Even in the modern era, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been known for being a very physical team that will not hesitate to take the heads off of any player that challenges them. That elite, physical defenses led the team to three Super Bowl appearances in a six-season span, including two wins. In fact, the '08/09 AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens was full of these kinds of hits in all phases of the game.
That game was also the final game for a superstar. Lorenzo Neal spent that '08/09 season with the Ravens after spending the previous five with the San Diego Chargers. Neal was expected to keep up his All-Pro status after making a name for himself in San Diego.
Instead, Neal had his struggles against the Steelers' elite defense. On his podcast, Bleav In Chargers , Neal talked about the toll that that season took on his body, especially the three-game sweep to the Ravens' most hated division rival. "I was in Baltimore the year of the ['08/09] AFC Championship Game.
We lose to the Steelers, probably could've won that game. We lost to them three times that year. That was the year that pretty much retired me because it was just Le'Ron McClain, who played fullback, that I was blocking for, and Ray Rice.
That year took at least two years off my career. I think I would've played another two or three years if I didn't go to Baltimore." While the Steelers have always been known as a physical team, the rivalry between them and the Ravens has been known to be a bloodbath w.