Adding to the lore of the Steelers-Ravens rivalry this week are Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson, who'll be the first divisional QB matchup of multi-time MVP winners in NFL history.
While Rodgers is 3-0 lifetime against the Ravens – the most wins without a loss by any quarterback against coach John Harbaugh – he played all of those games for Green Bay.
But he does have a sense of this great rivalry.
"Playing in the (NFC) North, you maybe keep a little more attention on the other North," said Rodgers, "so I've had a lot of respect for all the rivalries in this division."
His take?
"It feels like there's worse blood with certain teams, especially when you go back to some of the plays that happened between the Steelers and the Bengals, when guys get knocked out of games," he said. "I remember that time in the NFL, and there were some hellacious shots and some real bad blood, for sure, between those teams. Ravens and Steelers, I feel, have always had a healthy respect for each other, played super hard, wanted it maybe a little bit more against that opponent.
"But, yeah, it's been some great battles over the years that I've watched from afar, and it's exciting to be a part of one finally."
Aside from the big names at quarterback, the Steelers and Ravens are tied for first in the AFC North Division, giving the game its typical luster.
However, both quarterbacks are coming off difficult losses.
Rodgers, of course, is recovering from a wrist injury that he said continues to improve.
"It's definitely healing," Rodgers said. "I appreciate the extra day off. I love to practice, so I hate missing practice, but, dealing with what I'm dealing with, it helps to get another day without any pounding on the bones in there. So, we'll see what happens.
"I'd love to be able to be under center. That'll probably be a later-in-the-week decision. But I didn't come out of the game any worse for wear, so the healing process has continued, and we'll see what happens as far as the type of cast I use come Sunday."
As Rodgers' wrist continues to heal, he's hoping his deep passing comes along with it.
Rodgers said, "there haven't been a lot of guys open," but that aspect has been part of the current practice process.
"It just comes down to release, having a plan to release, and proper depth, proper timing," he said. "We've tried different things with rub routes. It's just about having a plan at the line of scrimmage and then understanding when to be open on the timing of each route. But I see improvement from those guys. It just hasn't shown up consistently the last few weeks."
Help could also come in the form of Adam Thielen, whom the Steelers picked up off the waiver wire this week. The 35-year-old wide receiver spent 10 seasons with the Vikings, and has 683 catches in his 12 NFL seasons. This season, Thielen started four games for the Vikings and caught 8 passes for 69 yards.
"I've known Adam for a long time," Rodgers said. "Played against him in the NFC North for a number of years and got a lot of respect for his game. Got to know the person and his family over the years through Tahoe, and he's an outstanding guy. We'll see how quickly he can get up to speed with the playbook. I was joking with him. He said this is the best his body has felt, because he hadn't been playing a whole lot in Minnesota, so I think he's got a lot left in the tank and a lot of impetus to go out there and put some good play on film."
The Steelers need an offensive spark. Last week against the Bills, they compiled a season-low 166 yards.
Rodgers doesn't believe the number reflects the play.
"The difference between a great performance and a subpar performance is very thin most of the time," he said. "It's just little details in the play or the execution, so I think that's part of it. When you have a great game, it's never as good as you think it was, and when you struggle as an offense, personally, it's never as bad as you think it was. So we're always closer than we think, and we're always not as great as we think we are. So, good learning experience through the film, and hopefully we'll be better this week."
