Ravens vs. Patriots Predictions: Tom Brady and Joe Flacco Stat Projections

The Baltimore Ravens-New England Patriots AFC Championship game is going to be more high-scoring than anticipated.

And it's not because either defense is horrible, but rather because each offense is arguably better than their counterpart. That being said, in The Year of the Quarterback, here are the stats projections for Tom Brady and Joe Flacco.

Tom Brady

The only real concern for Tom Brady is how tight end Rob Gronkowski will perform. The young tight end has had so much success this season and is playing a top-notch defense for the first time since Pittsburgh in the regular season.

Now the Ravens, much like any other defense, do not have a match to Gronkowski. As long as the Baltimore pass rush isn't dominating the game, Brady will slice and dice the defense all game long. The key here is anticipating Baltimore to gear coverage toward Gronkowski.

Receiver Deion Branch and tight end Aaron Hernandez will likely be in single coverage most of the time and Wes Welker will see a lot of press coverage. Therefore, Brady must use the entire field and all of his targets.

Obviously this isn't something that Brady isn't used to, but the Ravens will force him to do that all game long. The real test will be inside the red zone, as that's where most defenses really lock it down. Expect Gronkowski to see double coverage there as well, so Brady can't take anything underneath.

Otherwise, the Pats will just settle for field goals. So, in order to make Gronkowski an immediate threat early, expect some very quick three-step drops or delay routes from New England's most dangerous target. After all, Brady can pre-snap read any defense and his receivers are great at getting yards after the catch.

27-of-38 for 325 yards, three TDs, one pick, one fumble

Joe Flacco

A lot of Joe Flacco's success in this game will obviously be predicated on the production of running back Ray Rice. The Baltimore offense revolves around Rice and rightfully so, as he is their best weapon.

What Flacco needs to do is first not let the ghosts of previous postseasons get the best of him. He's struggled in road playoff games before, so his composure and poise will be a huge factor. He must anticipate New England to relentlessly blitz because that's what Houston did, and the Texans were in his face quite a bit.

And despite the win, as well as throwing two TDs, Flacco completed just 51.9 percent of his throws for 176 yards. Baltimore won because of turnovers by Houston, not because of Flacco dominating.

Fortunately for Joe, the Patriots also have one of the most vulnerable pass defenses.

His receivers of AnQuan Boldin and Torrey Smith are more than capable of beating any single coverage, so don't expect much double coverage on anyone, as the Pats aren't good enough to leave anyone on a island. There will most likely man underneath with safeties over the top.

Here, Flacco must utilize the play action to its fullest. Even on non-passing plays, carrying out the fake to really sell the pass is needed. In turn, that will draw upon the safeties peeking in the backfield and then you beat them over the top afterwards.

The question is how well Flacco reads the defense pre-snap, because you know Bill Belichick will try to confuse him as much as possible.

19-of-32 for 250 yards, two TDs, one pick, one fumble

Follow John Rozum on Twitter