It seems only fitting that the Steelers first playoff game in the divisional round this upcoming Saturday will be against the division rival Baltimore Ravens.  After blowing-out the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 30-7 in the Wild Card round, the Ravens will come into Heinz Field where they have already won this year when they defeated the Steelers by a score of 17-14.  That being said, the Steelers were without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that game as he was still serving his four game suspension.  The Steelers then avenged their earlier loss by beating the Ravens by a score of 13-10 in Baltimore, setting up this rubber-match game in Pittsburgh.

It is no secret that the Steelers and Ravens are not exactly fond of each other.  In fact, the two division rivals may just be the best rivalry in the NFL at this time.  It is a match-up of two very similar teams that preach the same principles.  They are both teams that believe defense wins championships and their physical defensive style certainly shows it.  Besides their intense physicality, both teams have a run-first mentality on offense and play smart by not committing many turnovers.

If you are a fan of the Steelers or the Ravens you will most likely be feeling a bit nervous for much of the game this weekend because there is an excellent chance this game will be a nail-biter and come down to the very end.  The numbers don’t lie.  In the last 17 meetings between the two teams the Steelers have won nine times and the Ravens eight.  The Steelers have averaged 276 yards per game while the Ravens are right behind with 270.  The Steelers have had 34 turnovers and the Ravens have had just one less with 33.  Finally, in their last 17 meetings, they have both scored exactly the same amount of points with 302.

As the numbers show, we should be in for a very close game with the winner being a toss-up at this point.  The Steelers have been named slight favorites, but mostly because of the fact that the game is on their turf.  I predict, just as the first two meetings this season, that the game will be decided by three points or fewer.  Look for the Steelers to protect Heinz Field this time and deliver a 20-17 victory.