M&T Bank Stadium has become synonymous with elite Ravens defenses headlined by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and in the modern era, electrifying quarterback play from Lamar Jackson. But 28 years ago, it gave Baltimore’s newly returned NFL franchise a permanent home.
On Sept. 5, the city celebrated its new downtown stadium with an opening gala featuring fireworks, a laser show and a concert headlined by Stevie Wonder alongside the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The following day, the venue hosted its first regular-season game against a team that would eventually develop a heated rivalry with Baltimore.
A Newly Formed Feud
The Ravens tried their hand at taking down the Pittsburgh Steelers, but fell short 20-13. That sort of grind-it-out game would eventually become a staple of the rivalry and remains familiar today. According to StatMuse, seven of the last 11 meetings between the two franchises have ended with both teams scoring fewer than 20 points.
The Steelers were only slightly better than Baltimore in 1998, finishing 7-9 compared with the Ravens’ 6-10 record. Pittsburgh already had its bell cow in Jerome Bettis and had just drafted a future No. 1 receiver in Hines Ward, although the rest of the offense left plenty to be desired. The defense remained the team’s strength, finishing seventh in points allowed, according to Pro Football Reference.
Both teams were subpar in 1998, but over the next several years, they would beef up their rosters and become mainstays near the top of the AFC. The Ravens added players such as Chris McAlister and Jamal Lewis before their 2000 championship run. Pittsburgh drafted Troy Polamalu in 2003 before adding Ben Roethlisberger a year later. In his second season, Roethlisberger helped lead the Steelers to their first Super Bowl victory since the days of the famed Steel Curtain.
These teams would duel again and again over the next several decades. Their rivalry had already begun two years earlier, but in 1998 it found the Baltimore home where so many of its defining games would eventually be played. On that first regular-season Sunday, though, Stevie Wonder and the previous night’s fireworks were probably more exciting than two mediocre football teams.
