Despite the scoreboard the Ravens dominated this football game.  Joe Flacco got the shackles taken off of him and got to show what he can really do.  Flacco completed 26 of 43 passes for 307 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 interception.  Ray Rice got the start at RB and he was also very good carrying the ball 19 times for 108 yards (5.7 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 12 yards.  Willis McGahee also got his work in carrying the ball 10 times for 44 yards (4.4 ypc) with a TD.  McGahee also caught 4 passes for 31 yards (7.8 avg) with a TD grab.  WR Mark Clayton (77 yards) and TE Todd Heap (74 yards) caught 5 passes apiece with a TD.  The Ravens controlled the clock for 39:49 in this game as they rolled up 501 total yards (198 rushing, 303 passing).

The defense was outstanding as usual for the Ravens in this game.  DT Kelly Gregg and MLB Ray Lewis led the way for the Ravens with 6 tackles apiece.  Linebacker Jarret Johnson might have only had 2 tackles but he also had 2 sacks.  The Chiefs finished up with only 188 total yards on offense (29 rushing, 159 passing).  The special teams cost the Ravens seven points as Chiefs’ safety Jon McGraw recovered a blocked punt in the end zone.

The Kansas City Chiefs still aren’t saying for sure whether Matt Cassel will play tomorrow but it could happen.  I don’t know if that’s a good thing for him to play against the Ravens on the road will a bad wheel.  Look for the Chiefs to keep the passing game short to get the ball out of his hands as fast as possible.  That means that Dwyane Bowe will be taking a lot of hits but he has the body to handle that.  RBs Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles will also like get the football often as the Chiefs would be prudent to try to shorten this game and give themselves a good shot to win it.  With Joe Flacco looking good this pre-season the Chiefs might want to play keepaway.  The hard thing about throwing short passes and running the ball is that means you have to out-physical the Ravens’ D and I don’t know if that is even possible.

Look for the Ravens to open the playbook this season starting tomorrow.  The Chiefs only had 10 sacks last season so look for Joe Flacco to take some shots downfield on first down in this game.  Look for Derrick Mason to have the most catches and yards receiving for the Ravens tomorrow, but, Demetrius Williams could have a few big plays in him.  TEs Todd Heap and L.J. Smith will also get in on the action in the passing game against the Chiefs tomorrow.  The Ravens will likely crank out the three headed monster at RB in this game with Ray Rice getting the first shot.  Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee will also get some action against the soft Chiefs’ D.

PREDICTION:  BALTIMORE RAVENS 30, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 10

The Baltimore Ravens hate the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the feelings are reciprocated. But, unfortunately for the Ravens, the Steelers are the defending Super Bowl champs and are clearly the best team in the division. So, do the Ravens have any shot of taking over the top dog spot? If any team in the division can, it’s the Ravens.

The Ravens were humiliated last year by losing to the Steelers three times. To lose once, you can say it was a fluke; to lose twice, you could make the argument that it was a little bad luck; but to lose three times, you have no choice but to admit you’re the inferior team. It doesn’t matter that the three losses were by a combined 16 points, and it doesn’t matter that they had a rookie at the helm. What people care about are wins and losses, and the Ravens were 0-3.

The Ravens are expecting this year to be a different story. They believe they’ve found their franchise quarterback in Joe Flacco; they have a solid running game with Pro Bowler Le’Ron McClain, former Pro Bowler Willis McGahee, and projected starter Ray Rice; and the return of Todd Heap and retired-for-a-moment Derrick Mason should help in Flacco’s development, although the lack of other receiving options is very thin. The offensive line is the big question, so hopefully they can show they are a sturdy group. This offensive group won’t set any records, but if Flacco can pick up where he left off in his very impressive rookie season, they will be more than effective.

The key to this team, however, is and always will be the defense. They’re older in key positions, and they’ve lost a few key contributors from a year ago, but this should be a group that ranks among the best. Eventually Ray Lewis will begin to wear down from age, but I doubt it will be this season. Expect Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, and Haloti Ngata to play up to the high levels of last season.

Will the increase in experience of Flacco and head coach John Harbaugh make a significant difference? History points to sophomore slumps and Flacco and Harbaugh need to avoid this if this team has any chance of making a strong Super Bowl push like last year.

In the end, a tough D, a solid running game, a pretty weak division, and one of the easiest schedules in the league should have the Ravens being a playoff team again. Prediction: 10-6

The Ravens pushed the Falcons around in the game last night.  John Beck played the whole game proving that he’s finally healthy.  He completed 16 of 28 passes for 232 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the football 4 times for 23 yards (5.8 ypc).  Cedric Peerman led the Ravens on the ground in this game with 31 yards on 10 carries (3.1 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 23 yards (11.5 avg) in this game.  Demetrius Williams also proved that he’s finally healthy with 4 catches for 77 yards (19.3 avg).  The Ravens finished up with 276 total yards in this game (72 rushing, 204 passing) but that’s all they needed to win this game.

Linebacker Jameel McClain led the way for the Ravens again in this game with 5 tackles.  The Falcons could only muster 175 total yards of offense in this game (83 rushing, 92 passing)!  The Ravens finished the pre-season with a perfect 4-0 record.

The Ravens are suffocating opposing offenses during the pre-season.  They are only allowed a microscopic 12.0 points per game (5th in NFL) so far.  The Ravens are allowing only 91.7 rushing yards per game and 165.7 yards passing per game as they are hitting like the games already count.  24-year old OLB Jameel McCline has been the standout on the Ravens’ D with 17 tackles, one passed defensed and a interception that he returned 16 yards for a TD.  Look for him to have a bigger role for the Ravens this season as long as he keeps up the good work.

Sure, it’s just the pre-season.  But the Ravens are looking really good on offense.  They are averaging 21.3 points per game and 389.7 total yards (4th in NFL) which is a big reason why they are 3-0.  QB Joe Flacco has really looked sharp as he has completed 40 of 61 passes (65.6%) for 470 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (94.3 QB Rating).  RB Ray Rice has been very busy for the Ravens in the pre-season with 23 carries for 83 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also has caught 12 passes for 108 yards (9.0 avg) which has really helped Flacco and Troy Smith.  WRs Justin Harper (7 rec, 132 yards, TD) and Kelley Washington (6 rec, 119 yards) are really stepping up with roster spots on the line.  If the Ravens can play offense like this when the real games start they will be a legit threat to win it all.

The Ravens have placed 33-year old CB Samari Rolle on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to a neck injury that will keep him out at least the first six games of the season.  Rolle played in 10 games for the Ravens last season and he made 23 tackles, defensed 8 passes, forced 1 fumble and he had 3 interceptions.  Rolle is still a playmaker so this injury will hurt the Ravens’ defensive backfield.