There's no love lost between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. They hate each other, simple as that. It's obviously not considered one of the NFL's great, historic rivalries ... not yet, at least. But it is one of the very best modern rivalries, and arguably the best one in football the past three years.
So it's fitting that first place will be at stake when the Ravens travel to Heinz Field for the first of the teams' two encounters in 2010. Both teams are coming off wins in Week 3 - the Steelers over the Buccaneers, and the Ravens over the Browns. With the Steelers' bye week awaiting them in Week 5, Mike Tomlin's team would love nothing better than to rest up and prepare for the grind of the remaining season after taking down their bitter rival and securing a two-game lead.
Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week both here and at Behind the Steel Curtain. To get our pregame coverage started, let's take a look at the injury report from Wednesday for the Steelers and Ravens. As you can see, the Steelers got out of Tampa Bay relatively unscathed, except of course for the unfortunate MCL injury suffered by super-sub DT Chris Hoke. The Ravens, meanwhile, are a bit battered and bruised. Heading to Heinz Field to take on the Steelers probably won't help them nurse their wounds much.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday: QB Dennis Dixon (knee), G Trai Essex (ankle), DT Chris Hoke (knee)
Baltimore Ravens
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday: LB Tavares Gooden (shoulder), WR Donte' Stallworth (foot)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday: T Tony Moll (hip), DE Cory Redding (head), RB Ray Rice (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday: T Jared Gaither (back), LB Jarret Johnson (back)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday: C Matt Birk (back), G Chris Chester (back), TE Todd Heap (shoulder)