Steelers – Ravens rivalry The rivalry between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of the most intense in the National Football League . Both teams are members of the AFC North division , and play at least twice a year in what are often battles for divisional supremacy . Both teams are known for fielding tough , hard - hitting defensive squads , giving their games an extra element of physical intensity . The two teams have met in the postseason three times , all resulting in Steelers wins . They are the only two teams in the AFC North to have won the Super Bowl , and possess a combined 7 – 2 record in the game . History . In 1996 , NFL football returned to Baltimore , 12 years after the original Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis . In a strange twist of fate , Art Modell relocated his Central Division team to Baltimore . The inter - divisional rivalry carried over with both teams remaining in what was then the AFC ' s Central Division . Since the formation of the AFC North in 2002 , the Steelers and Ravens have dominated the division , with the Steelers winning or tying for six divisional titles ( as of 2011 ) and the Ravens taking three however , the Ravens did clinch a playoff spot in 2009 as a wild - card as the Steelers barely missed the playoffs . ) Sports Illustrated has ranked the rivalry # 2 on a list of " Top 10 New NFL Rivalries . " It is currently the top rivalry for both teams . In Baltimore , it has the added element of a small number of former Colts fans in the area becoming Steeler fans after the Colts moved , then retaining their affiliation with the Steelers after the Ravens moved to Baltimore and assumed the Cleveland Browns ' spot in the AFC Central with the Steelers . In Pittsburgh , it is considered the spiritual successor to the Browns – Steelers rivalry due to the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy as well as the " reactivated " Cleveland Browns having a 4 – 21 record against the Steelers since returning to the league in 1999 . Due to its physical nature , it has received comparisons to the rivalry the Steelers had with the Oakland Raiders in the 1970 ' s , when those two teams were among the most physical teams in the league . The two teams are so similar in style that they have received comparisons to each other in a similar matter to that of the episode of " " . Since the Steelers introduced their throwback uniform as their alternate uniform in 2007 , they have used one of their two annual allotted games with the uniform against the Ravens at home three times , signifying the significance of the rivalry . The Ravens have typically worn their regular uniforms at home against the Steelers instead of their all - black third uniform . Some memorable moments in the rivalry have included Ravens Linebacker Terrell Suggs being quoted as saying that a " bounty " was put out on the head of Steelers Wide Receiver Hines Ward . The bounty controversy was cleared up when Suggs insisted his words were just meant as a joke . The NFL investigated and Suggs was cleared of any wrong doing . The rivalry reached a new height of intensity during the 2008 NFL season , when the Steelers and Ravens played three times , the last match being the AFC Championship . The Steelers won all three games , by close margins . The margins were so close that in the regular season just under two yards would have shifted from a Steelers sweep to a Ravens sweep . In week 15 , the Steelers won with a controversial score late in the game . In the playoff game , a personal foul by the special teams player Daren Stone cost the Ravens 25 yards . The last play was an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Troy Polamalu . In that same game the Steelers ' Ryan Clark delivered a controversial hit on the Ravens ' Willis McGahee that left Clark briefly out cold and forced McGahee to spend the night in a Pittsburgh hospital . The Rivalry continued in the 2009 season . Both the Steelers and the Ravens went 9 – 7 , but Baltimore won a wild - card slot due to a better division record . Baltimore won the Wild - Card game by defeating the New England Patriots 33 – 14 , but lost to the Indianapolis Colts the following game . In 2010 , Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin called the Steelers – Ravens rivalry the best rivalry in football during a press conference and on the ESPN show " Pardon the Interruption " . Ravens head coach John Harbaugh later agreed with this assessment . On opening day of the 2011 season , the Ravens forced 7 turnovers and routed the Steelers 35 – 7 at M & T Bank Stadium . During Week 9 of the season , the Steelers were on the verse of winning their game against the Ravens . The Steelers were ready to potentially increase their lead with a 47 - yard field goal kick by Shaun Suisham , but a 5 - yard delay of game penalty put them out of field goal range and they were instead forced to punt the ball to the Ravens . In the end , Joe Flacco threw a 26 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Torrey Smith in the endzone with just 8 seconds remaining , giving them the game . A notable battleground for the rivalry is the Harrisburg , Pennsylvania market area . Harrisburg is officially a secondary market for the Ravens , and so WHP - TV must show all Ravens road games ( if played on Sunday afternoon ) . The Steelers also have a significant fanbase in the area , so when the Ravens are at home , the Steelers are shown instead . Game results . The following is a list of results from all of the meetings between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers from their first meeting on September 8 , 1996 to the present :