Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens felt like a game from a decade ago. The height of the rivalry. That roughly 2008-2013 window when both teams were competitive, hungry, and respected but hated the other side. Every game was a fight, literally and figuratively. The NFL’s changing rules and key faces of the franchises retiring – Ed Reed, Hines Ward, Ray Lewis, Troy Polamalu – cooled things off just a bit.
The head coaches are the same, Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh. And some veterans have carried over like Cam Heyward, drafted in 2011. There are still messengers who can deliver stories and experiences of what these games are like.