AFC Championship Game 2013: Biggest Questions Facing Ravens and Patriots

Last week’s NFL divisional round may have answered a lot of questions, but for the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots, several remain.

The Patriots lost tight end Rob Gronkowski last week when he re-broke his arm, and while the Patriots didn’t seem to slow down after his departure, they still must regroup and plan to not have him in the lineup this week against the Ravens.

Baltimore bested the Denver Broncos last weekend in one of the most exciting games of the season, but it was a game the Ravens easily could have seen slip away if not for some bad defensive plays by the Broncos secondary and poor coaching decisions by John Fox.

Both teams will have to play mistake-free football in order to have a chance this weekend.

Which team will earn a date with destiny on February 3? More questions need to be answered before that is decided.

Can the Patriots stop Ray Rice?

Rice is Baltimore’s best offensive player, but the Ravens and former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron underutilized Rice for much of the regular season. With Jim Caldwell now pulling the strings for Baltimore, Rice saw a resurgence in the final weeks of the season, culminating in a 30-carry, 131-yard performance last week in Denver.

The Patriots finished the regular season No. 9 in the NFL against the run, but opponents were forced to pass often against New England with the scoreboard in the Patriots’ favor.

Baltimore will base its offense on Rice this weekend, and if the Ravens can establish a sound running game early on, play-action passing will open up with Torrey Smith streaking down the sidelines behind New England’s secondary.

It is crucial for New England to keep Rice under wraps, especially if the game remains close throughout.

How will Gronkowski’s absence affect New England’s passing game?

Given the fact that Gronkowsi missed a sizeable chunk of the regular season with a broken arm, the Patriots already have an offensive game plan in place with Gronkowski out. Still, Gronkowski is a huge key to New England’s passing game, and Tom Brady will have to adjust to not having his favorite target on the field.

New England’s running game may have to take center stage this weekend. Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen combined for 123 yards on 22 carries last week against the Texans, and with Gronkowski on the shelf, both Ridley and Vereen should see increased action in both the running game and on check-down routes out of the backfield.

Can Baltimore overcome going on the road?

Tom Brady is one of the winningest quarterbacks in playoff history, and one of the big reasons for his success is New England’s home-field advantage nearly every year.

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Two QBs with highest home winning percentage past five years host conference title games _Tom Brady .851 and Matt Ryan .850

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) January 15, 2013"

Home-field advantage plays a big role in the NFL, especially in the playoffs, and Baltimore wasn’t a great road team this year. Four of the Ravens’ six losses were away from M&T Bank Stadium.

The Ravens will have to establish momentum early in the game. Allowing Brady and the Patriots to get out in the lead could be disastrous, especially if it forces Baltimore to become one-dimensional on offense and air it out often.

Can Joe Flacco repeat last week’s performance?

So much has been said about Flacco’s play this season, but he came up big last week against the Broncos and was a big reason Baltimore plays again this week.

Flacco completed 18-of-34 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also averaged 9.7 yards per attempt thanks to a couple of long completions, including the touchdown pass that sent the game into overtime.

If Rice gets plenty of carries and can be effective in the running game, Flacco will again be afforded extra time in the pocket to make plays. He’ll need the same protection he got from his offensive line last week, though.

Flacco was sacked just once against a Denver pass rush that was tops in the league during the regular season. New England finished the regular season No. 15 in the league in sacks, but Baltimore’s offensive line will still need to play its best game to keep Flacco upright and the offense moving down the field.