With the NFL's expansion of the playoff format over the years, rematches of division games have become increasingly more common.
When the NFL first added Wild Card teams in 1970, only one non-division-winning team earned a trip to the postseason.
That was expanded to two Wild Cards in 1978, opening the door to additional opportunities for division opponents to meet for a third time.
Not coincidentally, the Steelers played their first divisional opponent in the postseason that year, beating the Houston Oilers, 34-5, in the AFC Championship.
Since then, the Steelers have played a divisional opponent in the postseason 11 more times. Their overall record in those games is a blistering 10-2.
Next weekend, they'll get a 13th opportunity to face a divisional opponent in the playoffs when they travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens in a Wild Card playoff game.
It will mark their fifth playoff game against the Ravens, all of which have come since 2001, making Baltimore the divisional opponent the Steelers have faced most often in the postseason over the years. The Steelers' record in those previous matchups is 3-1, with the Steelers having beaten the Ravens in 2001, 2008 and 2010 and Baltimore having won the most recent meeting in 2014.
The Steelers also have faced the Oilers (3-0) and Browns (2-1) three times as divisional opponents in the postseason, while also playing the Bengals (2-0) twice.
Next weekend's game, however, will mark the first time the Ravens and Steelers have met in a postseason game in Baltimore. But in this series, the venue hasn't always necessarily mattered.
The Steelers are 21-12 against the Ravens in Pittsburgh. They are 15-14 against the Ravens in Baltimore, including winning four of the past five and six of the past eight games at M&T Bank Stadium.
Here's a look at the history of the Steelers in the playoffs against Baltimore.
Jan. 20, 2002, at Heinz Field, Divisional Round
Steelers 27, Ravens 10
In the Steelers' first playoff game since the 1997 season and first at their new stadium, the Steelers won the rubber match with the Ravens. The two teams had split their meetings in the regular season, with each winning on the other's home field.
But the Steelers got a pair of rushing touchdowns from Amos Zereoue to jump out to a 20-3 halftime lead and cruised to victory in this game.
Baltimore managed just 22 rushing yards on 11 carries and finished with 150 total yards as the Steelers sacked Elvis Grbac three times and intercepted him on three occasions. Free safety Brent Alexander had two of the interceptions.
Baltimore's lone touchdown in the game came on an 88-yard punt return by Jermain Lewis midway through the third quarter, but the Steelers salted the game away early in the fourth quarter on a Kordell Sterward TD pass of 32 yards to Plaxico Burress.
Burress had five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, while Stewart threw for 154 yards and one touchdown with one interception while also running 11 times for 32 yards in the victory that sent the Steelers to the AFC Championship against the Patriots.
Jan. 18, 2009, at Heinz Field, AFC Championship
Steelers 23, Ravens 14
The Steelers swept the Ravens in the regular season, winning 23-20 in overtime in Pittsburgh and 13-9 later in the season in Baltimore on a late Santonio Holmes touchdown catch from Ben Roethlisberger.
They left no doubt in this game, jumping out to a 13-0 lead on two Jeff Reed field goals and a 65-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Holmes early in the second quarter.
The Ravens trimmed the lead to 13-7 at the half on a Willis McGahee 3-yard touchdown run late in the first half.
The Steelers extended their lead to 16-7 on Reed's third field goal late in the third quarter before McGahee scored from 1-yard out with 9:29 remaining in the game to make it 16-14.
With 4:39 remaining, Troy Polamalu intercepted Joe Flacco on third-and-13 and returned the ball 40 yards for a touchdown to put the Steelers ahead 23-14.
Ryan Clark forced a fumble on Baltimore's next possession that was recovered by Lawrence Timmons at the Baltimore 38, but the Steelers were unable to advance the ball and punted back to Baltimore with 1:56 remaining in the game.
Flacco's pass on second-and-10 from the Baltimore 35 was intercepted by Tyrone Carter to seal the win and send the Steelers on to the Super Bowl.
