Terrell Suggs and Philip Rivers speak the same language.
They're both big talkers, who aren't afraid to get in the face of an opponent and dish a little smack. Suggs knows that Rivers won't back down from him on Sunday, and the veteran outside linebacker appreciates that fire.
"I don't like many quarterbacks in this league," Suggs said. "Andy Dalton is one, [Rivers is] another, and there's a few more, but that's about it."
The respect is mutual.
"He's an awesome player," Rivers said about Suggs. "It is always fun to play against him, just the competitor that he is, how tough he is. And he likes to have fun while he does it."
Suggs and Rivers have had their opportunities to get in each other's faces over the years, as they've faced off five times over the course of their careers. Suggs has notched 2.5 career sacks on the quarterback.
"I've had a little bit of interaction [with him], nothing noteworthy," Rivers said. "I hope not to have too much interaction with him, because that means he's either laying on top of me or getting back there a lot."
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is more mild-mannered on the field than his Chargers counterpart, but he enjoys watching the attitude that Rivers brings to the field.
"It really is a lot of fun to see him play and see how fired up he gets," Flacco said. "And everybody gets fired up, it's just everybody does it in a different way. It's definitely fun to see that."
Flacco even referenced the shouting match Rivers got into with quarterback Jay Cutler from across the field when Cutler played for the Broncos.
"Maybe me and him, you never know, maybe me and him will get into one this week and you guys can run with it," Flacco joked.
Whatever kind of interaction the Ravens end up having with Rivers, they hope to keep him from doing too much celebrating Sunday afternoon. The 11-year veteran is having another strong season, and he's thrown for 2,835 yards and 22 touchdowns this year.
He's had big games against the Ravens in the past – he has a 64 percent completion percentage with 1,328 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions in five games against Baltimore – and the Ravens have to face him with a short-handed secondary.
Keeping Rivers quiet – in production and talk – would likely mean good things for the Ravens defense in a critical Week 13 matchup.
"Both teams are having some success this year, so I'm expecting it to be a little more intriguing," Suggs said. "It's going to be fun. It's going to continue to be fun."
