26-year old QB Joe Flacco has been very inconsistent so far this year for the Ravens.  He has played in 13 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has completed 263 of 465 passes (56.6%) for 3,122 yards with 15 TD passes and 9 INTs (79.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 33 times for 45 yards (1.4 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  The Ravens can get to the Super Bowl if Joe Flacco starts playing well, because the rest of the team is good enough to get there.

The Baltimore Ravens have lost 26-year old starting CB Lardarius Webb for the next few weeks due to a toe injury.  Webb has played in 13 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has 62 tackles, 14 passes defensed, 4 interceptions (one returned for a TD), 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 forced fumble.  The Ravens are likely going to turn to 23-year old rookie Jimmy Smith to replace Webb in the starting lineup.  He has played in 9 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has 6 tackles, 6 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.

The Ravens dominated this game from the get go as the Colts scored on a TD pass on the last play of the game, making the game look closer than it really was.  Joe Flacco was very solid in this game as he completed 23 of 31 passes for 227 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  Ray Rice led the way for the Ravens on the ground in this game with 26 carries for 103 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 6 passes for 46 yards (7.7 avg) in this game.  FB Vonta Leach (3 carries for 14 yards) and RB Ricky Williams (7 carries for 13 yards) also pitched in on the ground for the Ravens in this game.  WR Anquan Boldin (5 rec, 57 yards), WR Torrey Smith (5 rec, 48 yards with 1 TD grab and 1 carry for 16 yards) and TE Dennis Pitta (3 rec, 29 yards, TD) led the way for the Ravens in the passing game.  The Ravens finished up with 146 yards rushing on 37 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 31 passes (74.2%) for 212 yards as they had possession of the ball for 36:08.

The defense was outstanding as usual for the Ravens yesterday.  LB Jameel McClain (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) and OLB Terrell Suggs (5 tackles, 3 sacks,  2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Ravens’ D in this game.  Safety Bernard Pollard pitched in with a interception.  The Colts finished up with 50 yards rushing on 16 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 37 passes (45.9%) for 117 yards in this game.  The Ravens are now 10-3 on the season.

The Ravens have really turned it on lately as they have won their last three games by a combined score of 71-40!  The Colts on the other hand have lost every game they have played so far this year.  But, on the bright side, they did play tough against the Panthers and Patriots the last two weekends.  Don’t look for the Ravens to take it too easy on the Colts this weekend as the fans absolutely hate them for leaving town.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  Look for the Ravens to remain balanced in this game offensively.  The Colts are giving up 144.2 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year, so look for Ray Rice and Ricky Williams to dominate them on the ground.  The Ravens’ O-Line should be able to handle DEs Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney, giving Joe Flacco time to survey the field when he drops back to throw.  Opposing QBs have a 109.2 QB Rating against the Colts this year, so Flacco should have a good game.  WRs Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin and TEs Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta should have solid games this Sunday.  I look for the Ravens to run up the score this weekend, showing no mercy on the hapless Colts.

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts scored 21 points in the 4th quarter against the Patriots last weekend, when they essentially called off the dogs.  The Ravens won’t take it easy on the Colts if they get a big lead.  Dan Orlovsky can make some plays if he has time to throw the ball, but with the Colts’ O-Line, I don’t see any way that OLB Terrell Suggs isn’t in the Colts’ backfield a lot in this game.  The Ravens will likely cheat safety Ed Reed to Pierre Garcon’s side of the field as he has become the Colts’ #1 WR this year.  Reggie Wayne is still a solid WR too, so the Ravens will have to give him his respect.  I don’t see the Colts’ RBs doing much in this game against the Ravens’ D on Sunday.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 38, COLTS 6

Ravens’ GM Ozzie Newsome has struck gold in the NFL Draft once again with 22-year old rookie DE Pernell McPhee in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  McPhee has played in all 12 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has 20 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  McPhee is currently second to OLB Terrell Suggs in sacks on the Ravens.

24-year old RB Ray Rice really broke out against the Browns yesterday in Cleveland.  He carried the ball 29 times for 204 yards (7.0 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 10 yards (5.0 avg).  The Ravens are 5-0 this year when Ray Rice gets 20 or more carries in a game!  The Ravens should be a run first team right now, as Joe Flacco just isn’t playing too well so far this year.  Rice has played in 12 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has carried the ball 208 times for 926 yards (4.5 ypc) with 9 TD runs.  He has also caught 56 passes for 547 yards (9.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  Rice is by far the best offensive skill player on the Ravens so they need to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.

The Ravens probably should have won this game by 30 points as they pushed the Browns around that badly in Cleveland yesterday.  It was raining hard all day, so Joe Flacco was just a game manager.  He completed 10 of 23 passes for 158 yards without a TD pass or INT.  Ray Rice led the way on the ground for the Ravens yesterday with 29 carries for 204 yards (7.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 10 yards in this game.  Ricky Williams got in on the action too with 16 carries for 76 yards (4.8 ypc) with 1 TD run in this game.  TE Ed Dickson led the way in the passing game for the Ravens with 3 grabs for 47 yards (15.7 avg).  The Ravens finished up with 290 yards rushing on 55 carries (5.3 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 23 passes (43.5%) for 158 yards as they had possession of the ball for 37:34.

The defense was outstanding for the Ravens yesterday.  LBs Jameel McClain (7 tackles) and Dannell Ellerbe (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Ravens on D in this game.  OLB Terrell Suggs (4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and DE Pernell McPhee (3 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits) also made big plays for the Ravens in this game.  CBs Jimmy Smith (interception) and Lardarius Webb (68 yard punt return for a TD) had huge roles in the easy win over the Browns yesterday.  The Browns finished up with 59 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 36 passes (50%) for 174 yards in this game.  The Ravens are now 9-3 on the season.

The Ravens have waived 27-year old linebacker Prescott Burgess with an injury settlement.  He has a torn abdominal muscle.  Burgess played in 3 games for the Ravens this year and he had 3 tackles.  Burgess has now played in 40 games in his first four years with the Ravens and he has 38 tackles.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Ravens as Burgess wasn’t likely to be ready to play any time soon.

The Ravens have won two games in a row as they are back atop the AFC North as they win all tiebreakers with the Steelers.  But, they can’t overlook a likely motivated Cleveland Browns team this weekend.  After all, the Ravens are only 2-3 on the road with losses to the Jaguars and Seahawks (two teams that the Browns have beaten this year).  The Browns have lost four of their last five games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  This is the week that the Ravens feed the ball to Ray Rice and Ricky Williams on the ground.  The Browns are giving up 138.6 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry so far this year, so the Ravens should be able to run the ball well.  The Browns are also not much of a pass rushing team, so Joe Flacco should have time to throw the ball.  That being said, the Browns have a very solid secondary.  Still, I think Flacco is going to have some success getting the ball to WRs Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith and TEs Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are likely going to try to be pretty balanced offensively this Sunday in Cleveland.  Peyton Hillis will likely carry the load in the running game for the Browns and he’s a power runner.  The Ravens are only giving up 91.5 yards rushing per game and 3.4 yards per carry, so they should be up to the challenge of stopping Hillis.  The Ravens have 38 sacks on the year and they are going to be coming after Colt McCoy in an effort to force him into making some mistakes.  Earl Little, Josh Cribbs and Ben Watson are McCoy’s top receivers and they likely don’t strike much fear in the Ravens’ secondary.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 27, BROWNS 10