AFC Championship Game 2012: 5 Bold Predictions for Baltimore Raven vs. Patriots

The success of the Ravens season comes down to one game in New England.

Win, and everything they've been fighting for has fallen into place to give the veterans one last chance at a Lombardi Trophy.

Lose, and the season will be considered a failure by fans, analysts and management.

This is the Ravens biggest game of the season, and they are playing their best opponent so far. Still, they have a legitimate chance to win this game.

Here are five bold predictions that will decide the AFC Championship Game.

Lardarius Webb Will Shut Down Wes Welker

Lardarius Webb might be the best kept secret in the NFL, but he's becoming an elite cornerback.

Fairly small but lightning quick, Webb has the perfect skill set to handle the immense production of Wes Welker.

Welker is reliable and moves with elite agility, but Webb is just as quick, and he's never been more confident.

After a national coming out party against the Texans, Webb should follow up with a masterpiece of an encore performance.

Tom Brady Will Still Throw for 300 Yards

Tom Brady is in the most elite stratosphere of quarterbacks. Teams know that they cannot shut him down; they can hope only to limit the damage he causes.

Brady will have no trouble moving the ball through the air. Even if Webb does shut down Welker, Brady will have his two elite tight ends at his disposal.

The Ravens will shift around coverages to deal with Gronkowski and Hernandez, but very few players can cover these two budding stars. At least one of them will find major success.

Further, Brady should have plenty of time in the pocket. The Ravens got minimal pressure on T.J. Yates, and the Patriots will be ready to combat their aggressive blitz schemes.

With time to throw and some of the best weapons in the league, Brady will be able to pick apart the Ravens defense for major yardage.

The Patriots Will Score Less Than 24 Points

After getting whipped by Arian Foster, the Ravens front seven is furious, and they will completely shut down New England's running game.

That will force Brady to throw the ball constantly, and while he will rack up big yardage, he might struggle to find the end zone.

Rob Gronkowski is the best red-zone target in the entire NFL, but the Ravens have the best red-zone defense in the NFL. Something will have to give, and these playoffs have shown that defense still beats offense.

The Ravens should be able to force the Patriots to settle for field goals, and that will keep them in this game.

Joe Flacco Will Be Forced to Provide a Spark

Everyone, including the Patriots, knows that when Ray Rice finds success, the Ravens win. They will sell out to try and stop him.

They will succeed in stopping Ray Rice, but their pass defense is so bad, Joe Flacco will find statistical success.

Don't be surprised if the Ravens go no-huddle to keep up with the Patriots, especially if they fall behind early. That will give Flacco plenty of opportunities, and he'll have a chance to win this game.

At the very least, Flacco will play well enough to keep the Ravens in this game, and he could have his best statistical playoff game.

The Key Stat Will Be Sacks

The Ravens defense is based around pressure. With a top quality season from Terrell Suggs and a decent stable of pass-rushers around him, the Ravens are able to pressure most quarterbacks.

When they fail to get pressure, though, the Ravens falter. Against the Texans, the Ravens did not pressure T.J. Yates, and they paid for it at times.

With a quarterback like Tom Brady, the Ravens will need to get pressure to have any chance of slowing him down.

On the other side of the ball, the Ravens offense cannot compete when Joe Flacco is being pressured. Flacco does not handle pressure up the middle well, and he is very fumble-prone.

The Ravens offensive line got whipped last week, and if they do so again, they will keep the Ravens from scoring.

Of all the stats in this game, sacks might be the most important. Whoever gets more sacks should win the game.