Former Steelers TE Recounts How He Was Warned That Haloti Ngata Was Coming To Annihilate Him Every Play

The Pittsburgh Steelers - Baltimore Ravens rivalry is one of the fiercest in football. Part of what makes it so different from other rivalries is that the two teams are so similar. Both favor fighting in the trenches, with tough, hard-nosed football from two teams that build impenetrable defenses. The other notable feature of this rivalry is the respect the players have for each other. While Steelers players might go into that game hating everyone in purple, they all have a begrudging respect for the way each other plays the game. Now, one former Steelers player has shared a story about the time he met one of the scariest men in football. 

Former Steelers tight end, Matt Spaeth, recently appeared on The Arthur Moats Experience, hosted by his former teammate, Arthur Moats. Before the game in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals, Moats spoke with Spaeth at Acrisure Stadium. One of the questions he asked Spaeth was who was the toughest player he ever had to block. Spaeth didn't even hesitate before he stated it was former Ravens linebacker, Terrell Suggs. He added that thanks to one of his teammates, James Harrison, he had some practice going against big, nasty linebackers. 

"I'm very lucky that I was James Harrison's teammate for most of the years because I had to block him in practice. Thankfully I never had to go out on national TV and try to block him, that might have been ugly."

While Spaeth didn't hesitate to name Suggs as the toughest to block, he shared a story about another Raven who was apparently gunning for him. He said in the first game against Baltimore that season, he and fellow tight end Heath Miller had success helping the offense run the ball. They would use two tight ends and the running backs would be able to run right behind them.

"Baltimore was always a struggle, it was a tough game because they were just loaded on defense. Going into our home game late in the season, I had a buddy that played for Baltimore, we went to college together and we went out to eat together the night before. He said to me, he's like, 'Matt, you better be ready tomorrow.' And I was like, 'Yeah, I know, it's Baltimore. I always got to be ready.' He's like, 'No, I mean like you got to be right. Anytime you guys are on two tight ends, Haloti Ngata is lining up right over you and his job is just to blow you up.' I'm sitting there thinking Haloti was unblockable."

Moats laughs and reminds the crowd that Haloti Ngata was about 300 pounds. The huge 6'4" Tongan defensive tackle was actually listed at 340 pounds. He terrified opposing teams for 13 seasons and helped the Ravens win a Super Bowl. In addition, Ngata was named to five Pro Bowls.  

Spaeth said that he watched over and over as teams tried to double-team Ngata, sending both a center and a guard, and he was able to break through both of them. He said that game was not fun. He had to block either Suggs or Ngata depending on the play. It was a "pick your poison" situation. 

Steelers And Ravens Will Meet Again This Season

The Steelers and the Ravens are set to meet one more time this season during Week 18. It is hard to imagine a more fitting ending to the season than to go out against your biggest rival. 

Their first matchup in 2023 was during Week 5 and the Steelers won 17-10 with Pittsburgh staging a fourth quarter comeback. The Ravens handed the game to the Steelers on a silver platter by turning the ball over three times and allowing a blocked punt that led to a safety. Those two points gave the Steelers the spark of life they needed. Joey Porter Jr. helped put the game out of reach also by intercepting Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson with about four minutes to go in the game. 

The Ravens are currently leading the AFC North, with the Steelers in the 10th spot in the AFC after three straight disappointing losses. 

What was your favorite Steelers-Ravens game? What did you think of Ngata when he played?