The Ravens really looked flat at the start of this game as they were down 17-3 at the half and they never made it a game.  Joe Flacco continued to struggle yesterday completing 20 of 35 passes for 189 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 pick-offs.  Ray Rice was busy in this game carrying the ball 13 times for 67 yards (5.2 ypc) and he also caught 9 passes for 60 yards (6.7 avg).  It’s too bad the Ravens fell too far behind to keep running the ball because Rice was looking good.  Derrick Mason led the way in the passing game for the Ravens yesterday with 64 yards on 4 catches (16.0 avg).  The Ravens finished up with 270 total yards in this game on offense (87 rushing, 183 passing).

It’s too bad that the offense was awful because the defense didn’t play too bad.  Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe had a great game to lead the way for the Ravens in this game with 10 tackles including 1 tackle for a loss.  Ray Lewis was also busy as usual with 8 tackles and 1 pass defense.  Ed Reed pitched in with 2 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 INT (he returned in 38 yards before losing a fumble to Dallas Clark).  The Colts finished up with 275 total yards on offense (42 rushing, 233 passing) in this game.  This game hurts a little extra as Indianapolis is the city that stole the Colts from Baltimore.

The Ravens play the perfect style of football to beat the Colts.  They have a good, physical defense and they can run the ball against anyone.  The Ravens have a huge edge against the front seven of the Colts and they will push them around tomorrow night.  The key will be keeping the ball away from Peyton Manning and his cohorts on the Colts’ offense and that job will fall to Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain.  They had no problem beating up on the Patriots last weekend and frankly I see the same thing happening in this game.  The Ravens have to have success running the ball because Joe Flacco’s play is starting to go downhill fast.  He is getting little help from the rest of the skill players on offense.  The Ravens must pass the ball some, especially on first down, to keep the Colts’ defense honest.

Defensively the Ravens must get after Peyton Manning because the CBs and safeties can’t hold coverage long enough against the Colts’ WRs and TEs if he has time to throw the ball.  The Ravens’ safeties will have their hands full dealing with TE Dallas Clark likely leaving the CBs to themselves in dealing with Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie.  That means the Ravens must decided whether to drop say 8 players back in pass protection or send the linebackers after Manning on the blitz.  I would think they will mix those two scenarios up the whole game in a attempt to stay out of patterns.  The Ravens aren’t too worried about Joseph Addai or Donald Brown so they will likely defend the run on the way to the QB.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 23, RAVENS 20

The Ravens destroyed the Patriots yesterday with defense and a punishing running game on offense.  The Ravens jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter before choking out the Patriots the last three quarters.  Joe Flacco didn’t do much yesterday as he completed only 4 of 10 passes for 34 yards with 1 INT.  Ray Rice was on fire running the ball for the Ravens carrying the rock 22 times for 159 yards (7.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Willis McGahee pitched in with 62 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.1 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 13 yards.  Le’Ron McClain also got in on the action with 4 carries for 8 yards (2.0 ypc) with a TD run.  The Ravens finished up with 268 total yards on offense (234 rushing, 34 passing) as they possessed the ball for 32:21.

The defense was outstanding for the Ravens yesterday as Ray Lewis led the way for them with 13 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits.  CB Domonique Foxworth (10 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Dawan Landry (10 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 INT (67-yard return)) really played well for the Ravens against the Patriots yesterday.  Ed Reed (INT), Chris Carr (INT) and OLB Terrell Suggs (fumble recovery) all made huge plays to help the Ravens dominate this game.  The Patriots finished up with only 196 total yards on offense (64 rushing, 132 passing) yesterday.  The Ravens will now play the Colts in Indianapolis this Saturday Night.

The Ravens have a tough task ahead of them tomorrow in Foxboro.  The Patriots were 8-0 at home during the regular season while the Ravens were only 3-5 on the road.  The Ravens will likely try to control the clock with the running game and they should have some success.  The front seven of the Patriots don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee.  After all, the Patriots have allowed 110.5 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry this season.  If the Ravens can control the game running the ball it will open up some play action passes down the field to Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton.  The Patriots will likely double Mason on almost every play forcing the action passing wise to Mark Clayton and TE Todd Heap.  Heap will cause problems for the Patriots’ safeties as he is tough as nails and he rarely drops a pass.  The Ravens also have a mis-match with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee going for passes out of the backfield.

