How Steelers 'Disrespected' Ravens in Playoff Game
It's not like the Baltimore Ravens needed any more motivation for a playoff game against their arch rivals, but they received just that prior to kickoff.
On Saturday, the Ravens came out and dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers en route to a 28-14 victory in the Wild Card Round. They were especially dominant in the first half, outgaining their opponent 308-59 and taking a 21-0 lead into the break.
According to one of Baltimore's top defenders, there was a very good reason why the team came out so strong.
On Yahoo Sports' "McCoy and Van Noy" podcast, Ravens edge rusher Kyle Van Noy said he and the team felt "disrespected" when the Steelers won the opening coin toss and opted to receive, rather than kick off.
"I felt a little disrespected right off the bat," Van Noy said. "They won the toss and they didn't defer. They said we want the ball. They were like, 'We're ready to go.' The first thing I thought when it happened was: desperate. That's when I was like, 'Oh, we won.' Desperation. Not going with what they always go with – playing with their defense, that's what they're built on."
"Being on the sideline, I was like, 'Oh, man, this is disrespectful.' Taking the ball first? We were all kind of pissed off about that," he added.
Pittsburgh wound up punting after six plays and 19 yards on its opening drive, so Van Noy and co. certainly did their job. Baltimore then responded with a 13-play, 95-yard drive on its first possession.
The Steelers, whose strength has traditionally been their defense over the past several years, normally opt to kick to start the game and send their stronger unit out first. Entering the game on a four-game losing streak, they clearly wanted to try something different for the postseason, though it didn't work out like they hoped, and they lost their sixth-straight playoff game as a result.
While the defense slipped up a bit in the third quarter, the Ravens played like a team with something to prove, both to their rivals and to the league at large.
"It felt like a playoff atmosphere, and we stood on business," Van Noy said. "It was belt-to-ass. Their defense getting almost 300 rushing yards on them. I'd be pretty embarrassed if that happened to me, especially with all the good players they had."