Sunday Night Football Schedule 2012: When and Where to Watch Patriots vs. Ravens

The rematch of the 2011 AFC Championship Game is upon us in Week 3, as the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens are set to square off after both suffering close losses in Week 2.

Many will remember last year's game that sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl. The Ravens were in position to win or tie the game and couldn't get it done on the road in Foxborough. New England was able to hold on, and then lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.

This year, each team enters the game 1-1 with expectations to return to the AFC championship once again. The winner moves to 2-1 with a big head-to-head advantage that could turn out to be beneficial in a playoff seeding bracket.

Let's look at all the information on where you can watch the game, and some key storylines in the matchup of two of the NFL's best.

When: Sunday, September 23

Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD

Start Time: 8:20 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC (check local listings in your area)

Top Storylines

Kicking Game

It's got to be haunting Billy Cundiff, because his 32-yard miss is haunting the Ravens faithful to this day. Nevermind that Joe Flacco's pass to Lee Evans would have put the game away. Kickers are paid to make field goals, especially ones from 32 yards.

Justin Tucker is the new kicker for the Ravens, and he's impressed in his two games with the club, going 6-of-6 so far. Stephen Gostkowski, the Patriots' kicker, wasn't so lucky in his second game, missing a potential game-tying field goal as time expired against the Arizona Cardinals.

In the matchups of these two teams, it always seems to come down to one or two plays. That plays right into the hands of an NFL kicker, and these two could have a profound effect on one of the biggest matchups of this early season.

Wes Welker/Aaron Hernandez

What is going on with Wes Welker? After not starting in Week 2, he went on to break the all-time franchise record for receptions with five for 95 yards. But it seems Julian Edelman is in favor in New England while Welker is not, and that doesn't quite make sense out here in the rest of the world.

Hernandez injured his ankle against the Cardinals. He's expected to miss 4-6 weeks, which means a guy like Welker could make or break this game against the Ravens.

The offense is dynamic when Hernandez is moving around and in different positions on the line of scrimmage. The Pats certainly lose a dynamic with him out of the lineup, so will they swallow their pride and return Welker to the lineup?

Flacco Bounceback

Joe Flacco played a bad second half against the Eagles, and it cost his team a game on the road they probably should have won.  

All eyes will be on Flacco as he and the Ravens try to protect home-field advantage against the Pats, although it's Tom Brady who's had a more troubled start to the season than the opposing QB.

Flacco has the keys to this offense, and while they are explosive with Ray Rice running 30 times a game, they're downright scary when he's able to spread the ball to a wide range of targets and limit his turnovers.

Stat to Watch: Baltimore has won 13 straight games after a loss, dating back to 2009.

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