Ravens vs. Patriots: Early Prediction and Analysis for the AFC Championship

Following the Baltimore Ravens' gusty 20-13 victory over the Houston Texans, they will now advance onto the AFC Championship to face the New England Patriots next Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. 

New England is coming off an absolutely dominating performance over Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, 45-10.

Tom Brady threw for six touchdowns while connecting on three scores with Rob Gronkowski. It was an absolute passing clinic for the Patriots. 

This should be one of the most interesting AFC Championship matchups in quite some time, as it will feature one of the NFL's most suffocating defenses in Ray Lewis and the Ravens against Brady and New England's high-flying, aerial assault. 

Early Prediction: New England 28, Baltimore 14

No matter how dominant Baltimore's defense has been this season, New England should take care of protecting Brady, which will allow him to pick apart Baltimore's secondary. 

All in all, Brady is playing on another planet right now, and Joe Flacco and Baltimore's sluggish offense will simply be unable to keep up.

Be sure to check out Tony Santorsa's blog: PatriotsPlus