(Reuters) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are out for revenge against the Baltimore Ravens in their AFC North divisional clash on a Sunday packed with fascinating match-ups in the National Football League.

The regular season is at the half-way stage and as well as the pounding defenses in Pittsburgh, the week nine highlights include the AFC East clash between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets and the league’s only unbeaten team, the Green Bay Packers, at the San Diego Chargers.

But it is the always-fierce rivalry between the Steelers (6-2) and the Ravens (5-2) that will provide compulsive viewing, with Pittsburgh looking to avenge their week one 35-7 loss in Baltimore.

“This is one of those games as players that you really want to be part of,” said Steelers receiver Hines Ward.

“It seems like it always ends up being on prime time and for us, they whipped our tails the first time so we now have a chance to get some get-back and hopefully take control of the AFC North,” added Ward.

Both teams come into the game on the back of morale boosting victories, the Ravens overcame a 21-point deficit to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 30-27 in the biggest comeback in franchise history.

Pittsburgh boosted their credentials for the playoffs by defeating New England 25-17 with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns.

The Steelers lead the series by 18 wins to 13 and will hope that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is as shaky as he was before the comeback against Arizona.

Defending Super Bowl champions Green Bay return from their bye-week looking to extend their franchise-record 16 straight wins.

CALIFORNIA RETURN

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has guided the Packers to their best start since 1962 and he stands atop the NFL’s quarterback rankings with 20 touchdowns and unmatched completion percentage of 71.5 percent.

The game in San Diego, against a Chargers team who are returning from three games on the road, marks a first NFL start in California for Rodgers who and was born in Chico, Northern California, played his college football for the University of California and now has his off-season residence in the south of the state.

“It’s always nice to come back to California. It will be nice to play in San Diego, you have got a great field, a nice fast track and it’ll be fun to see some friends and family,” he said.

The Jets (4-3) can make some headway in the AFC East if they can deal with the Bills (5-2) who are tied at the top of the division with the New England Patriots.

New York is also coming back fresh from a bye but has won their last two outings while the Bills defeated Washington 23-0 in Buffalo’s annual game in Toronto.

“We know we have the opportunity right in front of us, trying to win our division and we’re running into it. We understand that and we will be ready,” said Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

“Our guys are fresh but mentally we have to be focused and sharp and understand that it will be a physical game,” he said.

The New Orleans Saints, who suffered shock defeat to the St Louis Rams last week, have a tough test against divisional rivals Tampa.

Tampa beat the Saints 26-20 in Florida last month and New Orleans are desperate to improve on their 5-3 start to the season.

“It’s been a little bit of back and forth. But we know the standard, we know how good we can be and now it is a matter of no excuses,” said quarterback Drew Brees.

(Editing by Julian Linden)

A few personnel thoughts that came about while watching the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Saturday 34-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta Falcons

Julio Jones(notes) is special … but the Steelers taught him a few things.
It doesn’t take long to see why the Falcons traded so many draft picks to move up and take Alabama receiver Julio Jones. Through the preseason, he’s shown every attribute that made him such a standout at the college level — his command of routes, his toughness over the middle, and his explosiveness downfield. But as it has been with so many other NCAA stars, Jones got a real education when he faced an elite NFL defense. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan(notes) threw to Jones 13 times, and Jones caught just five of those passes for 59 yards.

However, Jones found it tough going in Pittsburgh’s advanced defense. Matt Ryan tried to get him warned up with a quick slant on Atlanta’s first offensive play, but cornerback William Gay(notes) was right there to break it up. Then, pressure forced Ryan to let go too soon as Jones was completing a crossing pattern in double coverage. Jones finally got his first catch of the day with 5:58 left in the game — a quick sideline route left for 11 yards and a first down — but he faced more challenges than he had catches.

Ryan was under pressure just about all day, and the timing patterns he wanted to work with Jones weren’t going to happen for the most part. There just wasn’t time. Ryan had numerous deflections on short passes to either side — the Steelers seemed to have a real read on those — and those connections to Jones were affected. Jones could get seam or sideline stuff at the second level if Gay was taken off to deal with an outside receiver, but the Falcons could only take what the Steelers gave them.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Antonio Brown(notes) is the Steelers’ latest vertical threat
The Steelers seem to be able to develop effective speed receivers at a cottage industry level these days. First, there was Mike Wallace(notes), who by advanced metrics, was the most efficient receiver in the NFL last season. Then, Emmanuel Sanders(notes). Now, coming out of the sixth round of the 2010 draft, is Central Michigan’s Antonio Brown. The former MAC Special Teams Player of the year made quite a few more tracks with fewer targets than Jones had — on just five throws in his general direction, Brown caught four passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

Not only did Brown take those two touchdown passes, he almost took the opening kickoff to the house — he was stopped by a horse-collar tackle from Falcons kicker Matt Bosher(notes). As a receiver, Brown didn’t show up right away — he got an incompletion and a three-yard pass to start — but he’d start blowing it up soon enough. With 8:12 left in the first half and the ball at the Pittsburgh 23, Brown was solo to the right side in a three-receiver set. He ran a simply skinny speed slant with a cut about 25 yards downfield, and just blasted by safety Thomas DeCoud(notes) after cornerback Brent Grimes(notes) lost his footing on the cut.

