So, which quarterback will be left standing Monday night? Will it be Ravens rookie Joe Flacco or the Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger?
The Ravens and Steelers have much in common. They both represent blue-collar NFL cities with storied traditions and passionate fans. Both like to play smash-mouth football on offense and blitz and bring pressure on defense.
Both the Ravens and Steelers are expected to try to establish running games early Monday night, but when it comes to passing situations, the game might look more like a track meet than a football contest.
Both offenses appear vulnerable to the pass rush, which means they're going to go after each other's quarterback. Flacco hasn't seen anything like Pittsburgh, except in practice, when he goes against the Ravens' defense. But on Monday night, the intensity will be turned up a notch.
The Steelers have one of the game's best defensive coordinators in Dick LeBeau, who likes to use an assortment of blitzes. Pittsburgh also uses multiple fronts to give opponents more looks than a chameleon.
The Ravens like to play the same games up front, and Flacco was a confused young man in training camp.
"They do a lot of similar things," Ravens tight end Todd Heap said of the Baltimore and Pittsburgh defenses. "We know Pittsburgh runs that 3-4, and they have guys flying all over the place with Troy Polamalu. You don't know where he is going to be, but we're prepared for that.
"That's what we go against every day, and all offseason we've gone against it. We see a lot of similar looks, so it's something that we're prepared for. We're prepared for a lot of different things they can throw at us, and obviously going against our guys is only going to be a benefit to us."
There is also the crowd-noise factor. Flacco has been impressive in the team's first two games, both at home, but he hasn't faced a nasty, hostile crowd like the one that will be at Heinz Field.
The Ravens run a no-huddle offense, so Flacco is going to have to make many quick decisions. Those split-second decisions could cost the Ravens the game, especially if Flacco is getting hit a lot.
The Steelers will probably bring much pressure from the perimeter, challenging young offensive tackles Adam Terry and Jared Gaither.
"It's going to be just like any other division opponent," Flacco said. "They are a tough team. We're going to go out there, and we're going to be ready to grind one out. I'm not going to really look into anything too much more."
