The Ravens were down 24-3 in the second quarter before the light finally came on.  Kicker Billy Cundiff nailed a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give the Ravens an incredible comeback win.  Joe Flacco was awful in the first half and outstanding in the second half yesterday.  He completed 31 of 51 passes for 336 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 15 yards (3.8 ypc) in this game.  Ray Rice had to work for every yard he got in this game as he carried the ball 18 times for 63 yards (3.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 7 passes for 36 yards yesterday.  Ricky Williams pitched in with 29 yards rushing on 4 carries (7.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 8 yards.  WR Anquan Boldin led the way in the passing game for the Ravens with 7 grabs for 145 yards.  WR Torrey Smith (3 rec, 57 yards) and TEs Ed Dickson (6 rec, 46 yards) and Dennis Pitta (6 rec, 44 yards) also pitched in for the Ravens in the passing game yesterday.  The Ravens finished up with 107 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 51 passes (60.8%) for 298 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:42.

The defense was outstanding as usual for the Ravens yesterday.  OLB Terrell Suggs led the way for the Ravens with 13 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits in this game.  LB Jarret Johnson (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 sack), safety Bernard Pollard (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit), LB Ray Lewis (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and LB Jameel McClain (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also had solid games.  The Cardinals finished up with 109 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 21 passes for 98 yards in this game.  The Cardinals did have a 82-yard punt return TD by rookie CB Patrick Peterson in this game.  The Ravens are now 5-2 on the season.

The Ravens return home after taking one on the chin from the Jaguars in Jacksonville last Monday Night.  The Ravens are 3-0 at home this year where they have outscored their opponents 98-38!  The Cardinals have lost five games in a row as their season is going right down the commode.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are likely going to come out of the locker room with a bad attitude this weekend.  That means that they are likely going to come out running the ball with Ray Rice and Ricky Williams.  The Cardinals are giving up 114.2 yards rushing and 3.8 yards per carry, so Rice and Williams are going to have to fight for every yard they get this Sunday.  The Cardinals don’t have much of a pass rush, so Joe Flacco should have a lot of time to throw the ball.  The Cardinals are giving up 274.2 yards passing per game and Anquan Boldin will be very motivated, as he will be playing his first game against his old team.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Ravens are going to likely double cover Larry Fitzgerald while at the same time blitz a lot.  This is going to put a ton of pressure on QB Kevin Kolb.  Kolb has a reputation of throwing the ball to the wrong team when an opposing defense hits him a few times early in the game.  Terrell Suggs will likely thump Kolb a few times this Sunday.  Cardinals’ starting RB Chris Wells will likely miss this game due to injury and Alfonso Smith scares no one.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, CARDINALS 10

The Baltimore Ravens aren’t getting the production they thought they were going to get out of the WRs so far this year.  Anquan Boldin is doing his part despite facing a lot of double teams so far this year.  He has caught 27 passes for 394 yards (14.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  Rookie WR Torrey Smith has been inconsistent so far this year for the Ravens, but he is also electrifying at times.  Smith has caught 12 passes for 269 yards (22.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs so far this year.  Lee Evans was supposed to start opposite of Boldin this year, but he has been banged up all season long.  Evans has caught only 2 passes for 45 yards (22.5 avg) in 2011.  The Ravens really need him to get healthy to give Joe Flacco another weapon down the field.  LaQuan Williams has pitched in with 2 grabs for 18 yards (9.0 avg) so far this year.  The Ravens needs these guys to pick up the pace, starting this Sunday against the Cardinals.

The Ravens got absolutely shut down by the ball hogging Jaguars.  Joe Flacco had another rough night as he completed 21 of 38 passes for 137 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Ray Rice also couldn’t get going as carried the ball 8 times for 28 yards (3.5 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 35 yards (7.0 avg).  WR Anquan Boldin (4 rec, 40 yards), WR Torrey Smith (3 rec, 32 yards) and TE Ed Dickson (4 rec, 23 yards) led the way for the Ravens in the passing game yesterday.  The Ravens carried the ball 12 times for 34 yards (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 38 passes (55.3%) for 112 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 23:45.

The defense was very solid for the Ravens once again last night.  LBs Ray Lewis (8 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and Jameel McClain (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the Ravens on D last night.  CB Cary Williams pitched in with 7 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  The defense played well enough to win in this game, too bad the offense didn’t show up.  The Jaguars finished up with 132 yards rushing on 42 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 20 passes (45%) for 73 yards.  The Ravens are now 4-2 on the season as they are now tied for second place in the AFC North with the Bengals.

