Ranking the 25 biggest NFL rivalries of all time

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BALTIMORE, MD – NOVEMBER 01: Henry Mondeaux #99 of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Patrick Mekari #65 of the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images) /

2. Top NFL Rivalries – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

All-Time History: Steelers lead 30-24
First Meeting: Sept. 8, 1996 (Steelers 31, Ravens 17)
Last Meeting: Dec. 2, 2020 (Steelers 19, Ravens 14)
Postseason History: Steelers lead 3-1

This may be the youngest rivalry on the list but Ravens-Steelers has become one of the NFL’s most entertaining grudge matches. The spiritual successor to the vitriol from the old Steelers-Browns rivalry, the Ravens were born when Art Modell moved the Browns’ franchise to Baltimore ahead of the 1996 season and they maintained their hatred of the Steelers.

The rivalry itself has been very even from the start as Pittsburgh and Baltimore have combined to win the AFC North 18 times since 1996, with the teams combining to reach five Super Bowls and winning four. The games themselves have become punishing blood baths defined by hard hitting from two proud defensive franchises.

The Steelers and Ravens have also met four times in the playoffs, with the most dramatic coming in the 2010 Divisional Playoffs, when Pittsburgh rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the second half to stun Baltimore 31-24. The Ravens got their revenge five years later, beating the Steelers 30-17 in the Wild Card round to score their first postseason victory in the series.

No team has managed to string together more than five consecutive victories in the series, a sign that this rivalry is truly even. It will be interesting to see what happens on the Steelers’ end once Ben Roethlisberger is no longer under center for his bi-annual meetings with Baltimore in the next few years.

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