NFL Playoffs: Breaking Down Ravens vs. Steelers by Position

The 2011 NFL Playoffs will continue this weekend and we're going to take a closer look at the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens.

This is going to be a physical battle and it's going to be a game that we remember for a long, long time. When these two teams match up, you know you're in for a game that is going to be full of hard hits and a lot of pride on the line between two rivals.

We break down each position between the two teams and figure out who has the advantage with each with a conclusion. Who do you think is going to win this weekend? Leave it in the comments.

Quarterback

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

This is going to be an interesting matchup at the quarterback position.

Ben Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl rings to his name and Joe Flacco has won a couple of big road playoff games in his career. These two know each other well, but in the end, you have to go with Roethlisberger.

You have to go with the guy who has the rings. Plain and simple.

Advantage: Pittsburgh

Running Back

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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

These are two teams that pride themselves on wearing their opponent down and these two guys will be a big part of it.

Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall will each factor into their team's game plan in a big way, but in the end I'm going with Rice in this one. He's such a threat in both the running game and the passing game that I think he'll cause some issues for the Steelers.

This is going to be an epic battle, though.

Advantage: Baltimore

Wide Receiver

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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

I think this is where the offenses for both teams excel.

Baltimore will run out Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason along with TJ Houshmandzadeh, and Pittsburgh has Hines Ward and Mike Wallace working the seam while you can't forget about Antwan Randel El.

These are two great units, and honestly I can't choose one over the other.

I'm calling this a push.

Tight End

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KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 09: Tight end Todd Heap #86 of the Baltimore Ravens runs for a first down in the second quarter of their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on January 9, 2011 in Kansas City, Miss

Again, we have a matchup of two great players.

This time it's between Todd Heap and Heath Miller at the tight end spot. Here, I'm going with Heap, because I think he's more active in the passing game. Last week against Kansas City, he did a number against the Chiefs.

It's a great battle, but I think Heap will win.

Advantage: Baltimore

Offensive Line

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BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 05: Michael Oher #74 of the Baltimore Ravens blocks James Harrison #92 of the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Now, for all of the strengths I mentioned earlier, this is a weak point for both teams.

Pittsburgh hasn't really had a solid offensive line in years and sometimes Ben Roethlisberger is back there running for his life. Baltimore, on the other hand, has also had some struggles on the line, but there are some bright spots.

That's why I'm going with the Ravens, just because they're less bad than Pittsburgh.

Advantage: Baltimore

Defensive Line

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 13: Haloti Ngata #92 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after a play against the New York Jets during their Jets home opener at the New Meadowlands Stadium on September 13, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by J

Now we're getting to the fun stuff, the defense, the backbone of both teams.

We're looking closely at the defensive line and these are two units that can get after the passer. It's a close race, but I'm going to go with Baltimore because I think Haloti Ngata is the best player on other line and will cause havoc with the Pittsburgh O-line.

It's going to be a joy to watch these two squads go at it.

Advantage: Baltimore

Linebackers

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BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 05: Linebacker James Harrison #92 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on while playing against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter of the game at M&T Bank Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. Pittsburgh won

The linebackers for both teams are outstanding; however, there is one unit that is clearly better than the other.

Here, it's a slam dunk for Pittsburgh. When you can run out James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons, that's a unit that no team in the league can compare with. Throw in a declining Ray Lewis, and it's even more of a lock.

Look for this unit to give Joe Flacco nightmares all day long.

Advantage: Pittsburgh

Secondary

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PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 12: Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers intercepts a pass from Carson Palmer #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the game on December 12, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Ima

Again, there's another great showdown at this position too, and it's between the safeties Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu.

These guys are both game changers and the secondaries are going to have to come up big against the quarterbacks in this game.

I'm going with Polamalu and the Steelers. He's the best safety in the game and I like Pittsburgh's corners and depth more in this matchup.

It will be fun to watch the chess match with these units all day long.

Advantage: Pittsburgh

Special Teams

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KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 09: Kicker Billy Cundiff #7 of the Baltimore Ravens reacts after kicking a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter of the 2011 AFC wild card playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on January 9, 2011 in

Special teams can win or lose a game, and these units will have to come up clutch to help their team win and get to the AFC Championship Game.

When it comes to the return game, the Steelers were one of the worst in all of football this year while Baltimore had moderate success. Pittsburgh, however, ended up coming out as the better team when it came to net yardage on punts. The tiebreaker was the kicking game, but I couldn't really find a huge advantage either way.

We all know Pittsburgh's struggles earlier in the year, and while that hurt the numbers and I'm not a huge Shawn Suisham fan, but he's 14-of-15 with the Steelers. Billy Cundiff's numbers are roughly the same with a higher workload, and it's really just too close to call.

This one is a push.

Conclusion

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PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 23: Rashard Mendenhall #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the game on December 23, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jare

In the end, the totals came out  4-3-2 in favor of the Ravens, and you can see how close this is.

The game is going to boil down to who can play the best at the wideout positions and in the special teams. The game-changing plays will be made in those units and I think this is going to be a total war. Also, just because the categories came out this way doesn't mean that Pittsburgh is doomed.

It's a team sport and one play can change the game. The Steelers are a veteran team that knows what it takes to win championships. This game is too close to call and it's better to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

This is going to be a war.