On the second touchdown, with 1:49 left in the first half and the ball at the Atlanta 44, Brown lined up to the left, opposite a twins right alignment by Wallace and Hines Ward(notes). He split the coverage with a deep post while Ben Roethlisberger(notes) ran around, and ran through Grimes and cornerback Dominique Franks(notes). Grimes, who is one of the best pure pass defenders in the game, was coming over from the other side, and it didn’t help that DeCoud vacated seam responsibility to cover Ward over the middle.

Not bad for a second-year player who’s down a bit on the depth chart — in the third (and generally most serious and schematically diverse) preseason game, Brown made the defense of a 13-3 team in 2010 look rather foolish. Speed kills, and the Steelers have it all over the place.

Related: Matt Ryan, Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Ben Roethlisberger, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers

LATROBE, Pa. – With all the injuries, position battles and chaos of shuffling players around the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line, the team considers itself fortunate to have a stable Pro Bowl anchor in the middle.

Even if this pillar of stability is only three weeks removed from his 22nd birthday.

Taken with the 18th pick of last year’s draft, Maurkice Pouncey so impressed the Steelers early during training camp of his rookie year that he won the starting job at centre. Almost immediately, Pouncey developed into one of the best of the league at his position.

Forget the sophomore slump, his teammates say. Still the second-youngest of the 90 players in Pittsburgh’s camp, Pouncey has gone from 20-year-old draftee to respected, reliable team leader in a matter of 16 months.

“He’s the spark on our offensive line,” guard/centre Doug Legursky said. “He’s going to lead us.”

He’s being depended on to do just that for a unit that will have different starters at three of the four other positions from last season’s Super Bowl team.

“There’s a lot of pressure on me this year,” Pouncey said, “so I’m ready for it. We’ve got some older guys, but I definitely want to be part of the anchor of the offensive line and contribute my part.”

A three-year starter before leaving school after his junior year at Florida — his twin brother, Mike, was a first-round pick of the Dolphins this year — Pouncey appears to be the next in the line of great Pittsburgh centres.

The Steelers had just four starting centres between 1964-2006. Three were selected to multiple Pro Bowls, Mike Webster is already in the Hall of Fame and Dermonti Dawson has been a finalist for induction.

Yes, it’s only been one full season. But Pouncey is giving the Steelers reason to believe he can join that lineage after being the best lineman, at age 21, on a team that won the AFC championship. The only down note from last season, is that Pouncey did not play in the Super Bowl due to a high ankle sprain.

“He’s incredible,” said Rashard Mendenhall, who was fifth in the AFC in rushing yards and tied for second in rushing touchdowns running behind Pouncey last season. “Maurkice is just a very smart player, very athletic, and he’s just a dog. He’s not going to back down from anything. You see that everyday when you watch film, you see it everyday in practice.”

Pouncey’s tenacity has helped endear him to his teammates, more than one of whom affectionately uses the word “nasty” to describe his demeanour on the field. Already this pre-season, the young centre rushed to the defence of a teammate who was on the wrong end of some jawing by a Washington Redskin on Friday.

Two days later, during an afternoon practice at St. Vincent College, Pouncey stepped in between a scuffle involving Jonathan Scott and Cameron Heyward.

Such an attitude is in stark contrast to the easy-going, quiet persona Pouncey has off the field. He might be developing into a fiery leader for a traditional powerhouse. But, in reality, he’s still a smiling, happy-go-lucky college-aged kid.

“You catch yourself sometimes looking at him going, ‘Wow, he’s 21,’” Pittsburgh offensive line coach Sean Kugler said. “When you’re talking football with Maurkice sometimes, it’s like he’s a 30-year-old. And then when you start talking things off the football field, it’s then you realize, ‘Yeah, he’s 21.’

“A great kid, mature football-wise beyond what he is right now.”

Considering Pittsburgh cut the two most senior members of its offensive line from last season, they’re going to need some of that Pouncey maturity.

Max Starks started the first seven games of 2010 at left tackle before sustaining a neck injury that ended his season. Flozell Adams started all season at right tackle. Both were released last month.

Scott assumed Starks’ spot and is the presumptive left tackle this season. Willie Colon, who started from 2007-09 but missed all of last season due to an Achilles injury, returns to his starting right tackle job.

