Ravens vs. Patriots: Keys to a Baltimore Victory in the AFC Championship

The time is running out for Ray Lewis and Ed Reed—the time to win a Super Bowl is now. But the AFC Championship has to be won at Gillette Stadium against the No. 1 seed New England Patriots

It's going to be a very tough challenge for the Ravens, but if they follow these keys to victory, they could come out on top. 

Shut Down New England's Tight Ends

If the Ravens are able to limit Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, then they will take a significant chunk out of New England's offense.

Tom Brady will then struggle to find receivers, as his two best receivers are his tight ends. Without his tight ends, the Patriots are left with Wes Welker and an aging Deion Branch. 

Do Not Play Zone Coverage

The less zone coverage the better. New England will shred zone coverage; it's how they're built. 

If the Ravens are able to play man coverage and press receivers like Wes Welker at the line of scrimmage, then he will struggle tremendously. Welker may be one of the best receivers that the NFL has to offer, but he struggles in press coverage. If he is jammed at the snap of the ball, he will struggle to fight off the coverage and to get on his route. More importantly, it will slow down Brady and Welker's timing, which is crucial in their many option routes. 

Take What New England's Defense Gives You

The Patriots finished 2011 as the NFL's second worst defense. Joe Flacco needs to expose their weaknesses. 

How so? By taking what they give you. 

New England has a very, very inexperienced secondary, and any good quarterback would expose their glaring weaknesses. Flacco has to rise to the occasion. 

Put Pressure on Tom Brady

Does this even need to be said? The Baltimore Ravens are a blitzing team, and they have to blitz effectively in order for Tom Brady to struggle. 

If Baltimore's blitzes are unsuccessful, Brady will simply find the open receiver and take advantage of it. 

Force Turnovers

This ties into the previous one. If you put pressure on Tom Brady and have players grabbing at his feet, he is more likely to throw an interception.

That may be rare, but any interception or any turnover, in general, would be extremely beneficial for a rather sluggish Ravens offensive attack. 

Final Prediction: New England 31, Baltimore 17

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