The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have had some classic matchups over the years. Both teams competed for Super Bowls in the 2000s and 2010s. There were Hall of Fame-level talents on both sides who made those battles feel extra special. That included Ravens pass rusher Terrell Suggs. He played for the Ravens from 2003-2018, and Steelers fans likely don’t have a ton of love for him. However, Suggs loved playing the Steelers. He even recorded his favorite sack of his career against them as he recalled Friday.
“I would say opening day 2011 against the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Suggs said on The Rich Eisen Show. “They had just knocked us out of the playoffs the year before. So, we’re itching. Opening day, we called a stunt, and Haloti [Ngata] made me do something different. He was like, ‘Come under me this time. I’m not gonna go under it.’
“Really, Haloti designed it. I come up under him, sack, knocked the ball out. It’s, I would say, my signature sack on Ben Roethlisberger. It’s my favorite one.”
The Ravens blew the Steelers out in that game, 35-7. Like Suggs mentions, the two teams met in the divisional round of the playoffs the year before. The Steelers won there, knocking the Ravens out of the postseason. However, Suggs had a standout performance in that loss, putting up three sacks.
He continued his hot streak to start 2011. While he had his favorite sack in that game, he actually brought Roethlisberger down three more times. It was the start of arguably Suggs’ best season of his career. He finished that year with 14 sacks, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
The play in particular that he recalled came with around three minutes left in the first quarter. That was his first sack of the game, and he took Roethlisberger down and forced the ball out. That helped open up the floodgates for the Ravens, who scored a touchdown on the following drive, going up 14-0.
Suggs finished his career with 139 sacks, which puts him in the top 10 all-time for official sacks. That goes to show how many options he had to choose from for his favorite sack. However, he chose one from a game against Roethlisberger and the Steelers, showing how much that matchup meant to him.
Suggs had plenty of memorable games against the Steelers, and he talked about how much he relished playing in Pittsburgh.
“Besides my own stadium, playing in Pittsburgh was my favorite place to play because I was the villain. I got to be the bad guy,” he said. “There’s not a greater feeling in the world to be the number one hated guy on your rival’s field.”
That’s a good description of Suggs in Pittsburgh. There wasn’t much love lost between him and the city. However, many of those players have respect for each other now that they’re all mostly retired. That includes Suggs. He was a villain when he played, but it’s been a while since he played in Pittsburgh.
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