Arguably the bitterest rivalry in football will come to a head on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Maryland to take on the Baltimore Ravens. It's always a treat for football fans to see two powerhouses collide, and it's even more of a thrill when those two teams are the Ravens and the Steelers, who happen to be tied with an 8-3 record in the current NFL standings. That's certain to change, though, after the biggest game of the season for both teams.

The two teams met in Week Four of the season, but the drama and hype surrounding the matchup was considerably lessened by the absence of Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger due to suspension. This time around, all distractions and excuses are being brushed aside in what is sure to be a heavyweight slugfest.

Pittsburgh has gone 5-2 in their last seven games, with losses coming against New Orleans and New England. In fact, the Steelers' only win against a truly formidable opponent came against Atlanta on opening day. However, the team has changed significantly since the start of the season, and Roethlisberger is hoping that he can be the missing ingredient in the Steelers' recipe for success. In Pittsburgh's last game against Buffalo, Big Ben failed to record a touchdown, but also kept the ball safe while passing for 246 yards. He'll need to do much more than that against a Ravens defence that is almost as formidable as Pittsburgh's own. The Steelers are first in the league in containing the run, allowing just 64 yards of real estate per game. But while Baltimore doesn't boast the same gaudy statistics, their defensive coordination and physicality is legendary in the NFL.

Baltimore is coming off of an impressive 17-10 victory against Tampa Bay, in which quarterback Joe Flacco threw for two scores. With the win, the Ravens improved to 5-0 at home, and will be banking on a fiery partisan crowd to help them maintain an edge against their division rivals.

Both Pittsburgh and Baltimore employ a "ground and pound" style of offence, so fans can expect the action to take place mostly on the turf. This bodes well for Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, who amassed 36 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown last Sunday. Mendenhall has been impressive this season for a third-year player with nine touchdowns and almost 1,000 yards. However, he has recorded fumbles in back-to-back contests and can ill afford to turn the ball over against the Ravens on Monday.

Sunday night's game will dominate the headlines, and for good reason-only rarely does such an intense rivalry between two elite teams boil over with one third of the season left on the NFL schedule. While the Steelers' defence is impenetrable against the run, the Ravens have more balance to their offence and can take what Pittsburgh gives them. Expect the Steelers to attempt to control the pace of the game, but don't be surprised if the Ravens edge away from the offensive norm and stay undefeated at home.