Due to injury and competition, the guard spots have been even more in flux. Chris Kemoeatu, a four-year starter at left guard, was just activated from the physically unable to perform list on Sunday and still has not performed through a full practice.

No fewer than four players have seen time with the first team at right guard. Ramon Foster ended last season as the starter at the position, but he was limited early in camp due to a concussion. Legursky started four games there last season, and also was a capable fill-in at centre when Pouncey was out. Chris Scott started at right guard Friday in Washington, but his performance was such that fourth-year pro Tony Hills has been working with the first team at the position these past two days.

“We know there’s an open job out there and we’re just competing for it,” Foster said. “When you have competition, guys seem to get better. So, maybe it won’t be a musical chair thing next year.”

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — With all the injuries, position battles and chaos of shuffling players around the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line, the team considers itself fortunate to have a stable Pro Bowl anchor in the middle.

Even if this pillar of stability is only three weeks removed from his 22nd birthday.

Taken with the 18th pick of last year’s draft, Maurkice Pouncey so impressed the Steelers early during training camp of his rookie year that he won the starting job at center. Almost immediately, Pouncey developed into one of the best of the league at his position.

Forget the sophomore slump, his teammates say. Still the second-youngest of the 90 players in Pittsburgh’s camp, Pouncey has gone from 20-year-old draftee to respected, reliable team leader in a matter of 16 months.

“He’s the spark on our offensive line,” guard/center Doug Legursky said. “He’s going to lead us.”

He’s being depended on to do just that for a unit that will have different starters at three of the four other positions from last season’s Super Bowl team.

“There’s a lot of pressure on me this year,” Pouncey said, “so I’m ready for it. We’ve got some older guys, but I definitely want to be part of the anchor of the offensive line and contribute my part.”

A three-year starter before leaving school after his junior year at Florida — his twin brother, Mike, was a first-round pick of the Dolphins this year — Pouncey appears to be the next in the line of great Pittsburgh centers.

The Steelers had just four starting centers between 1964-2006. Three were selected to multiple Pro Bowls, Mike Webster is already in the Hall of Fame and Dermonti Dawson has been a finalist for induction.

Yes, it’s only been one full season. But Pouncey is giving the Steelers reason to believe he can join that lineage after being the best lineman, at age 21, on a team that won the AFC championship. The only down note from last season, is that Pouncey did not play in the Super Bowl due to a high ankle sprain.

“He’s incredible,” said Rashard Mendenhall, who was fifth in the AFC in rushing yards and tied for second in rushing touchdowns running behind Pouncey last season. “Maurkice is just a very smart player, very athletic, and he’s just a dog. He’s not going to back down from anything. You see that everyday when you watch film, you see it everyday in practice.”

Pouncey’s tenacity has helped endear him to his teammates, more than one of whom affectionately uses the word “nasty” to describe his demeanor on the field. Already this preseason, the young center rushed to the defense of a teammate who was on the wrong end of some jawing by a Washington Redskin on Friday.

Two days later, during an afternoon practice at St. Vincent College, Pouncey stepped in between a scuffle involving Jonathan Scott and Cameron Heyward.

Such an attitude is in stark contrast to the easy-going, quiet persona Pouncey has off the field. He might be developing into a fiery leader for a traditional powerhouse. But, in reality, he’s still a smiling, happy-go-lucky college-aged kid.

“You catch yourself sometimes looking at him going, ‘Wow, he’s 21,’” Pittsburgh offensive line coach Sean Kugler said. “When you’re talking football with Maurkice sometimes, it’s like he’s a 30-year-old. And then when you start talking things off the football field, it’s then you realize, ‘Yeah, he’s 21.’

“A great kid, mature football-wise beyond what he is right now.”

Considering Pittsburgh cut the two most senior members of its offensive line from last season, they’re going to need some of that Pouncey maturity.

Max Starks started the first seven games of 2010 at left tackle before sustaining a neck injury that ended his season. Flozell Adams started all season at right tackle. Both were released last month.

Scott assumed Starks’ spot and is the presumptive left tackle this season. Willie Colon, who started from 2007-09 but missed all of last season due to an Achilles injury, returns to his starting right tackle job.

Due to injury and competition, the guard spots have been even more in flux. Chris Kemoeatu, a four-year starter at left guard, was just activated from the physically unable to perform list on Sunday and still has not performed through a full practice.

No fewer than four players have seen time with the first team at right guard. Ramon Foster ended last season as the starter at the position, but he was limited early in camp due to a concussion. Legursky started four games there last season, and also was a capable fill-in at center when Pouncey was out. Chris Scott started at right guard Friday in Washington, but his performance was such that fourth-year pro Tony Hills has been working with the first team at the position these past two days.

“We know there’s an open job out there and we’re just competing for it,” Foster said. “When you have competition, guys seem to get better. So, maybe it won’t be a musical chair thing next year.”