OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It is Steelers week for the Ravens.
Enough said.
"They’re going to be ready to go. We’re going to be ready to go," said Ravens tight end Mark Andrews. "This is what you live for right here."
"There’s no bigger rivalry in professional sports, in my opinion, than this match-up," added Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell.
Baltimore hosts rival Pittsburgh on Sunday with first place on the line. The Ravens are 5-1. The Steelers are 6-0 and the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL.
"All the guys are excited for this one," said Andrews. "This is something that we’ve had circled on our calendar for a while."
"Every week is big. Every week is important. They all really matter. But, this is the Steelers," said Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh. "We never shied away from saying that it’s our rivalry game."
Back for the rivalry will be the Steelers’ 38-year-old quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. The future hall-of-famer missed both games against the Ravens last year with an elbow injury.
"This is the best I’ve seen him. He’s always been great. He’s locked in. He’s getting rid of the ball fast, making great reads," said Campbell.
One of the guys trying to get after Big Ben will be the newest Raven star, Yannick Ngakoue. The former Maryland Terrapin was acquired last week from the Minnesota Vikings.
Campbell spent four seasons alongside Ngakoue as his teammate in Jacksonville and said he’s like a brother to him.
"I know what his standard is. I know the way he plays the game. He's going to come with a lot of passion, a lot of heart. He's going to go out here, he's going to make his presence felt."
"Adding a player like Yannick is a huge, huge. It’s a big positive for us. (He’s a) heck of a football player," said Harbaugh.
Harbaugh also said Ngakoue has been in zoom meetings with the team and should be on the practice field on Wednesday.
The Ravens could possibly be adding another big name soon. They are reportedly scheduled to have veteran receiver Dez Bryant in for a workout this week. Harbaugh would not comment on the potential of adding the veteran receiver.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