Jan. 15, 2011, at Heinz Field, Divisional Round
Steelers 31, Ravens 24
The Steelers and Ravens again split their regular season meetings, with each winning on the other's home field. Both low-scoring games were decided by three points.
It was obvious early this would not be a similar low-scoring affair.
The Steelers scored on a 1-yard run by Rashard Mendenhall midway through the first quarter before the Ravens took a quick 14-7 lead on a Ray Rice touchdown run followed by Cory Redding scooping up a Roethlisberger fumble following a Terrell Suggs sack and returning it 13 yards for another score just before the end of the quarter.
Following a Mendenhall fumble that was recovered by Ed Reed, Flacco threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Todd Heap that extended Baltimore's advantage to 21-7 with 5:46 remaining in the first half.
The Steelers drove to the Baltimore 25 with under one minute left in the second quarter, but Shaun Suisham missed a 43-yard field goal and the Ravens took a 21-7 lead into the half.
After a Pittsburgh punt to open the second half, Clark forced a Rice fumble that was recovered by LaMarr Woodley to set up a 9-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Heath Miller.
Later in the quarter, Clark intercepted Flacco and returned the ball 17 yards to the Baltimore 25. That set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Hines Ward that tied the score at 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter.
Brett Keisel recovered a Flacco fumble on Baltimore's ensuing possession, and Suisham made a 34-yard field goal to put the Steelers ahead, 24-21, early in the final quarter, but the Ravens got a Billy Cundiff field goal from 24 yards with just under four minutes remaining to tie the game at 24.
Just prior to the two-minute warning, the Steelers faced third-and-19 from their own 38, when Roethlisberger dropped back to pass and lofted a ball deep to little-used rookie Antonio Brown down the right sideline. Brown, who had just 16 receptions, caught the ball against the side of his helmet and pinned it there as his momentum carried him out of bounds at the Baltimore 4 for a gain of 58 yards.
Mendenhall scored from 2 yards out with 1:39 remaining to lift the Steelers to the victory that would send them on to host the Jets in the AFC Championship.
Jan. 3, 2015, at Heinz Field, Wild Card Round
Ravens 30, Steelers 17
The Steelers lost to the Ravens, 26-6, in Baltimore early in the season, but turned the tables on them in Pittsburgh, winning 43-23 later in the season.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, they would play this game without leading rusher Le'Veon Bell, who had been injured against the Bengals in the previous week when the Steelers clinched the division title.
That left Josh Harris and Ben Tate, signed earlier in the week, to carry the load against Baltimore, and the Steelers rushed for just 68 yards.
The Steelers grabbed a 3-0 lead on a Suisham field goal late in the first quarter, but Bernard Pierce answered on Baltimore's ensuing possession with a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Ravens a 7-3 lead.
The Steelers drove deep into Baltimore territory on the ensuing possession, but Martavis Bryant was tackled at the 4 on third down and another Suisham field goal cut Baltimore's lead to 7-6.
The two teams then traded field goals on their next two drives, with Justin Tucker hitting a 28-yard attempt and Suisham nailing one from 47 yards at the end of the half.
Leading 10-9, the Ravens extended their lead with yet another Tucker field goal coming out of the half. Torrey Smith then caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to put Baltimore ahead 20-9 late in the third quarter.
Stephon Tuitt recovered a fumble early in the fourth quarter to set up a 6-yard TD pass from Roethlisberger to Bryant to put the Steelers within range at 20-15 following a failed two-point try.
But the Ravens added a 52-yard Tucker field goal and then turned a Roethlisberger interception into a touchdown on a 21-yard pass from Flacco to Crockett Gilmore to extend their lead to 30-15.
Shamarko Thomas blocked a Sam Koch punt through the end zone to record a safety for the Steelers at the two-minute warning, but that was as close as the Steelers would get.
Roethlisberger threw for 334 yards and one touchdown but was intercepted twice and sacked five times. Brown had nine receptions for 117 yards for the Steelers, who saw their season end at 11-6.
