The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a part of several intense rivalries over the years. However, the Baltimore Ravens are arguably their greatest rival. For years, the two of them have battled for supremacy in the AFC North. They’ve had some classic battles, no matter how good either of them has been. Every matchup between the Steelers and the Ravens feels like a knockdown, drag-out brawl. Ravens pass rusher Kyle Van Noy believes the rivalry’s fire had waned slightly but that it’s crackling again.
“The disdain is getting back in that Pittsburgh-Ravens rivalry,” Van Noy said Tuesday on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “I feel like it wasn’t there when I first got to the Ravens. It’s been mostly the Cincinnati Bengals and us. I feel like it’s going back to that Ravens-Steelers rivalry that we’ve been so accustomed too.”
Van Noy joined the Ravens in 2023, and it’s true that their rivalry with the Steelers didn’t feel as hot as it once did. Every game between them was still important, but the Steelers were dominating the Ravens. They beat Baltimore twice during Van Noy’s first season there. The Steelers had also won five of the previous six contests against the Ravens.
Both teams have been in slightly different places, too. Over the past few years, the Steelers have been fighting for a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Ravens have been a Super Bowl contender for most of Lamar Jackson’s tenure there. They’ve been on different levels.
That’s likely why Van Noy feels like the Bengals were a bigger rival for the Ravens. Both those teams have franchise quarterbacks and Super Bowl aspirations. They met in an intense playoff game during the 2022 season in which the Bengals snatched victory from the Ravens. The stakes might have felt a little higher for the Ravens against the Bengals.
Van Noy did elaborate on why he feels a little more passionately about his team’s rivalry with the Steelers now.
“I don’t think it’s the Steelers players. They’re relatively good. A couple of them, eh. It’s been more the coaches. It’s stuff on the sideline that no one gets to see, that the mic’d ups haven’t picked up,” he said. “It’s a competitive game. I love trash talking.”
It’s surprising to hear Van Noy say that it isn’t the players stoking the fires of this rivalry. That’s different than how it was in the past. In years prior, players definitely had a hand in making Ravens-Steelers games feel more intense. Broken bones, bumps, bruises, and blood were almost guaranteed.
It’s important to note that Van Noy specifies that it’s not Mike Tomlin but other coaches who talk trash.
It’s unclear which coaches talk the most trash during those games. Players have mentioned before that Arthur Smith isn’t afraid to speak his mind to opponents, so maybe he’s putting his stamp on this rivalry.
In any case, last year did feel like a rekindling of this matchup. The Steelers beat the Ravens in their first meeting, barely squeaking out a win. Then, the Ravens came back and got their revenge. Baltimore took the rubber match as well, crushing the Steelers in the playoffs and sending them home.
This season is sure to continue building upon that rivalry. The Steelers seem a little directionless at the moment, but they usually play hard against the Ravens. Pittsburgh probably wants some revenge for how last year ended, too. Their next meeting is sure to bring fireworks.
