The Patriots and Ravens have become one of the most underrated rivalries in the NFL over the last five years, and the two teams will add another chapter to their growing history when they meet at Gillette Stadium for the AFC title game. While their relationship doesn’t have the same historical enmity of Patriots-Jets or Patriots-Colts, it’s provided plenty of amazing moments. Whether it’s the trash talking between Tom Brady and Terrell Suggs, their tendency to play important, tight games or just the level of respect between the two teams, here are the 10 things we love about the Patriots-Ravens rivalry, 

10. Both Bill Belichick and John Harbaugh come from special teams backgrounds. This past weekend notwithstanding, both the Patriots and Ravens are two teams that understand the importance of special teams, and lean heavily on starters when it comes to working on special teams. Belichick was a special teams coach with the Lions, Broncos and Giants, while Harbaugh did the same in college (at Morehead State, the University of Cincinnati and Indiana) and in the pros (with the Eagles). As a result, it’s clear the two put a premium on special teams play, maybe more so than other coaches who haven’t been part of that experience. 

9. The Ravens gave the 2007 Patriots their biggest challenge of the 2007 regular season. In the wake of what happened in the regular-season finale (as well as Super Bowl XLII), no one remembers what happened in the 2007 regular-season classic between New England and Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium. On Dec. 3, the Patriots managed to escape when Tom Brady found Jabar Gaffney in the corner of the end zone with 44 seconds remaining and Mark Clayton was tackled two yards shy of the end zone on a desperation heave at the end of the game.

8. They both share a distaste for the replacement officials. In the wake of a September loss to Philadelphia, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco complained about the replacement refs, saying that if the league truly cared about the “integrity of the game,” the regular refs would be on the field, and adding “the fact that we don’t have the normal guys out there is pretty crazy.” And after their last-second loss to the Ravens in Baltimore later the same month (in a game where the Patriots were called for 10 penalties), there was nothing but confusion on the field, and the sight of Bill Belichick chasing after a replacement ref at the end of the game was one of the enduring images of the referee lockout.

7. You never know what Bernard Pollard is going to do. The Baltimore safety, who gained a small measure of infamy in the wake of his hit on Brady in the 2008 regular-season opener (a shot that ultimately left Brady sidelined for the rest of the year), also managed to hobble New England tight end Rob Gronkowski in last year’s AFC title game. He would later add insult to injury when he confessed that he was openly rooting for the Giants in Super Bowl XLI. Pollard, who managed not to injure any Patriots in the regular-season matchup between the two teams earlier this season, said after that game “we know we’re probably going to see them down the road.”

6. “[Bleep] you, Mason.” In the 2009 regular season, the two teams squared off in what might have been the high-water mark for the Patriots that season. A dramatic contest the Patriots ended up winning, it was highlighted by a verbal exchange along the New England sideline between Bill Belichick and Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason, one that was captured on NFL Films’ “A Football Life.” After Mason catches a ball near the New England coach, he gets up and starts woofing at Belichick. Belichick responds with a string of invectives, adding “Can you look at the scoreboard?” One of the funny things is that the Patriots kicked the tires on Mason a couple of times over the years, but passed on each occasion.

5. Terrell Suggs and Tom Brady love woofing at each other. The linebacker and the quarterback have one of the best back-and-forth routines in the NFL over the last few seasons, with Suggs unafraid to take his shots at Brady and the Patriots for any number of things, including the Tom Brady rule, Spygate and the perception that New England gets all the calls from the officials. Meanwhile, Brady isn’t afraid to answer Suggs, with his most famous shot coming in 2010 when he said Suggs and the Ravens “talk a lot for beating us once in nine years.”

4. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick aren’t afraid to show a little man love for Ed Reed. Belichick frequently professed his adoration for Reed over the last few seasons, but it really became known nationally in the episode of “A Football Life” that focused on Belichick. The coach and the quarterback were filmed breaking down game tape on the Ravens, and went on at great length about Reed’s abilities and what he can do if not properly identified. If a coach could have a crush on a player, Belichick has one on Reed.

3. Every time they meet, it seems to mean something. It’s now back-to-back appearances in the AFC title game for these two teams. If you throw in the 2009 playoff game, that’s three playoff games between the two teams over the last four seasons, a remarkable ratio. With an almost annual habit of meeting in the postseason, it’s clear to see that the Ravens have supplanted the Colts and Jets as New England’s primary foil. But even if it’s not a postseason matchup, there always seems to be a sense of added importance when these two teams meet. Whether it’s jockeying for playoff seeding or trying to establish conference dominance, there are always a sense that the stakes are high when these two teams get together.

2. There’s a genuine feeling of respect between the two franchises. Whether you are talking about the players, the coaches (Belichick gave Harbaugh a reference when he was interviewing for the head coaching job) or the owners, both franchises appreciate and respect the way the other does business. Both are in a select group of model, stable franchises that always seem to be at or near the top of the league. New England has operated a steady ship for the last decade plus, while the Biscotti family has done the same with the Ravens. At the heart of that relationship is the shared respect between Baltimore personnel man Ozzie Newsome and Belichick -- Newsome played for the Browns, and cut his teeth working with Belichick when the coach was in Cleveland.

1. Almost every time they meet, it’s a close game. Five of the last six times these two teams have met, the game has been decided by six or less points, including one one-point game, three three-point games and a six-point game. (The sole exception was their 2009 playoff clash, which was won by the Ravens, 33-14.) In those five tight ones, the average margin of victory is 3.2 points, with one of the games going into overtime and two others being decided by kicks at the end of regulation -- one that was made by Justin Tucker (in the 2012 regular-season contest) and one that was missed by Billy Cundiff (in the 2011 AFC title game). Chances are good that whenever these two teams meet, you are going to get a close game.