have a 4th down at midfield.
4th Qtr: Steelers 10 Ravens 9
Willie Parker's big run allows the Steelers the lead. Steelers punt to the 24.
One first down, Flacco 17 yards to Boldin. But that is all - and the Steelers get the ball back at their own 17 with 11 minutes left and a 1 pt lead.
They get 2 first downs and burn 4+ minutes off the clock. 12 yards from Ben to Holmes, 30 big yards from Ben to Nate Washington. But - it ends - the Steelers punt leaves the Ravens deep in their own end, at the 6 with 6 and a half to go.
3 and out. That won't help at all -- and now the Steelers have the ball at the Baltimore 39, 5 minutes to play, up a point.
They get a first down on a 16 yard Parker run, but Terrell Suggs gets his second sack, it leaves the Steelers with a Jeff Reed FG, it's 13-9 Steelers - Baltimore now with just 2 and a half minutes to go, at their own 32 and needing a TD.
4 plays net a total of 2 yards - the Ravens turn it over on downs, Pittsburgh gets the ball back at the Baltimore 34 just before the 2 minute warning - the Steelers get one first down, on an 18 yard Parker run - they burn all the Ravens timeouts and with 49 seconds left kick another FG, it's now 16-9 - Baltimore gets the ball back with 40 seconds to play, no timeouts, at their own 31 yard line - needing to drive 69 yards to send this game into OT -- but on the first play Troy Polamalu Intercepts Flacco -- and that is going to wrap this up.
Final: Steelers 16 Ravens 9
The Steeler defense just doesn't allow much at all today, Pittsburgh heads to round 2 and they'll host the '02 Eagles.
Roethlisberger: 11 for 24, 160 yds
Flacco: 12 for 26, 126 yds, INT
Parker: 21 carries, 160 yds, TD
Rice: 15 carries, 40 yds
Ward: 4 catches, 41 yds
Boldin: 3 catches, 38 yds
Suggs: 2 sacks
Player of the Game: Willie Parker
Top half of Region 15 in the books:
1969 Chiefs
1985 49ers
2002 Eagles
2008 Steelers
