The Pittsburgh Steelers are known for being one of the most physical teams in the NFL, as are the Baltimore Ravens. This is part of what makes the rivalry between the two so great, as it has been considered the best rivalry in the league for the last 20 years or so. The two sides will be squaring off against one another for the first time in 2024 on Sunday, and the winner will be walking away with sole possession of the AFC North for the time being.
USA Today
Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt celebrate a turnover against the Baltimore Ravens.
Whenever the week rolls around where the Steelers take on the Ravens, old stories come out about the matchups from the 2000s and 2010s. Baltimore and Pittsburgh were consistently two of the best teams in the league, and that still proves to be the case in 2024. Former Pittsburgh defender LaMarr Woodley told an interesting story while appearing on Cam Heyward's podcast, Not Just Football With Cam Heyward on Thursday. Woodley spoke about a 2008 matchup in Baltimore.
"In 2008, we were playing the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore," Woodley said. "I forgot, but The Blind Side guy had grabbed Troy [Polamalu] or he had grabbed Ryan Mundy, and we all got into a big tussle on the field. I'm telling the story terribly, but we get into a tussle on the field and we knocked over one of the referees. So when we knocked over the referee, he ended up having to go into the hospital, because he had a lump on his chest. He found out that he had cancer, and so like a year later, he came back into the locker room thanking me and Ryan Mundy for knocking him over."
According to the NFL's officiating history and articles discussing the incident, this actually happened at the beginning of the 2011 season. The Steelers got smacked by the Ravens as the score was 35-7. The official who was knocked down in the scuffle was Tony Corrente, who later went to the hospital where he was diagnosed with cancer.
Associated Press
Former NFL official, Tony Corrente refereeing a game involving the Detroit Lions after recovering from cancer.
Corrente went through treatment for his cancer almost immediately, and he returned to work two months later. Corrente is still doing well, but he retired from officiating after the 2021 NFL season. He actually took some heat during the 2021 season when he officiated a game involving the Steelers and the Chicago Bears. He threw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Cassius Marsh, which gave the Steelers a first down when they should have been punting it away. On the replay, it looked like Corrente hip-checked March, and then threw his flag in the air.
Current Pittsburgh quarterback Justin Fields was the quarterback for Chicago during that controversial game, and during the 2024 offseason, he spoke about the contest. He said everyone on the Bears felt cheated out of a victory, as the Steelers went on to win after the questionable call.
Steelers' Rivalry With The Ravens Hasn't Lost Any Intensity
The rivalry between Baltimore and Pittsburgh is just as intense as it has always been, and the matchups during the 2024 season might even be taken up a notch. Both teams are fighting for the top spot within the division, and both seem to be locks to make the postseason. Another factor that will up the intensity in this matchup is the players that have flipped sides.
Shawn Hubbard / Baltimore Ravens Photos
Patrick Queen and Minkah Fitzpatrick trash talk before a game at Acrisure Stadium.
The Steelers signed DeShon Elliott and Patrick Queen during the 2024 offseason, and both players spent significant time in Baltimore. Diontae Johnson and Arthur Maulet are now in Baltimore, and Pittsburgh's Head Coach Mike Tomlin even threw a little jab at Johnson while doing his press conference earlier in the week. There are a ton of familiar faces on both sides of this rivalry, which should make for an intense game on Sunday.
Do you remember this story happening that Woodley told to Heyward? What do you think will happen when the Steelers play the Ravens on Sunday? Let us know in the comments below!
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