USA TODAY Sports - Evan Habeeb

Can young linebackers C.J. Mosley and Ryan Shazier replace the rivalry between Ray Lewis and James Farrior?

A Tale of Two Linebackers

What used to be a division rivalry between two of the fiercest defenses in the NFL has become far less about actually playing defense. In fact, in the last three seasons, both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have averaged very, well, average defenses: 14th in the league. However, from 2004 to 2011, Baltimore and Pittsburgh built their rivalry through their punishing defenses. In that span, the Ravens’ defense ranked on average sixth in the league and the Steelers’ defense averaged fourth statistically.