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On his archetypal visit, they treated him similar the neophyte helium was.
They picked him disconnected doubly and sacked him 2 others successful a 30-13 thrashing. The Ravens, led by a premier Ray Lewis and a rapidly ascending Ed Reed, would decorativeness that play with the league’s sixth champion defense. Ben Roethlisberger was a 22-year-old rookie who relieved starter Tommy Maddox successful the 3rd quarter.
Despite the lumps helium took successful that, his archetypal dose of NFL action, Roethlisberger did propulsion 2 touchdown passes successful the 4th quarter. Even then, helium would not halt coming.
Over the years since that archetypal brushwood successful 2004, the Ravens person faced Roethlisberger 25 times successful the regular play and thrice successful the playoffs. His Steelers person won 18 of those meetings, encompassing immoderate of the astir brutal, unpredictable, invigorating enactment of this NFL century. If Sunday’s crippled astatine M&T Bank Stadium is Roethlisberger’s past regular-season bow — arsenic helium has said it astir apt volition beryllium — helium could not decorativeness successful a much fitting locale, with some teams clinging to playoff hopes.
No subordinate has loomed arsenic a much changeless rival to the Ravens. In his prime, Roethlisberger was a horror-movie bogeyman successful a No. 7 jersey, the fig who could not beryllium pulled to the turf astatine the game’s important moments. In aboriginal years, helium became the respected dependable of acquisition connected the different broadside of an enduring feud. The “Big Ben” the Ravens spot Sunday won’t beryllium the backmost who haunted them a decennary ago, but helium did bushed them earlier this play and doubly past year.
“The crippled is ne'er implicit with that guy, until the last, last whistle blows,” said Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith, who has faced Roethlisberger since 2011.
Like astir semipermanent Ravens, Smith tin constituent to moments he’ll cherish — the December 2015 triumph successful which helium intercepted Roethlisberger and had a 101-yard pick-six called backmost due to the fact that of an offside punishment — and ones he’d similar to forget.
“He’s conscionable kicked our butts galore amounts of times,” Smith said. “And we’ve had immoderate bully games against him.”
It’s striking however intelligibly seasoned defenders retrieve their archetypal and champion games against Roethlisberger. Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee recovered a fumble successful his NFL debut, which conscionable happened to beryllium a 28-point blowout of the Steelers. But the 2nd gathering of that 2011 play is the 1 he’ll ever cherish.
He was precocious for the squad formation to Pittsburgh and past overslept successful his edifice room, raising the ire of his presumption coach, the precocious Clarence Brooks, who punched a spread successful the wall. McPhee responded with a half-sack the adjacent time arsenic the Ravens won connected a last-minute touchdown drawback by Torrey Smith.
“It was amazing,” helium said. “Coach went disconnected connected me, and past I went retired determination and balled out.”
McPhee recalls truthful intelligibly successful portion due to the fact that Roethlisberger was a unique, momentous opponent. Older teammates told him to marque definite helium was aggravated erstwhile helium reached No. 7, to “leave your Ravens decal connected his jersey.”
“He was similar a elephantine choky extremity playing quarterback,” McPhee said. “You had to cognize however to sack him erstwhile you got to him, by pinning some arms down. … That’s what made him truthful great, it’s brainsick to accidental but his escapability distant from the sack. He had brainsick pouch awareness, brainsick upper-body spot wherever helium could conscionable propulsion you off.”
Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale has watched Roethlisberger emergence from the dormant to pb truthful galore comebacks that helium questioned whether the 39-year-old backmost volition really retire.
“Who knows with Ben?” Martindale said. “He’s similar the Terminator. You deliberation astir the past of this crippled and this rivalry, however galore times he’s been hit. You tin representation them arsenic fans, arsenic writers, arsenic coaches. It’s conscionable what they don’t amusement is him getting up and playing the adjacent play oregon playing the adjacent series. It’s unbelievable his resiliency and his toughness. If there’s a ringing of fame for this game, he’s decidedly connected it.”
He noted that adjacent this mentation of Roethlisberger, who relies connected speedy releases much than zombie play extension, has led the Steelers to much fourth-quarter points than each but 1 different team. Seventeen of those came successful Pittsburgh’s Week 13 triumph implicit the Ravens.
Comb Roethlisberger’s past against the Ravens and you’ll find each types of games.
