Ravens vs. Patriots: Why Baltimore's Defense Will Be Exposed vs. Tom Brady

Next Sunday's AFC Championship at Gillette Stadium will be a clash between two titans: the Baltimore Ravens ferocious, suffocating and dominant defense against the New England Patriots high-flying passing attack led by Tom Brady. 

No matter how dominant Baltimore's defense has been this season, Brady and company will find a way to expose the Ravens. 

I can guarantee to you that Brady, Bill Belichick, Bill O'Brien and Josh McDaniels will be spending hours upon hours even breaking down film on the Ravens before New England even takes the practice field this week. 

With a near flawless game plan, New England's offense is simply too overwhelming for any defense to tame, as it creates so many mismatches nightmares across the field. 

When you take a look at Baltimore's secondary, it's definitely star-studded, with Ed Reed playing safety, but Reed had to be carried off of the field in Baltimore's 20-13 victory over the Houston Texans, and there has been no report on Reed's injury status. 

Even if Reed is able to play at 100 percent, the Baltimore Ravens will have problems—just like any other team—but with tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and wide receiver Wes Welker, the Ravens will have major problems. 

The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was back in early 2010 in the Wild Card round, where the Ravens absolutely embarrassed the Patriots, 33-14. Brady was sacked three times and completed only 23 of his 42 passes. 

That's all and great, but that was two years ago, and this New England offense is completely different and revolutionized. 

In that previous matchup, New England was without Wes Welker, as he tore his ACL the previous week, and more importantly, New England did not have their pair of young tight ends. 

Next Sunday may not be a complete passing clinic as it was against the Denver Broncos, when Brady threw for six touchdowns and 363 yards, but he will be just as efficient, as New England's offense is simply white-hot right now, while Baltimore's defense is a tad bit banged-up. 

This isn't an ideal matchup for the Patriots, but Brady and company will find a way to expose Baltimore's defense with the multiple mismatches that they will create. 

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