AFC Championship Game 2012: 3 Keys to a Patriots AFC Title over Ravens

In 2009, the Patriots were shocked by the Baltimore Ravens, three-time Super Bowl winning QB Tom Brady and New England are out to get revenge in the AFC Championship.

Championship Sunday in the NFL features the No.1 seed New England Patriots and No.2 seed Baltimore Ravens squaring off in what will be an intriguing AFC Championship Game to say the least.

A team in New England, predicated on the play of Brady and the offense, will take on a Baltimore Ravens defense that knows a thing or two about rattling an opposing offense's game plan.

Here are the three keys to a Patriots victory in what will be a home game for the AFC's top dogs.

Run the Ball Early and Often with an Underrated Green-Ellis

In spite of the plethora of attention focused on Brady, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis and the total run game has been surprisingly effective for this Patriots team.

On the season, Green-Ellis has helped lift the team with his solid 11 touchdowns and 667 yards on the ground. Including his 159 yards in the pass game, he has been responsible for over 800 yards from scrimmage on the year.

What makes Green-Ellis such a special running back since entering the league?

In four seasons with the team, Green-Ellis has yet to fumble the football. That's right, in spite of carrying the ball 510 times, recording 29 touchdowns, and catching 26 passes, Green-Ellis doesn't have a fumble to his name.

If Green-Ellis can get out to a solid start in this contest, expect the Patriots pass game to open up with significant ease.

Contain a Heating-Up Ray Rice of the Ravens

Ray Rice has been just short of sensational for these Ravens this season, posting career-high numbers with 1,364 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

That's not all, either. Rice also put up a career-high in receiving numbers as well. A whopping 704 yards and three touchdowns on the year has Rice with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage.

If one thing is for certain, Rice will get his share of yards no matter how these Patriots game plan for this one. Yet if the Patriots can hold Rice to roughly 100 yards from scrimmage and force the Ravens to use Flacco, it will help the team's chances infinitely in this contest.

Brady will be a major factor in helping to contain Rice as well, as his ability to score points in a hurry could force the Ravens to start throwing the football early in this contest.

Tom Brady Has to Be Tom Brady, 'Forget about 2009'

The 2009 season ended in bitter fashion, with the Ravens handling Brady and the Patriots 33-14 with a 24-0 first quarter.

Brady played arguably the worst game of his career as a starting quarterback in the NFL, throwing for 154 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions while also losing a fumble as well.

Rice broke out early against this Patriots team and recorded an impressive 159 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. This had Brady throwing early and often as the Ravens defense was ready for it and capitalized.

This season Brady has been as effective as ever, and has his Patriots on a nine-game winning streak as a result of his top-notch play as of late. In his last outing against Tim Tebow and the Broncos, Brady posted six touchdowns, five of which came in the first half.

Brady's ability to break down a fragile Ravens secondary will be the difference-maker in this one if he can capitalize. When Brady stops points there are few teams in the league that can stop this offense.