‘You’re not a Raven until you beat the Steelers’ – Baltimore players talk AFC North rivalry

Derrick Henry is coming off one of the most productive seasons by a running back in NFL history, let alone for the Baltimore Ravens.

But in one respect, he has been told, he is not yet fully bought into the team.

There’s a saying often heard at the Ravens’ Under Armor Performance Center headquarters that might be as ubiquitous as “The standard is the standard” is in Pittsburgh.

You’re not a Raven until you beat the Steelers.

“I’ve heard that,” Henry told reporters Wednesday in Baltimore. “It’s something they’ve had going on here for a while, and I guess I’m not going to be a Raven until we get the ‘W.'”

Ravens-Steelers is a circle-date game on each team’s schedule. The first of the two-game season series is Sunday at 13.00 at Acrisure Stadium. First place in the AFC North is on the line.

Of course it is. Since the division was christened in 2002, the Steelers (nine) and Ravens (seven) have combined to win 16 of the 22 AFC North championships.

“It’s a game with a lot of traditions — a lot of good games, a lot of close games and two teams going at each other,” veteran Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews said. “It’s exciting. It’s one of the best rivalries around.”

Since Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh took over as the respective coaches, 26 of the 32 regular season meetings have been decided by one possession or fewer.

However, the Steelers have won seven of the last eight meetings since the beginning of this decade. Despite doing his best to downplay the rivalry altogether during his media availability Wednesday, four-year veteran Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman admitted the Steelers have trash-talking privileges.

“They have a right to talk,” said Bateman, who has never played in a win against the Steelers. “They’re winning games, they should be confident, but I don’t think they’ve faced an opponent like us (with) Lamar Jackson and all the weapons we have. It’s going to be a good game for sure and I’m excited to play in it.”