(Photo by: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
With the midway point of the season vastly approaching in the NFL, we are starting to realize who the contenders are and who the pretenders are. There are still three teams that are undefeated going into week eight and three teams that have yet to win a game as well.
A definite contender would have to be the Denver Broncos, who currently sit as one of the three unbeaten teams thus far. The Broncos have won some very close games this season beating the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and the San Diego Chargers last Monday night. The Broncos enter Week Eight with a record of 6-0 and lead the Chargers by three games in the AFC West.
Denver will try to keep up their winning ways in Week Eight when they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens. Baltimore started off hot, winning their first three games, but since then they have cooled off losing their past three in heart breakers against New England, Cincinnati, and last week against the previously unbeaten Minnesota Vikings.
The Ravens were down big to the Vikings but managed to battle back taking the lead in the last few minutes. Minnesota drove down the field and kicked a field goal with just minutes remaining putting them in the lead by a score of 33-31.
The game wasn’t over, however, as Joe Flacco led the Ravens down the field putting them in field goal range to win the game in the last few seconds. Unfortunately for Baltimore, kicker Steve Hauschka missed the game winning field goal extending the Ravens losing streak to three.
Baltimore now sits at a mark of 3-3 coming off their bye week placing them third in the AFC North behind Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. The Ravens will try to erase the label of pretenders and prove that they are contenders this season.
The Ravens are led by second-year quarterback Joe Flacco, who is proving to people that last year's great season was not a fluke. Flacco has a completion percentage of 64.4 percent and has thrown for 1,674 yards so far this season with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Baltimore’s rushing attack is led by Ray Rice who has rushed for 441 yards with three touchdowns and Willis McGahee who has rushed for 202 yards with five touchdowns.
The Ravens receiving corps is also led by Ray Rice who has 33 receptions for 325 yards with a touchdown. Derrick Mason and Todd Heap have also contributed, with Mason catching 26 passes for 381 yards with three touchdowns while Heap has 24 receptions for 262 yards with two touchdowns.
The Baltimore defense is not what it used to be, but key players are still there like Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed. Lewis leads the defense in total tackles with 53 with the next closest being Suggs and Trevor Pryce each with 31 total tackles.
The sack leaders on the Ravens are Pryce and Jarret Johnson each with four, while Suggs is next in line with two sacks. In the interception department Dawan Landry and Ed Reed once again lead the team with two interceptions apiece with Reed returning one for a touchdown.
The Ravens have lost some key players on defense and are not the same powerhouse that they used to be.
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