Baltimore Ravens Starting to Possess Luck of Super Bowl Contender

Lefty Gomez, who was a great pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1930 through 1942, is credited by many historians, and "Brainy Quotes," as having first said the popular phrase, “I’d rather be lucky than good."

After a 3-1 start, and coming off a bye week, the Baltimore Ravens could care less who said it. However, with each passing week, it is becoming clear that Baltimore is both. That is by no means a knock on the Ravens; luck is a major requirement for success in almost every sport.

Besides hard work, luck plays a huge part in the outcome of many games and sometimes, seasons.

Take the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers for example. To say that the Packers received a little help to get into the postseason last year is putting it mildly. The Pack dug a hole early and needed a lot of outside help just to get into the postseason.

Anyone remember how big the New York Giants epic collapse to the Eagles in Week 15 aided the Packers' fortune?

Granted, Green Bay handed the G-Men a 45-10 beat down the following week, but only after DeSean Jackson of the Eagles returned a punt to beat the Giants at the end of regulation. This capped a 28-point fourth quarter and 13-point comeback during the Eagles win over Eli Manning and company.

The win by Philadelphia seemingly broke the Giants' will.

Going into the final Sunday of the season, the Packers needed a win or a New York Giants and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to clinch the sixth and final NFC wild card seed. Tampa defeated the New Orleans Saints in the early contest ahead of the Packers game, so Green Bay had to come out of the game with a win.

They did, but barely, as they defeated the Bears 10-3, and even though the Giants defeated the Redskins, the Packers held the tiebreakers over both teams. The rest as they say, is history.

Lady luck comes in many forms and she has danced a time or two so far this season with the Baltimore Ravens. Take the Jets game and the defensive touchdown scored by Jarret Johnson off the Mark Sanchez fumble. I assure you Ravens fans, if that was Tom Brady, the play would have been called an incomplete pass.

Look at the video and compare the two plays.

The Ravens have had almost everything work out in their favor this year, and it would be wrong to not say a little luck has been involved. Torrey Smith, who could not catch a ball in the preseason, scores three touchdowns on his first three catches in the NFL. 

The Ravens offensive line, who did not play one snap together prior to week one has been stellar, and the defense has already scored four touchdowns this season. As true as Lefty Gomez’s' statement is, also true is the phrase of a Roman dramatist, philosopher, & politician from around the time of 5 AD.

His name was Seneca, and the saying, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." is also true of the Ravens this year. The Ravens have been a well-prepared football team this season, and deserve to be 3-1 headed into their week six contest against the Houston Texans, but luck is already on their side as they prepare for this Sunday's game.

The Texans, who, two weeks ago, were thought to be as much of a contender in the AFC as the Ravens, are now looking for answers after losing arguably the best  receiver in the NFL, Andre Johnson, and their former No. 1 overall pick, outside linebacker Mario Williams, in back-to-back weeks.

As important as good luck is to a successful team's fortunes, bad luck can be just as important in a good team's demise, and the Texans are neck deep in it at this point. Two weeks ago, during a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnson went down in the open field untouched after catching a short pass from QB Matt Schaub. Johnson injured his hamstring, and had surgery to repair the damage. Miraculously, he will return in just a few weeks, but luckily for the Ravens, he will not be there Sunday.

This past Sunday, the Texans were again struck by bad luck. Outside linebacker Williams tore his pectoral muscle during a loss to the emotional Oakland Raiders, and will now be lost for the season. Williams was having the best season of his five-year Texans career with five sacks through five games.

No coach, player, and even fan wants to feel lucky because their team has an advantage due to injuries. Especially injuries that cost a player his season, but the feeling is undeniable, and if I said I like the Ravens chances more with them on the field, I would be lying.

It is unfortunate for the Texans, but make no mistake about it, a very fortunate situation for Baltimore. The Ravens did beat the Texans last season in Houston, but Johnson had his way against the Baltimore secondary.

Many of you remember the Monday night affair that saw the Ravens jump out to a commanding 21-0 lead in the first quarter only to squander it late in the contest. Baltimore led 28-13 heading into the fourth, but could only watch as Johnson helped lead the comeback that forced overtime.

Texans QB Matt Schaub, along with Johnson and the Texans offense, simply wore out the Ravens defense in the final quarter. For the game, the All-Pro receiver caught nine balls for 140-yards and two touchdowns, including the five-yarder that tied the game with just 21 seconds remaining.

Ravens cornerback Josh Wilson saved a sure Baltimore loss, as he intercepted a Schaub pass and returned it for a touchdown in overtime. The win allowed the Ravens to escape Houston with a 9-4 record. Mario Williams did not play in the contest due to a groin injury, but Johnson did enough damage for the both of them.

What all good and great teams do is understand the situation and capitalize. The Ravens have a chance to be 4-1 for the second straight season, and only fourth time ('10, '06 and '00) in franchise history with a win over Houston on Sunday.

They will be in a position to match their best start in franchise history (5-1) if they can beat the Texans on Sunday, and win in Jacksonville next Monday against the struggling Jaguars. That may be jumping ahead too far, as head coach John Harbaugh cannot allow his team to take the Texans for granted without Johnson and Williams in the lineup.

Houston will still come to Baltimore with the eighth ranked offense in the league, and a quarterback who threw for 416 yards without Johnson this past Sunday. They Texans are tied with the Tennessee Titans, who beat the Ravens in week two, atop the AFC’s South division.

Defensively, the Texans were one of the worst units in the league last year. Allowing almost 377 yards per game, Houston finished the year ranked No. 30 in the NFL. The Texans fixed the problem by bringing in the former embattled head coach of the Dallas Cowboys Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator. Now, the Texans have the seventh ranked unit, allowing 295 yards per game.

If I have offended anyone by using injuries as a way to say the Ravens are lucky, then I apologize. In the words of many of today's athletes, "It is what it is.” I'm sure any player will tell you they don't want to win this way, but will take a victory anyway they can get it. Huh?

That's my point, injuries are apart of the game, and there is no easy way to say this without actually saying it. When a good, even great player goes down, the opposing team should consider itself lucky.

The Ravens have a better chance to beat the Texans without Johnson and Williams in the lineup than they do if both were healthy and playing. Catching the Texans without their two best players is a lucky break for any team, and this week that team happens to be the Ravens.

I know I did not offend any fans from Houston. Texans fans understand where I'm coming from. They know how it feels to be considered lucky when an opposing player is out with an injury. Would the Texans have been considered such a contender if a certain quarterback was healthy and taking snaps in Indianapolis?