Roquan Smith's Wild Card pregame speech ended Steelers chances long before kickoff

The Baltimore Ravens wasted no time in their Wild Card showdown with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Lamar Jackson and Co. scored on three of their first four drives, racking up over 300 yards in the process, while the Steelers never even got past midfield en route to a 21-0 halftime deficit. From there, the rest was academic, a 28-14 final score making things far more respectable than they deserved to look.

It was about as dominant a start as you'll ever see in a playoff game, one that made it obvious from more or less the first snap which team would win. In hindsight, though, maybe we shouldn't have been surprised. Anyone who heard Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith's pregame speech would've put all their money on Baltimore.

Ravens LB Roquan Smith showed no respect for the Steelers ahead of Wild Card showdown

Any time the Ravens and Steelers get together, you know tensions will be high. For Smith in particular, though, this one was personal. His old running mate in Baltimore's linebacking corps, Patrick Queen, opted to sign with Pittsburgh in free agency last offseason, and has had plenty to say about his old team since then.

Smith has been paying attention, and wanted to make sure his team didn't let its arch rival send it to an early exit on Wild Card Weekend. So when he rallied the Ravens to make his pregame speech just ahead of kickoff, he didn't hold back.

This is above and beyond, even by the standards of a playoff speech. When Smith tells his teammates that he's willing to fall on his shield, and that Pittsburgh doesn't belong on the same field with the Ravens, you can tell that there's something a little extra behind it. Even better, he helped back it up with his play; Smith finished second on the team with five tackles on the night, and while a second-half flurry made things look a bit more respectable for the Steelers offense, Russell Wilson and Co. did absolutely nothing while the outcome of the game was still in doubt.

Of course, while talking smack before the game is fun, doing it after a win is even better, and Smith didn't miss his chance to do the latter as well.