NFL Playoffs 2012: Tom Brady and New England Patriots Have Clear Path to Indy

Could it be? Is Tom Brady about to carry the New England Patriots back to the Super Bowl? Could Bill Belichick's worst playoff team be bound for Indianapolis?

If Saturday's 45-10 trouncing of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos (or the Baltimore Ravens' unimpressive 20-13 triumph over the Houston Texans) is any indication, then Pats fans would be wise to book their flights to the Circle City ASAP.

Consider, first, what the Ravens bring to their table. Their oft-praised defense isn't exactly the dominant unit it once was. Sure, Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs are studs, but Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, while still effective, are hardly the wrecking balls they once were.

As a unit, too, the Ravens D is intimidating by reputation only. The Texans were able to rack up 131 rushing yards. They would've done better through the air had rookie TJ Yates not been forced into such a tough situation. The Texans were playing on the road against a team that hadn't lost at home all season.

Of course, the Ravens won't have the benefit of playing at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. Instead, they'll carry their 4-4 road record north to Foxborough to take on a Pats team that's won eight of nine home games this year, counting Saturday's triumph over Tebowmania.

Not that the Ravens haven't won in New England before. They destroyed the Pats, 33-14, back in 2010. The chances of getting Brady to give up the ball four times like he did two years ago, though, stand somewhere between slim and none.

Nowadays, Brady is just too good and too efficient. He also has Wes Welker and Deion Branch out wide and Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski at tight end—all four keep him from giving the ball up as frequently as he did then.

Not to make too much of one game, but the Pats defense—much maligned throughout the year—was downright dominant against the Broncos. They limited the NFL's top rushing attack to just 3.6 yards per attempt and hounded Tebow from start to finish.

True, the Ravens have better talent at the skill positions on offense, but if the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans, the Seattle Seahawks and the San Diego Chargers were able to keep Flacco and Ray Rice under wraps, why not Bill Belichick's bunch?

In other words, expect great offense to trump good (but not great) defense as the Pats march to their fifth Super Bowl appearance of the Brady-Belichick era.

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