BALTIMORE – For this one, they were going to need a total team effort. The quarterback had to be a difference-maker, as he has been before in big games. The running game had to force the opponent to respect it, if not fear it. There could be no dropping of catchable balls, no penalties in critical situations. The defense had to be the better unit of the two in this game. It had to do some things to shake the ever-growing confidence of the other quarterback, both with pressure and takeaways. And for their special teams, doing no harm wasn't going to be good enough this time.
They got it. Not all of it, but enough of it, anyway.
The Pittsburgh Steelers came here needing a win over the Baltimore Ravens, and they came here needing it for what it would do for them presently but also for what it can mean for their immediate future.
* * *
Back in late September, in the days leading up to the first meeting between these rivals, Mike Tomlin opined that games against the Ravens reveal a lot about a particular team. As the 2010 season enters its final quarter, what this win revealed is these Steelers are able to contend for another championship, and ready to do just that.
Read the rest of this column in its entirety in the current issue of Steelers Digest. To subscribe, call 1-800-334-4005, or click on the link: Subscribe to Steelers Digest
