The Baltimore Ravens have three main rivalries. Each rivalry is different and each rivalry tugs at a different set of emotions. The Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers clearly do not like each other, in fact this may be the nastiest rivalry in sports. In recent years it has been the Cincinnati Bengals have been the biggest thorn in the Ravens side; for whatever reason they are the team that gives Baltimore the most trouble. Then there is the New England Patriots who the Ravens have met numerous times in the playoffs. This may be the most contentious rivalry the Ravens have.
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To me the main enemy of the Ravens is the Steelers. It seems like when we play the Steelers it means ten times more, and it isn’t just because it’s a divisional game. The Ravens and the Steelers have a relationship a lot like Batman and the Joker. They have a lot in common but they want completely different things and will always be sworn enemies.
There is something sick and twisted that connects Batman and the Joker as if they were put here to oppose one another. That’s what it feels like with the Purple and Black and Black and Yellow. The Ravens and Steelers is nasty and it is heated. The Ravens live to beat the Steelers and the Steelers live to beat the Ravens. Whether they admit it or not, the Ravens are public enemy number one in Pittsburgh.
The New England Patriots rivalry is a contentious one. It seems like the Ravens are the only team that has been able to get under the Patriots skin. Whether it is fair or not, Tom Brady represents everything Ravens fans cannot stand. The Ravens faithful tend to see Brady as a whiny villain who thinks he is special. This stands against everything Ravens Nation has embraced. The Ravens have always enjoyed an “Us against the world”: mantra and they get to play into that against the Patriots.
Back to back AFC Championship games in New England fueled this rivalry to an all time high. The Ravens bested the Patriots twice but only walked away victorious on the second championship game (thanks to Lee Evans and Billy Cundiff).
The Patriots are reigning Super Bowl champions despite the entire “Deflate Gate” situation. The Ravens cried foul about cheating in last years playoff contest but the Patriots got away with a technicality. Afterwards Brady suggested that the Ravens read a rule book… yeah we loved hearing that. The Ravens and Patriots are like oil and water. You know the Patriots are the oil because they slip through every investigation as if nothing ever happened.
The Bengals are more of an annoyance than anything else. Their lack of playoff success kind of lowers the significance of this rivalry. The Ravens just seem to have their worst games against them. I don’t know what it is about the Bengals defense but Joe Flacco has the hardest time with them. Sometimes being a rival is as simple as getting in the way and that’s what the Bengals have done to the Ravens in recent years.
As a die-hard Ravens fan the choice is pretty obvious. The Steelers are our arch rival. This is the rivalry that matters the most. Almost every game comes down to a field goal at the end. Every year the Steelers games are the ones you mark on your calendar when the schedule comes out. We cannot stand the Steelers and they cannot stand us. Because of proximity the Ravens and the Steelers have become the most heated rivalry in football. When the Steelers win life is miserable (we never hear the end of it). When the Steelers lose, life is good. That’s the mark of a meaningful rivalry.
So who do you consider the Ravens biggest rival? Please vote and engage in the conversation in the comment section and through social media.