The Baltimore Ravens are rolling right now as they have won three games in a row.  The Jaguars are going the other way as they have lost five games in a row.  This is going to be a horrible game on Monday Night Football this week, unless you are a Ravens’ Fan.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are going to try to remain balanced in this game.  Ray Rice and Ricky Williams are going to get their fair share of touches against a Jaguars’ D that is giving up 115.0 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  If Joe Flacco has time to throw the ball (and he should), look for him to try to stretch the field by throwing a bomb or two to rookie WR Torrey Smith.  Anquan Boldin will also be in on the action quite a bit for the Ravens in this game.  Flacco should also get his TEs (Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta) more involved in the passing game on Monday Night.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to try to run the ball with Maurice Jones-Drew against a Ravens’ D that is only allowing 76.6 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry.  The Jaguars have already given up 17 sacks so far this year, so I can see OLB Terrell Suggs meeting up often with rookie QB Blaine Gabbert in the backfield.  WRs Mike Thomas, Mike Sims-Walker and Jason Hill are going to have to make some plays in this game if the Jags are going to have any chance to compete in this game.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, JAGUARS 6

The Baltimore Ravens have been very physical on offense this year and that is because they got the running game back in high gear.  24-year old Ray Rice is off to a great start in 2011 for the Ravens.  He has played in all five games for the Ravens so far this year and he has carried the ball 89 times for 398 yards (4.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Rice has also caught 21 passes for 302 yards (14.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs this year.  So Rice is averaging 140.0 yards rushing and receiving per game so far this year and that is outstanding.  34-year old Ricky Williams has also been pretty solid for the Ravens when Rice needs a rest.  Williams has played in all five games for the Ravens so far this year and he has carried the ball 35 times for 164 yards (4.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Williams has also caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg) so far this year.  The Ravens are averaging 121.6 yards rushing per game so far this year and 4.2 yards per carry.

The Ravens have re-signed 27-year old linebacker Prescott Burgess.  Burgess played in all 16 games for the Ravens last year and he had 14 tackles.  He has played in 37 games in his first three years with the Ravens and he has 35 tackles.  The Ravens will use him mostly on special teams, but Burgess will also add to the depth at linebacker.

The Baltimore Ravens beat up on the Texans late in this game as they scored the last 16 points to pull away.  Joe Flacco completed 20 of 33 passes for 305 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 3 times for -1 yard (-0.3 ypc) with a TD run and he also lost a fumble.  Ray Rice led the way on the ground for the Ravens in this game with 101 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.4 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 60 yards (12.0 avg).  Ricky Williams pitched in with 2 carries for 8 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run in this game.  WRs Anquan Boldin (8 rec, 132 yards) and Torrey Smith (3 rec, 84 yards) led the way for the Ravens in the passing game yesterday.  The Ravens finished up with 113 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 33 passes (60.6%) for 289 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:12.

The defense was very solid, as usual, for the Ravens in this game.  LB Ray Lewis (12 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) and DT Haloti Ngata (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the D in this game.  CB Lardarius Webb (7 tackles) and OLB Jarret Johnson (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits) also had solid games for the Ravens yesterday.  The Texans finished up with 93 yards rushing on 25 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 37 passes (56.8%) for 200 yards.  The Ravens are now 4-1 on the year.

This is going to be a tough game tomorrow and the Ravens know it.  The Ravens beat the Texans 34-28 in O.T. last year.  At least the Ravens have had two weeks to prepare for this game.  The Texans are coming off a tough loss to the Al Davis motivated Raiders last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are going to come out running the ball with Ray Rice and Ricky Williams this Sunday.  The Texans are giving up 4.8 yards per carry this year, so the Ravens should have success on the ground.  Even without OLB Mario Williams, the Texans have a good pass rush.  That means that Joe Flacco will likely keep the passing game of the shorter variety this weekend.  That means that Anquan Boldin and TEs Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta are going to be the main targets in the passing game.  If the Ravens are running the ball well, I think they will take a couple of deep shots off play action to rookie WR Torrey Smith.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Ravens have only given up 72.5 yards rushing per game and 3.2 yards per carry so  far this year.  They are going to be keying on Arian Foster and daring Matt Schaub to beat them with his arm.  Terrell Suggs is going to be turned loose by the Ravens quite a bit in tomorrow’s game in an effort to really screw up Schaub’s timing.  The Texans will likely keep the passing game of the shorter variety to TE Owen Daniels, WR Jacoby Jones, WR Kevin Walter, RB Arian Foster and FB James Casey.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 23, TEXANS 17

The Ravens went out and brought in some new toys for the offense in 2011, but 26-year old Joe Flacco has been way too hot and cold this year.  He has played in all four games for the Ravens so far this year and he has completed 69 of 140 passes (49.3%) for 973 yards with 7 TD passes and 3 INTs (79.9 QB Rating).  Flacco has also carried the ball 11 times for 24 yards (2.2 ypc) so far this year.  The Ravens need Flacco to be more consistent on the good side if they are going to keep winning games this year.  They can’t lean on the defense every single week to win games.