Ravens vs. Patriots: Complete Divisional-Game Preview for Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens face a familiar foe in the divisional round of the playoffs. They travel to New England to face a Patriots team they've faced three times in the postseason since 2008.
Baltimore has won two of those three matchups, and all three meetings were in Foxborough, just as this week's game is.
The Ravens beat the Patriots in the 2013 AFC championship en route to winning the Super Bowl. That came one year after New England beat Baltimore in the AFC title game before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
Baltimore also won in New England in the 2008 wild-card round on their way to losing in the AFC title game to the eventual-Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
Needless to say, these have been two of the premier NFL franchises over the last decade. Just as in their previous three meetings, the winner of this game will be playing in the conference championship game.
Here is my preview of this game.
Wild Card Recap
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The Steelers played host to the Ravens in a wild-card round after both teams split the regular-season series. Pittsburgh marched down the field to open the game before settling for a filed goal to take a 3-0 lead.
Baltimore responded with an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to go ahead 7-3 after backup running back Bernard Pierce scored on an eight-yard run.
The Ravens began taking control by establishing the ground game while also mixing in some play-action passes for big gains. Though it was early, the Ravens would never surrender this lead. Both teams would trade field goals to end the first half.
The start of the third quarter saw the Ravens tack on another field goal after Joe Flacco guided the offense through the air. Pittsburgh by then was starting to load the box to stop the run game and force Flacco to shoulder the offense.
That gave the Ravens a 13-9 lead, and the game began to turn in favor of Baltimore after the defense forced just the second Steelers punt. Flacco led the offense down the field again, but this time, he got them into the end zone.
The biggest play of the drive saw Flacco hit Steve Smith for a 43-yard strike in Steelers territory. He then hit Torrey Smith for an 11-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a 20-9 lead.
Baltimore would take that lead into the fourth quarter before Ben Roethlisberger began leading the Steelers back. He hit Antonio Brown for a 45-yard bomb down to the one-yard line before connecting with Martavis Bryant for the score.
After a failed two-point conversion, Baltimore held just a 20-15 lead, but they would take back the momentum. Flacco hooked up with Owen Daniels for a 13-yard gain into field-goal range.
It was a short and easy drive for the Ravens after starting at their own 37-yard line after a 22-yard return by Jacoby Jones and a 15-yard penalty for an illegal hit out of bounds.
Justin Tucker ended the drive with a 52-yard field goal to give the Ravens a 23-15 lead with eight minutes, 47 seconds left in the game.
The defense then made the play of the game after Terrell Suggs intercepted a deflected Roethlisberger pass. On the ensuing play, Flacco hit Crockett Gillmore for a 21-yard score to put Baltimore up 30-15 with 7:56 left before winning the game by a 30-17 margin.
News and Notes
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Eugene Monroe Could Return
The Ravens were dealing with a host of injuries along the offensive line entering the playoffs, but they overcame those injuries to win at Pittsburgh in the wild-card round.
However, the Patriots are a far better team than the Steelers, and Baltimore is going to need all hands on deck.
Both starting tackles were lost in the Week 16 loss at Houston, and starting left tackle Eugene Monroe was easily the biggest loss. He suffered an ankle injury that's caused him to miss the previous two games, while right tackle Ricky Wagner had a season-ending foot injury.
That left rookie undrafted free agent James Hurst to start in Monroe's place while right guard Marshal Yanda was moved to right tackle.
That also forced rookie John Urschel into Yanda's guard spot. If Monroe can return this week, that gives Baltimore their blindside protector back while pushing Hurst to right tackle and Yanda back to his natural guard spot.
Monroe was able to practice the first two days this week, though he was limited. Once he was able to get back on the field, Monroe said he felt confident about being able to go against the Patriots. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, he said:
"Making some pretty good progress. It's definitely positive. I feel like time is on our side. The game isn't until Saturday midday. I'm taking it day by day and seeing how this thing ends up. Very optimistic, but it's a tricky little deal. We'll see how it plays out. Today was a major step.
"
Steve Smith on Patriots Interest in Past Offseason
The biggest free-agent acquisition Baltimore made this offseason was when they signed wide receiver Steve Smith to a three-year deal.
Smith was released by the Panthers after an 11-year career that saw him become one of the game's best wideouts over the past decade.
However, Smith was pursued by other teams, including the New England Patriots. As Smith was getting set to visit Baltimore as a free agent, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick called.
