Ray Rice was sharing carries with Willis McGahee early in the season but not anymore.  He has turned into the Ravens’ main man in the running game and that won’t change any time soon.  Rice has carried the ball 73 times for 441 yards (6.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs and he also has caught 33 passes for 325 yards (9.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  A lot of credit for the offense has went to QB Joe Flacco and it is much deserved but the Ravens are also rushing for 124.8 yards rushing per game and Rice has been a huge reason for that success.

The Baltimore Ravens  (3-3) are at home against the undefeated Denver Broncos (6-0) Sunday and are trying to break a three game losing streak.  The Ravens have been losing some very close games lately, as their last three losses have been by a combined 11 points.  The Ravens need to try and get to the Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, who has been playing way beyond expectations this year.  He only has one interception this year, but as good as Orton has been playing he is still a vulnerable quarterback when pressured.  The Broncos have been doing a great job protecting him though, and the running game has been one of his biggest protectors.  Knowshown Moreno and Correll Buckhalter have combined for 694 rushing yards on 146 carries (4.8 avg), so the Ravens are going to need to slow those two down if they want to win.

The Ravens offense has looked pretty good, but have been falling short as of late.  You can’t really blame Joe Flacco though, especially in last weeks loss where he had 385 passing yards and two touchdowns.  The Ravens will need more of the same from Flacco, and Ray Rice will provide some relief in the running game.  Willis McGahee has not been playing well lately and they could use a good game from him in this contest.  The Ravens are much better than their record indicates, and I think Ray Lewis will have his defense ready to attack Kyle Orton.  They are also at home, so I think the Ravens are going to upset the Broncos in a close one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Baltimore Ravens 24, Denver Broncos 21

31-year old safety Ed Reed still has it as he has been a playmaker for the Ravens this season.  Reed has played in 6 games this season for the Ravens and he has made 25 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 passes defensed and he intercepted 2 passes (one returned for a TD).  Opposing teams still have to be careful when challenging Ed Reed who still has a lot of game left.

The Baltimore Ravens (3-3) put themselves in a great position to win this game against the Minnesota Vikings (6-0), but kicker Steven Hauschka missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with two seconds left to fall short.  The Ravens defense, particularly the secondary, struggled in this one.  Vikings’ quarterback Brett Favre threw three touchdowns and 278 yards on 21/29 attempts.  They also struggled to slow down the Vikings’ running game, with running back Adrian Peterson rushing for 143 yards on 22 carries (6.5).  Peterson is the second straight 100-yard rusher the Ravens have given up after going 39 straight games without giving up 100-yards to one player.

Joe Flacco played great for the Ravens in this one, especially in the fourth quarter.  Ray Rice also had a huge game for the Ravens’ offense.  Rice rushed for 77 yards on 10 carries (7.7 avg) and had two touchdowns while also catching 10 passes for 117 yards (11.7 avg). Rice was a great target for Flacco, who passed for 385 yards and two touchdowns on 28/43 (65%) attempts.  Flacco brought the Ravens back from a 17-point deficit and scored two touchdowns in only 56 seconds to give the Ravens a 31-30 lead with under four minutes to play.  Then Brett Favre came back on the field and with a 58-yard bullet to Sidney Rice, set the Vikings’ kicker Ryan Longwell up for a 31-yard field goal that he easily converted on.  The Vikings still left 1:49 on the clock, which gave Joe Flacco plenty of time to put his team in a position to win the game.  Hauschka choked though, and the Vikings escaped with a 2-point victory to stay undefeated.  This was the Ravens third loss in a row and it was a heartbreaker.  The Ravens usual phenomenal defense has looked average lately and they need to step it up.

The Ravens thought they were in trouble when they lost Bart Scott but Jarret Johnson has stepped up his game.  Johnson has 20 tackles, 4 sacks and he has 1 tackle for a loss already this season.  It seems like Johnson is in the opposing backfield quite often.  Johnson is one of the unsung heroes of the Ravens’ this season and they need him to keep up the good work.