It's one of the NFL's best rivalries, and on Sunday it will continue when the Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field.
The Ravens sit atop of the AFC North with an 8-3 record, while the Steelers are 5-5-1 and fighting to get to the top in the tightly contested division.
The Ravens are riding a two-game winning streak, while the Steelers have lost the last two, but Ravens Coach John Harbaugh knows that doesn't matter.
"That's a really good football team we're playing," said Harbaugh. "This is a football team that's had a ton of success this year."
The Ravens weighed in on multiple topics regarding the Steelers, including talking about Cameron Heyward, Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin, Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris and more.
* * *
Coach John Harbaugh on the Steelers:
"That's a really good football team we're playing. This is a football team that's had a ton of success this year. When you look at a team and you consider what you're up against, you look at every facet of what they've done – the body of work, who they've played, how they played, how they played you in the past, what they're capable of doing. That's what you take into consideration. The other part of it, it's really never a factor."
Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser on how he explains the Steelers-Ravens rivalry to a rookie:
"I would tell them, 'It's going to be a brawl.' The Steelers are a great team, especially when we play them, and they've always been that way, and it always will be that way. Going into Pittsburgh, especially with fans coming back this year, it's going to be a whole new experience compared to last year. So, for the young guy, it's going to be exciting for him, and I know he's going to be ready for it."
Quarterback Lamar Jackson on if records matter when the Steelers and Ravens play:
"To me, records don't really mean anything in the League. It's any given Sunday. You can't look at an opponent, look at their record and be like, 'Oh, yes. It's going to be one of those types of games.' You can't do that. If you're doing that, you have the wrong mindset playing football in the League, period. For sure, it's a rival game. We know it's going to be an intense game, like it always is, and a very physical game, like it always is. I'm ready."
Harbaugh on if he believes the Steelers are as physical as they always have been:
"We expect them to be like they always are, and what we see on tape is a tough, hard-nosed, physical team. If you're going to talk about their defense, it's square, locking out front, knock you back, set the edges type of a front that they've always been. They're always bringing guys down in the secondary to tackle. It's just a hard-playing group, like always. That's what we know we're going to get when we play the Pittsburgh Steelers."
Boswer on how Roethlisberger's game has changed through the years:
"Not too many changes. He's still Ben Roethlisberger. He's still that Hall of Fame, great guy, and you have to respect that. Regardless of what people say, of how he's been playing, whether it's good or bad, he's still Ben Roethlisberger, and he can still go out there and make plays. So, we respect that guy, and we're not going to look at him any other type of way besides who he is. We're going to go out there and make sure that we're going to put our best game plan against him, because we know the type of guy he is."
Harbaugh on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger getting the ball out quickly:
"He is getting it out quick, and he is very accurate. He's very big. We've played him more than anybody else, probably, over the years. He's made plays that were just jaw-dropping plays against us. You guys have seen them; the throws he's made, the scramble plays he's made, the red zone plays he's made going out to his left and finding somebody – those are all indelibly marked in my brain, as you can probably tell. So, he's unique."
Bowser on Roethlisberger's ability to get the ball out fast and how that affects a defender:
"Just continue to rush, continue to dial in to what type of routes that they run. Just reacting, honestly. You can't control that. He's going to get the ball out. All you can do is see the ball, get the ball, and if you are there to where he's able to hold the ball, you've got to make sure that you get there, because if not, you're not going to get there at all."
Tackle Alejandro Villanueva on what it will feel like to be on the other sideline at Heinz Field:
"I don't know. We'll see. We'll see when I cross that bridge."
Villanueva on what he remembers from last year's Steelers-Ravens game at Heinz Field:
"It was an awesome game for us (the Steelers), because the roster was completely decimated. But it was also very tough, because then we had to play, I think, three games in 14 days, and I don't think that's ever been done in the NFL before. So, that was physically very difficult, from what I remember."
Harbaugh on his relationship with Mike Tomlin in their 30th meeting:
"We have a great relationship. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin and for the whole organization over there. I have other friends in the organization over there. Their players, everything about the Steelers you have to respect. I always was an admirer of (Hall of Fame Steelers Coach) Chuck Noll. I still study a lot of the things that he said. Yes, Coach Tomlin and I get along really well, I feel like. We're certainly rivals, because the Ravens and the Steelers are rivals. So, we're going to be rivals, and each of us are going to do everything we can to help our team win."
Villanueva on if he thinks it matters the Steelers have struggled the last few games heading into Sunday's matchup:
"No, no. Listen, Coach Tomlin is one of the greatest minds in the National Football League, and I have an incredible amount of respect for him. Cam Heyward is probably one of the best, if not the best, defensive player. T.J. (Watt), obviously is a game-wrecker. Alex Highsmith is an unbelievable football player. Devin Bush, (Joe) Schobert, the secondary, Minkah (Fitzpatrick). Joe Haden is an incredibly intelligent player. Records, statistics, they're awesome to write articles and to hype up and bring down football teams, but for us as players and us as teams, we understand that we're going against a very, very good defense – one of the best in the NFL – and so it's going to be a tremendous challenge for us, regardless of what they've done in the past."
Harbaugh on what he has seen from running back Najee Harris:
(He's a) multi-talented, faceted running back. He's big, strong, fast. He has great vision. He runs routes out of the backfield. He lines up out there and runs routes. He can catch it. He's just an elusive…for such a big back, he's very elusive. (He's) a tackle breaker-type guy."
Harbaugh on defensive tackle Cameron Heyward:
"He's just amazing. He's a great football player. He's physical, he's smart. He's just a force to be reckoned with, run and pass. It's no different than he's been ever since he got there. In the long tradition in the long line of defensive linemen in the Pittsburgh Steelers' storied history, he continues to write the next chapter. That's how I see it. He's one of the greats."
Jackson on what he's expecting from the atmosphere at Heinz Field: "Like it always is. I've played there twice – my rookie year and 2019, but last year, I had COVID. So, I know it's going to be loud, loud as ever. I just can't wait to hear the noise, hear the atmosphere, smell it, feel it, all of that."
Bowser on Steelers fans at Heinz Field:
"Probably the best in the NFL, besides us. But I enjoy playing in Pittsburgh. Coach 'Wink' (defensive coordinator Don Martindale) mentioned if he was able to play two games in Pittsburgh, he would, and I definitely believed him. The first time I went out there, in my first year in the league, it was just a crazy energy like no other, and just being out there gives you that different type of energy. So, I enjoy playing in Pittsburgh."
Harbaugh on the challenges for the team going against receiver Diontae Johnson, while still defending against Chase Claypool:
"No question, and (Pat) Freiermuth is getting the ball a lot, we talked about Najee Harris getting the ball a lot. So, there's always players to defend, but I know one thing – you better know where (No.) 18 is at all times, because he's going to be getting the ball. Not just covering him, but tackling him after he makes the catch. His run after catch has been one of the best in the league. Ben does a great job, we talked about the accuracy, hitting him on the run, and he goes. So, that's a big part of it for us, along with Chase, along with Freiermuth, along with Harris and the other guys."
