As Ben Roethlisberger is set for his final career game against the Baltimore Ravens as quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he has had some time to reflect on this storied rivalry.

Roethlisberger heads into Week 18 with a 16-10 record in regular season play against the Ravens. The longtime Steelers quarterback has had his fair share of memorable performances in clashes with Baltimore, which include the six-touchdown showing back in the 2014 campaign.

For Roethlisberger, what he remembers most from his previous encounters with the Ravens is just how physical these duels can get, which he opened up about during a press conference on Wednesday.

“You never walk out of one of these games feeling fresh,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s fitting. You go to a place that’s tricky to play, it’s loud and the fans are passionate. They always play really well. It’s never an easy football game.”

As with any heated rivalry in the NFL, there has always been plenty of tension when the Steelers and Ravens face off. At the least, the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback much respects the multitude of Ravens defensive stars that he clashed with over the past two decades.

“The first game I ever played in the NFL was there,” Roethlisberger said. “And it was Ed Reed and [Haloti] Ngata, [Terrell] Suggs, [Ray] Lewis. You could go down a whole list of guys, and so it was never a lot of fun to play those guys. I think it's a lot of respect, and it's going to be pretty cool.”

Roethlisberger still can extend his Steelers career, as a win against the Ravens, a Jacksonville Jaguars victory over the Indianapolis Colts and a non-tie result between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders would see Pittsburgh clinch a wild-card spot in the AFC.

In the unpredictable world of the NFL, anything sure can happen in Week 18.