Ravens vs. Patriots: Baltimore Is New England's Biggest Challenge This Season

Let's make this clear: The Baltimore Ravens are the toughest opponent that the New England Patriots will be facing this season.

I know, you know, the Baltimore Ravens know and Tom Brady knows—as he expressed his thoughts Monday morning on WEEI:

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The Ravens, they’re the best team we’ve played all year. They present a ton of challenges in all three phases of the game. When you watch them, like you watched them yesterday, they’re physical, they’re tough, they can cover, they have some of the best players in the history of the NFL at their possitions like [Terrell] Suggs, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata.

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New England's Pro Bowl quarterback is spot on—Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Haloti Ngata are arguably the top players as their own respected positions. In fact, some could argue that Lewis and Reed are two of the most dominant defenders in our generation. 

The Baltimore Ravens finished 2011 with a 12-4 record which was good enough to win the AFC North as well as clinching the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Baltimore's defense is its strong point as it ranked third overall by season's end and more specifically it has the fourth best pass defense in the NFL. 

Baltimore finished the year allowing only 196.2 passing yards per-game while its opponents quarterback rating average was a pitiful 68.8. 

The Ravens really know how to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. 

Baltimore finished third in the league in sacks as it accumulated an incredible 48—which is eight more than New England. 

If there's a team that can cause the most problems against the Patriots and presents the greatest chance of winning, it's the Baltimore Ravens—but history tends to disagree.

I think that we can all agree that the Ravens have had one of the most dominant defenses over the past 10 years, while the Patriots offense has been one of the elite, right? However, in those 10 years, the Ravens have only beaten the Patriots once—in fact, they have posted a miserable 1-6 record against Bill Belichick's Patriots. 

As history disagrees, it all will mean nothing come 3 p.m. this Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium as these two polar opposite powerhouses will square off for the AFC's crown. 

The lone thing that certainly sways in New England's favor has been the inconsistent play of Baltimore's quarterback Joe Flacco and its entire offense. 

If the Brady can march the offense down the field and score some points while the defense lets Flacco simply be Flacco and force him to make mistakes, then New England should come out on top and advance to its fifth Super Bowl in 10 seasons. 

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