Haloti Ngata's Return To Ravens Perfect Timing For Match Up Against Steelers
By Samuel Njoku
The Ravens are a few days away from meeting their bitter rivals in a contest to see who will advance to the divisional round of the postseason. Both teams picked up victory over the other at their respective stadiums. If Baltimore hopes to win, they’ll need to do it in hostile territory. Though they have never had any luck at Heinz Field, at least they'll have Haloti Ngata back to help. His return may make all the difference that they'll need.
Haloti Ngata Returns from Suspension
The Ravens got back one of their best players with the return of nine-year veteran, Haloti Ngata on Monday. The experienced nose tackle and defensive end was having one of his best season's before his 4 game suspension for the use of Adderall. Now with his return, the timing could not be any better since Timmy Jernigan, who took over his spot during his absence, is out with an injury. Jernigan suffered his injury on Sunday against the Browns and will not be able to play. Ngata, a Pro Bowl player, realizes how his return comes at a perfect time and he wants to make amends for his mistake from earlier in the season. During his suspension, Ngata has stayed in playing form and continued to work out daily.
“I just want to start off by saying I did make a mistake,” Ngata told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m glad the team was able to get us in the playoffs. Hopefully I can help them out on this playoff run.”
He’ll definitely have plenty of opportunities to do just that. As part of the defense, Ngata has been instrumental in stuffing the run. Not only will this help, but the added pressure on Roethlisberger will hopefully cause the star quarterback to rush his passes and thus miss targets.
Ravens Look to End the Streak
The Ravens and Steelers have had their fair share of battles over the years with the outcome going either way. But there’s one thing that Pittsburgh has over the Ravens that must change on Saturday if Baltimore hopes to advance.
Baltimore must beat Pittsburgh.
The Ravens have never defeated the Steelers in the playoffs. Of course, the Ravens have played all 3 of those games in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately for Ravens fans, Baltimore will be heading to Heinz field for a 4th time. History suggests that these games will be close. But if the last two games are any indication, the Ravens and Steelers may be involved in an old-fashioned shootout on Primetime television.
For more Ravens news and updates, visit Ravens Central.
Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.