"Yeah, I talked to [Belichick] and it was a great opportunity as well," said Smith, via The Baltimore Sun. "Anytime you have an opportunity to go to some teams, it's always good. When your phone stops ringing, you need to start thinking about if I'm in the right profession.
In the end, Smith signed with the Ravens and went on to catch 79 passes for 1,065 yards (13.5 yards per catch) and six touchdowns.
He came to Baltimore to be in the position Baltimore is in this weekend with a chance to advance to the AFC Championship with a win.
"It's a matchup that you have to be in, it's a matchup you expected to play," Smith said. "There's only so many teams left and I'm fortunate enough and we're fortunate enough as the Ravens to be on this stage against a very good team."
Injury Report
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NAME | POSITION | INJURY | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | GAME STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Daniels, Owen | TE | NIR | DNP | FP | - | - |
Jernigan, Timmy | DT | Foot/Ankle | FP | FP | - | - |
Monroe, Eugene | T | Ankle | LP | LP | - | - |
Smith, Daryl | LB | NIR | DNP | FP | - | - |
Suggs, Terrell | OLB | NIR | - | DNP | - | - |
- Practice Status
- DNP = Did not participate in practice
- LP = Limited participation in practice—less than 100 percent of a player's normal repetitions
- FP = Full Participation—100 percent of a player's normal repetitions
- Out = Player will not play
- (-) = Not Listed = No practice status available
As mentioned in the previous slide, Baltimore could get starting left tackle Eugene Monroe back after he missed the Wild Card Game.
Defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan is also banged up as a foot and ankle injury caused him to miss practice. last week. However, he's been able to go this week, and it looks as though he'll go against the Patriots.
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Matchups and X-Factor to Watch
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Ravens Offensive Line vs. Patriots LB Jamie Collins
The Patriots routinely have a solid group of linebackers, but this is one of the best Bill Belichick has had in a long time. Inside linebacker Jamie Collins is quickly becoming the best of them, as he's routinely all over the field in both run defense and pass coverage.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Collins leads the team with 52 stops (tackles causing an offensive failure) to go with 16 QB hurries and four sacks this past season.
Collins has also been thrown at 61 times this year but surrendered just 37 catches for 354 yards and grabbed two interceptions.
Still, Collins' biggest impact in the game will be in run defense and rushing the passer. That's where the Ravens offensive line comes into play. They have to keep a helmet on Collins at all times to keep him away from the ball-carrier.
Collins has the ability to be a game-changer. The line has to ensure that doesn't happen.
Ravens DL Haloti Ngata vs. Patriots Offensive Line
In their 30-17 win over the Steelers, Baltimore saw the return of All-Pro defensive lineman Haloti Ngata—this following a four-game suspension over the final four games of the regular season.
With his return, the defensive line dominated the Steelers offensive line at several points in this game. Ngata even came up with a first-half sack to halt a drive that had gone into Ravens territory.
Per Pro Football Focus, Ngata finished four QB hurries and two stops. He was a big reason why Ben Roethlisberger never found his groove while Pittsburgh mustered up just 17 points.
The Steelers also rushed for just 68 yards on 19 attempts, and Ngata played a big role in that. Not only does he frequently get into the backfield and disrupt plays, but he also draws a lot of double-teams.
That often frees up one of the linebackers to make the tackle close to the line of scrimmage and prevent big runs. In other words, Ngata could be the game-changer Baltimore needs to win at New England.
Prediction
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The Ravens have made quite a run to not only get to the postseason, but win a road game to advance to the divisional round.
Despite a number of holes on their roster to go with a multitude of injuries, Baltimore overcame them to be one of the final eight teams contending for the Super Bowl.
The Ravens face a familiar foe in a familiar scenario when they head to New England, and they won't back down from a Patriots team they've beaten twice in the playoffs since 2008.
Baltimore controls the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and makes the Patriots one dimensional. That forces New England to rely more on their pass game and the arm of Tom Brady.
However, unlike the Steelers last week, the Patriots have more weapons on offense that Baltimore will have a tough time containing.
From tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Tim Wright, to wide receivers Danny Amendola, Brandon LaFell and Julian Edelman, New England just has too many weapons for a thin Ravens secondary to contain.
Though the Ravens do enough to keep it close, New England uses a big fourth quarter to escape with a double-digit win to end Baltimore's season.
Patriots win, 34-20
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