Defensively the Ravens will have their hands full.  The Patriots will likely be more balanced than usual tomorrow with the play calling.  That is because Tom Brady is banged up physically and the Patriots will be without Wes Welker.  The Patriots will likely try to spread the ball around in the passing game as the Ravens will likely double cover Randy Moss from the second he steps on the field.  My gut feeling though tells me that Benjamin Watson, Julian Edelman and Kevin Faulk will have huge roles in the passing game. 

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 21, RAVENS 20

24-year old Joe Flacco stepped up big time this season for the Ravens.  He played in 16 games for the Ravens this season and he completed 315 of 499 passes (63.1%) for 3,613 yards with 21 TD passes and 12 INTs (88.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 35 times for 56 yards (1.6 ypc) this year.  Flacco has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has completed 572 of 927 passes (61.7%) for 6,584 yards with 35 TD passes and 24 INTs (84.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 87 times for 236 yards (2.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  The Ravens expect Flacco to keep getting better and that should be a scary thought for the AFC North.

25-year old Troy Smith has asked for a trade after this season is over.  He played in 4 games for the Ravens this year and he completed 5 of 9 passes (55.6%) for 24 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (21.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 8 times for 31 yards (3.8 ypc) this year.  Smith has now played in 14 games in his NFL career and he has completed 48 of 89 passes (53.9%) for 558 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT (79.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 29 times for 109 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Smith was unlucky in training camp last season as he got really sick and Flacco took his starting gig away.  The Ravens will likely look to bring in a cheap veteran to replace Smith in 2010.

The Baltimore Ravens (9-7) were in a must-win situation on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders (5-11), and they pulled it out to inch their way into the AFC Wild Card spot.  It wasn’t exactly a pretty win, but the Ravens did what they needed to do to get themselves into the playoffs and that is all that matters.  Willis McGahee is the biggest reason why the Ravens got that Wild Card spot, as he put the Ravens on his back and ran them to victory.  McGahee finished with 167 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 16 carries.  Joe Flacco was not at his best, but he did not turn the ball over and finished with 102 yards on 11/19 passes.

The Ravens defense played very solid, giving up only one touchdown.  They also forced two turnovers, which proved to be the difference maker as the Ravens had zero turnovers.  They got a little bit of luck too, when Charlie Frye left with an injury and JaMarcus Russel was forced to take over.  Russel was the one who accounted for both turnovers, throwing 1 interception and losing a fumble.  Frye was pretty effective against the Ravens before leaving, going 18/25 for 180 yards and a touchdown.  None of that matters now though, because the Ravens got the win and are in the playoffs.

The Baltimore Ravens (8-7) control their own destiny when it comes to the playoffs, and just need to beat the Oakland Raiders (5-10) to get in.  It should be an easy win for the Ravens, but they need to come out and play like it is a playoff game or the Raiders could upset them and their playoff hopes.  The Ravens need to stop all of their penalties, as they lead the league in penalty yards (1,057 yards).  Flacco and the offense should not have any problem with the Raiders defense, but they cannot turn the ball over and keep them in the Raiders in the game.  If they can limit their penalties, take care of the ball, and limit the Raiders’ big plays they will find themselves in the playoffs.  If they don’t, the Raiders are capable of making some plays that could result in the Raiders losing.

Charlie Frye is likely the starting quarterback for the Raiders, and he can be awful at times.  If the Ravens defense can pressure Frye, he will turn the ball over.  The Raiders have some speedy receivers though, so the Ravens cannot get beat deep and give up big plays.  The deep ball is one of the few things the Raiders can do well and it is probably the only thing that can keep them in the game against the Ravens.  The Ravens have so much on the line that I think they will come out with intensity and will be on top of their game.

PREDICTION:   Baltimore Ravens 27, Oakland Raiders 13

Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed is likely to miss this weekend’s game with the Raiders due to a hip injury.  He has played in 11 games this season and he has made 45 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, forced 3 fumbles, defensed 5 passes and he has 3 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  Tom Zbikowski will likely start in his place.  He has played in 14 games this season for the Ravens and he has made 28 tackles, defensed 4 passes and he has 2 interceptions.  Look for him to do a decent job filling in for Reed this Sunday.