If this game didn't get the testosterone flowing, none would. It was the brutal, snorting, bloody and broken-nosed defensive battle that has defined this rivalry, and fittingly the key play was made by a defensive lion in the form of Troy Polamalu.
Polamalu arrived with speed from Joe Flacco's blindside, jarring the ball from the quarterback's grasp and sending it bobbling along the turf in the opposite direction. Several players gave urgent chase, but Pittsburgh's LaMarr Woodley was first on scene, securing the ball and precious possession for his team.
Just watching Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs was worth the ticket price alone, and such sterling effort didn't deserve defeat. Offensive blocking issues aside, Suggs shrugged his opponents out of his way and charged endlessly for the ball, crushing plays in their infancy. His approach typified the fear that both defenses created when they took the field, and it was terrifyingly amazing to witness.
In the other standout play of the game shortly after Polamalu's forced turnover, Suggs arrived at Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger determined to rip the ball from his grasp. For what seemed an eternity the two were twisted together, helmets clashing like rutting stags, Suggs manic in his efforts to rip the ball free. But Roethlisberger held his ground, established a strong left arm and somehow rotated away, shovelling the ball in sheer desperation out of play.
It was breathtaking stuff, and it was a brilliant, electrifying game.
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