The season opener in Baltimore saw the Ravens avenge a 2010 AFC Divisional round loss to the Steelers in the form of a 35-7 beat-down.
Ray Lewis and the Baltimore defense forced a franchise-best seven turnovers in the Sept. 11 matchup and left the Steelers for dead.
The Ravens were also dominant on offense in the Week 1 meeting, especially when they got the ball to fourth-year running back Ray Rice.
Rice thrashed Pittsburgh on the ground and through the air in the two teams' first matchup of 2011, finishing the game with 107 yards rushing and one touchdown on 19 attempts while adding 42 yards and one receiving touchdown on four catches out of the backfield.
Rice's 5.6 yards per carry in that game was a career-high rushing average against the stingy Steelers' D, and nearly doubled his average from three meetings with Pittsburgh in 2010.
When Rice is gashing Pittsburgh on the ground and ripping big chunks of yardage in the dump-down passing game, Baltimore's offense is at its best, and that was the case in Week 1.
In Week 9, it remains to be seen just how effective Rice can be against an emotionally-charged, proud and aware defensive group in Pittsburgh.
It's still safe to say that his play will be key for the Ravens to have any success and have a realistic shot to win this huge AFC North matchup.
Last January's playoff meeting between the two juggernauts saw Rice score just once while fumbling once and finishing the night with just 32 yards on the ground and 32 yards receiving on a total of 19 touches.
The 2.7 yards per carry were to be expected against such a dominant front seven in the Steelers, but the 3.4 yards per touch average means Rice is ineffective in the short passing game as well, which did and will prove fatal for Baltimore.
Considering Rice is coming off an incredible Week 8 performance against Arizona, in which he scored three rushing touchdowns and racked up 99 total yards, expect him to provide plenty of support for Cam Cameron's group in Pittsburgh on Sunday night.
Remember that 107 out of Rice's 489 rushing yards on the season came against Pittsburgh in Week 1, and so did two of his seven season touchdowns.
