Baltimore Ravens: How the Ravens Dominance at Home Can Lead Them to a Super Bowl

After their 20-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens went undefeated at home for the first time in franchise history. Their perfect 8-0 record at home included strong opponents such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers.

While the Ravens are stellar at home, they are merely average on the road, going 3-4 on the road in 2011. This difference in home record versus away record shows that the Ravens have something special at M&T Bank Stadium that they don't have elsewhere.

This makes earning a home playoff game especially important for the Ravens if they plan on advancing in the playoffs. After poor road performances against Seattle, San Diego and Jacksonville, playing a playoff team on the road would prove a daunting task.

The reason the Ravens are so special at home lies in the special group of fans who fills the seats at M&T Bank Stadium. Few stadiums feature such a loud, energetic, and emotional fan base.

At the beginning of every home game, the fans roar as their team takes the field. When Ray Lewis steps out of the tunnel and begins his dance, the crowd turns into a mob, their noise spreading over the entire city of Baltimore.

This illustrates what the Ravens fans do best: push the Ravens to play their best football. At the beginning of games and during big plays, the Ravens feed off their fans' rabid energy, pushing themselves to continue their excellence.

When the Ravens are struggling, though, the fans will let their anger be known. Their jeers and boos often give the Ravens players new motivation, pushing them to improve. Many Ravens players have applauded the fans for booing at times, as it can give an extra push to help the Ravens to gain momentum.

Ravens' fans are fiery, but they also keep that emotion in check. They never become a distraction to the players through crazy antics. Instead, they help feed the fire that burns in each Ravens player.

It's only fitting that the most fiery team in the league would have the most fiery fans. Many forget, though, that the Ravens are among the most disciplined teams in the league, being penalized less than six times per game. This discipline is reflected in the fan base, who almost always are respectful in their enthusiasm.

For an example of Ravens' fans at work, look no further than the Ravens most recent win. Against the Browns, the Ravens needed a key fourth down conversion to seal the win. On a hard count, Joe Flacco forced Phil Taylor to jump offside, effectively ending the game.

The Ravens fans undoubtedly played a significant role in this game-sealing penalty. By affecting the opponents mindset, the Ravens fans helped the Ravens get one step closer to a division title.

This week against the Bengals, the Ravens will not have the benefit of their great fans. If they hope to see those fans in the playoffs, they must win at Cincinnati. If they fail to beat the Bengals and are forced to go on the road in the playoffs, that could spell doom for the Ravens Super Bowl aspirations.

The Ravens fans are a special group, and they are the reason the Ravens are so good at home. Without that home field advantage, don't expect the Ravens to advance far in the playoffs.