Ravens at Steelers - The Black and Blue Bowl

PITTSBURGH - Looks like another winter classic in Pittsburgh.

Some NFL rivalries are manufactured. Some ebb and flow depending on the teams' records. Then there's Ravens- Steelers, one that is as real as it gets. The games usually are meaningful, with an intensity that isn't faked and a physicality that caused Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward to label it the Black and Blue Bowl.

The eighth meeting in three seasons between AFC North rivals will leave the winner one victory short of the Super Bowl. The survivor of Saturday's AFC divisional game meets the winner of Sunday's Jets-Patriots game in the AFC championship game on Jan. 23.

Yes, another big Ravens-Steelers game, only a month and 10 days since the last. Yet many in Baltimore and Pittsburgh couldn't wait for it.

"Both sides know when the whistle blows, you're going to get what we got and we're going to get what they got," said Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, whose renowned nastiness fits perfectly into a rivalry where emotions run high and scores run low.

"So, once again - I love to use this - here we go again."

The Ravens and Steelers tied with 12-4 regular-season records, but Pittsburgh earned a first-round bye based on its superior division record - one made possible by its improbable 13-10 win in Baltimore on Dec. 5. The Ravens were within a couple of first downs of securing a 10-6 win, but Troy Polamalu caused a Joe Flacco fumble that led to Ben Roethlisberger's winning 9-yard touchdown pass with 2:51 remaining.