Pittsburgh Steelers: 10 Reasons They'll Beat the Ravens in AFC Divisional Round

Two regular season games between the Ravens and Steelers ended in a win for each team and both scoring 27 total points in the two games.

Now the two teams get one final chance to play, this time with higher stakes.

Here are 10 reasons the Steelers will head to the AFC Championship after beating their bitter rivals.

Read on and let us know how you see this one shaping up.

10. Recent Playoff Success Against Baltimore

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BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 05: Chris Kemoeatu #68, Maurkice Pouncey #53, Ramon Foster #73 and Flozell Adams #71 of the Pittsburgh Steelers look on during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Since 2001, every time the two have met in the playoffs, the Steelers have won decisively.

Most recently, the Steelers and the Ravens met in 2009. Pittsburgh won 23-14 on their way to a Super Bowl win.

When the game matters most, the Steelers find a way to beat their biggest rival.

9. Baltimore's Weak Running Game

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KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 09: Running back Ray Rice #27 of the Baltimore Ravens scores a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second quarter of their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 9, 2011 in Kansas City, Misso

Surprisingly, Ray Rice has rushed for over 1,200 yards this year for the Ravens. However, he only has five touchdowns and just two 100-yard games.

The Ravens rank 14th in the league in rushing, which is way down from fifth, where they were last year.

Against the Steelers, having a solid running attack to take pressure off Joe Flacco is a must, and the Ravens don't have that.

8. Joe Flacco

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KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 09: Quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens looks to pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 9, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishw

Joe Flacco is an up-and-coming quarterback in the NFL. However, he is still quite inexperienced in his playoff career.

Today, Flacco played in his third career playoff game. It was his second win, but the first win had nothing to do with how he played.

We will learn a lot about Flacco in this game and whether the Ravens are headed in the right direction with him at the helm.

7. Pittsburgh Defense Since Last Meeting

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CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 02: Defenders Larry Foote #50, Lawrence Timmons #94 and James Harrison #92 of the Pittsburgh Steelers tackle tailback Peyton Hillis #40 of the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on January 2, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio. (P

Since the start of Week 13 when the Steelers last played the Ravens, Pittsburgh has given up just four touchdowns in those five weeks.

They also have a 6-1 record over the last seven weeks of the season and hold a plus-105 scoring differential over those weeks.

The Ravens typically are touted as having the slightly better defense in this matchup, but the Steelers are giving them a run for their money.

6. Home-Field Advantage

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PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 01: The facade of Heinz Field is seen prior to the start of the 2011 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic between the Washignton Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Heinz Field on January 1, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Phot

Now, home-field advantage doesn't seem like it would play much of a factor in this game when you consider the fact that each team won on the road in this matchup earlier in the season. However, the playoffs are a whole other animal.

The last time the Steelers lost a playoff game at home, it was 2007 in a narrow loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since then, they have gone 2-0 in their playoff home games, including a victory over the Ravens.

While the Ravens did show the ability to go into a hostile environment and beat the home team in the playoffs, there is a big difference between playing the young Chiefs and playing the veteran Steelers.

5. Week Off

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CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 02: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after their 41-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on January 2, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

Both the Ravens and the Steelers have had a few guys battling injuries the last few weeks of the season.

While no one of any consequence missed the Ravens' first playoff game, the Steelers got the bye week to get healthy instead of forcing guys to play in a high-stress playoff game. 

The extra week off helps the Steelers get ready for the divisional round against the Ravens.

4. Mike Wallace

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PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 23: Mike Wallace #17 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the game on December 23, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Ima

Mike Wallace has emerged this year as an elite receiver for the Steelers.

This season, the speedster from Ole Miss has 60 receptions for over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. Wallace has six 100-yard games in the last nine weeks of the season and has only been below 70 yards once during that stretch.

The Ravens corners will have a hard time keeping up with the self-proclaimed fastest man in football.

3. Rashard Mendenhall

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PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 19: Rashard Mendenhall #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after running for a touchdown during the game against the New York Jets at Heinz Field on December 19, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty I

Rashard Mendenhall blew up this year after starting to break out last year.

He finished the season with over 1,200 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. While the third-year pro out of Illinois only had three 100-yard games, he had a touchdown in all but five games this season.

The Ravens are one of the best run defenses in the country, but they have had a tough time against physical backs this year, and Mendenhall fits that bill.

2. Troy Polamalu

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PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 21: Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers lines up before the snap during the game against the Oakland Raiders on November 21, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Troy Polamalu has to be one of the most instinctual players in the NFL today. A few times a season, he does something counter-intuitive that results in wins for the Steelers.

This year, one such play came against the Ravens. Late in the game, Polamalu got a sack-fumble on Joe Flacco, which ended up turning the tide of the game.

Any time Polamalu is on the field, he must be accounted for by the opposing quarterback.

1. Ben Roethlisberger

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CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 02: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on January 2, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

This season has been an interesting one for Ben Roethlisberger.

After missing the first four games due to a suspension, Roethlisberger has been abused by just about every skilled defensive player this season, but as broken as he gets, he won't go down without a fight.

Roethlisberger has been playing on a broken foot since early December. And in the most recent matchup between the Steelers and the Ravens, Roethlisberger had his nose broken when he was hit by Haloti Ngata in the face.

However, the one thing that people fail to mention about the first matchup between the Ravens and the Steelers, the game won by Baltimore, Roethlisberger was still suspended.

This season, Roethlisberger is 1-0 against Baltimore, and he is the biggest reason the Steelers will be headed to the AFC Championship Game.