Baltimore Ravens Prepare for Patriot Games

This is a position that the Baltimore Ravens and their fans are not used to; a game where they are considered the team to beat in the NFL. It’s a spot that the New England Patriots have held comfortably over the last decade, and wouldn’t mind reclaiming with a win over the Ravens this Sunday.

Where the Ravens have gained so much in two years on offense, the Patriots have lost. Tom Brady, while still one of the ten best quarterbacks in the NFL, looks unsure and mechanically deficient in times in the Patriots backfield. They’ve been open to blitzing and masked pressure, as proven in their defeat at the hands of the Ravens 2.0 New York Jets last week.

So the question becomes one of consistency for the Ravens. By and large, the Ravens have gotten by on their ability to effectively mix up the running and passing attacks on offense. The defense has been solid, but not the ball-hawking defensive Death Star it has been over the last few years.

Prone to big plays against their small corner backs, the Ravens have to make some big time adjustments to contain Randy Moss and possibly Wes Welker.

But I digress. Let’s see what Patriots fans are thinking about the Black-Attack Squadron.

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Let me continue by saying it’s hard to dispute that Joe Flacco, on a great day, couldn’t hold a candle to a healthy, non-rusty Tom Brady.  I think that’s obvious.  However, Mr. Bundchen is not non-rusty (2 negatives make a positive, btw).  He is struggling to get in sync with his receivers.  They go left, he throws right.  And don’t get me started on Joey Galloway.  2 serious errors in the end zone against Atlanta helped account for our abysmal 1/5 in the red zone this past Sunday.  We also didn’t have Wes Welker, the little engine that can.  Did I mention he’s my favorite Patriot?  All for you, JHR, all for you.

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So even Pats fans know that Brady is going to have a rough go against the Ravens. And they know that they’ll probably be smacked around on offense and defense. Still, once a champion, always a champion. And it would be foolish to think that Brady and the Patriots will not come out motivated and coached up to play this game from whistle to whistle.

My pick? Ravens going away in a major upset. The Chargers were probably more comp for the Ravens than this team, and Moss or no Moss, the birds will keep right on rolling right through New England.

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