NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: Ravens Must Ignore Road Record to Beat Patriots

You think the Baltimore Ravens were unimpressive at home in their 20-13 victory over the Houston Texans? Try replaying that game on the road, where the Ravens were an equally lukewarm 4-4 this season.

Baltimore won't have the luxury of leaning on its home-field mojo on Sunday, when the team travels north to take on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

All of the Ravens' losses this season were against teams that missed the playoffs—the Tennessee Titans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Seattle Seahawks and the San Diego Chargers—in which they averaged less than 13 points per game. To their credit, the Ravens did manage to top the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, the other two playoff teams from the AFC North, both at and away from M&T Bank Stadium.

And historically speaking, it's not as though these Ravens have ever been particularly intimidated by the prospect of playing against Tom Brady in Foxboro, at least since Harbaugh and Joe Flacco have been in Charm City. The Ravens pummeled the Pats at Gillette Stadium back in 2010, behind 234 yards and four touchdowns from their ground game and four Brady turnovers. 

These two teams met in Massachusetts during the regular season the very next year, with the Ravens losing in overtime despite owning a 10-point fourth-quarter advantage. Joe Flacco had one of his best games as a pro that day, throwing for 285 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-35 passing.

So, if Baltimore is bound to draw on the past to fuel future success, it'd do well to ignore its most immediate results and cue up game tape from the two seasons prior. That way, the trip to New England will seem more like a comfortable sojourn to friendly confines rather than a daunting date away from the Beltway.

AFC Championship Game

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots—Sunday, January 22nd at 3 p.m. EST on CBS

NFC Championship Game

San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants/Green Bay Packers—Sunday, January 22nd at 6:30 p.m. EST on Fox

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