NFL Week 8 Predictions: Ravens Will Remember How To Use Ray Rice vs. Cardinals

Generally speaking, teams that are lucky enough to have Pro Bowl running backs on their rosters make it a point to get them the ball consistently on game day.

Apparently, the Baltimore Ravens had other plans on Monday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They could have given Ray Rice the ball early and often. Instead, they utilized a game plan that consisted of...

Hmmm, this is odd. There doesn't seem to be a second half to that sentence.

Whatever Baltimore's game plan was on Monday night, it resulted in just 146 total yards and seven points. Watching them try to move the ball was like watching me try to do my taxes after a few beers. The effort was lacking and progress was minimal.

Presumably, the Ravens will look to make things the way they were again when they take on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. That essentially means Rice will be in line for somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 touches, which will come both running the football and catching it.

This definitely wouldn't be such a bad idea against a team like the Cardinals. They have decent numbers against the run, but we know from Adrian Peterson's performance against them in Week 5 that a running back with enough talent can beat the Cardinals.

Just like Peterson, Rice has more than enough talent. He's averaging 4.4 yards per carry this season and only Matt Forte has more receiving yards than Rice. Had Rice gotten more than eight carries against the Jags, he could very well be sitting on more than 500 yards rushing.

This is not the kind of guy from whom you want to deny the football. This is something the Ravens should have been able to figure out while they were embarrassing themselves on Monday Night Football, but they never did. If they haven't figured it out in the days since then, they're doomed.

I'm only half-joking. I tend to think Joe Flacco gets a bad rap, but he deserved to be harpooned by the media and fans during and after his Monday night performance. Throwing 38 passes and getting only 137 yards out of them just isn't good.

Flacco should be better against the Cardinals, but only if he is able to rely more on Rice.

It's going to happen. When it does, the Ravens will remember why they keep Rice around.

Prediction: 20 carries, 110 yards, one TD; six receptions, 60 yards, one TD.