It's like an NFL holiday.
It's Ravens-Steelers week, the revival of what has been called the greatest rivalry in the league.
"I think it's the best week of the year because it's where we feel our most comfortable probably," Harbaugh said.
"You know it's a defining type of a rivalry. It means so much to both teams. So, we like being in this week, we love playing these guys, we love the preparation for these guys, so I'd say it's the best week of the year – both of them."
Harbaugh normally doesn't like looking ahead, but he did admit that he circled the upcoming three-game stretch in Pittsburgh, in San Diego and against Pittsburgh on the schedule. First place in the AFC North will be at stake.
Harbaugh indicated he was a bit taken aback when he first saw two games against Pittsburgh in three weeks, but accepted it as this year's scheduling "quirk."
"That'll be a big challenge for us, but everybody has those challenges this year," Harbaugh said. "That's ours, and we'll just have to deal with it and make it good."
The Ravens' objective was to get to the upcoming stretch in the playoff hunt to make the Steelers matchup meaningful. Additionally, Baltimore is going into the game with momentum with back-to-back wins including a confidence-inspiring 55-20 beating of the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
At 7-2, the Ravens will be in first place in the AFC North when they head to Pittsburgh. Depending on what happens in the Steelers-Chiefs game on Monday Night Football, Baltimore will have either a one- or two-game lead.
"We wanted to put ourselves in position for this stretch," Harbaugh said. "Here it is. And fortunately we've been good enough to put ourselves in position to make it meaningful, and now it's our job to make the most of it."
The Ravens have a good regular-season track record against Pittsburgh in recent years. They've won three of the past four meetings.
Besides one blowout in last year's regular-season opener, every regular-season game between the two teams since the start of the Harbaugh era has been close. Six of the eight have been decided by three points and the seventh was by four.
"To me, if you love football, there is no greater place to be," Harbaugh said. "Playing there, in that great stadium, against that great organization, those games have always been great games."
Harbaugh isn't alone. His players are ready for this week too.