There were afternoons and nights erstwhile helium was astir perfect: 13-for-16 for 209 yards and 5 touchdowns successful a 38-7 triumph successful 2007, 25-for-37 for 340 yards and six touchdowns successful a 43-23 triumph successful 2014, 506 yards successful a 39-38 thriller successful December 2017.
On different occasions, the Ravens got the amended of him: 2 interceptions and 9 sacks successful a 2006 shutout, 3 interceptions and 4 sacks successful a 35-7 blowout to commencement the 2011 season, 2 interceptions and 5 sacks successful a 2015 playoff triumph successful Pittsburgh.
So fewer games, however, resulted successful wide knockouts for either side.
They were much apt to lucifer the December 2010 crippled erstwhile Roethlisberger threw an interception successful the 2nd quarter, took 3 sacks and had his chemoreceptor breached by an inadvertent swat from Ravens antiaircraft tackle Haloti Ngata, but inactive led 2 second-half scoring drives to prehend a 13-10 comeback victory.
When Ngata was asked to sanction his favourite deed astatine his status quality league successful 2019, helium said: “Breaking Ben’s nose.” As laughter filled the auditorium, helium rapidly added: “I didn’t bash it connected purpose, but it conscionable benignant of happened.”
Steelers manager Mike Tomlin recalled the aforesaid infinitesimal erstwhile talking to Pittsburgh reporters astir the rivalry: “I often archer the young guys a communicative astir the clip [Ben] got his chemoreceptor breached successful Baltimore, and helium came to the sideline during the timeout and said, ‘How bash I look?’ It’s conscionable is what it is.”
So it went successful the never-ending conflict betwixt a arrogant defence and a backmost who, astatine 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, was built much similar a linebacker.
“Make nary mistake, this bid is peculiar due to the fact that of the men that person played successful it,” Tomlin said. “Guys similar Ben pitting his skills against [Terrell] Suggs, guys similar Hines [Ward] pitting his skills against Ed Reed. You could spell connected and connected and on. That’s what makes this bid what it is. … It’s the communicative of the men, those golden overgarment guys, those guys that person unsocial talent, but it goes beyond their unsocial talent.”
If Roethlisberger had a generational counterpart connected the Ravens, it was Suggs, who entered the league a twelvemonth earlier him. It’s nary coincidence that the Ravens asked their erstwhile antiaircraft person to instrumentality to Baltimore arsenic “Legend of the Game” for Sunday’s last matchup.
Suggs had a sack successful Roethlisberger’s archetypal game, but it was connected Maddox. He yet produced immoderate signature games against his nemesis: 2 sacks successful that 27-0 shutout successful November 2006, 3 successful the 35-7 beatdown to unfastened the 2011 season. He besides boiled with vexation aft Roethlisberger slipped from his grasp to pb backbreaking comebacks.
McPhee was struck by the cerebral warfare down their showdowns. “They knew each different similar brothers oregon cousins,” helium said. “Suggs knew everything astir him, each his manus signals, each his codification words. He caught 2 picks connected him, 1 successful 2011 and 1 successful 2014 — the 1 helium caught betwixt his legs — and that was conscionable him knowing ‘Big Ben,’ the mode helium liked to alteration his calls, the plays helium liked to spell to connected 3rd down.”
In aboriginal years, some men characterized their rivalry successful respectful terms.
When the Steelers backmost criticized his ain play heading into a 2017 matchup, Suggs jokingly accused him of attempting “Jedi caput tricks” connected the Ravens.
The 2 exchanged signed jerseys aft the Ravens bushed the Steelers successful Pittsburgh successful 2018, Suggs’ past play with the Ravens.
Roethlisberger called Suggs, who sacked him much than immoderate different opponent, “one of the champion I person ever played against.”
With Roethlisberger expected to articulation Suggs successful status aft this season, volition the Ravens-Steelers rivalry participate a antithetic era?
Smith, who mightiness besides discontinue aft this season, thinks so.
“There are lone a mates guys near that Ben has adjacent played against galore times connected our squad,” helium said. “I wouldn’t accidental it’s the extremity of the rivalry era, but it’s decidedly the extremity of those big-name guys, and it has to commencement anew.”
STEELERS@RAVENS
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Chs. 13, 9 Radio: 97.9 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 5
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