The Ravens have to be confident heading into Foxboro this weekend for the AFC Championship Game.  That is because the Ravens won 33-14 over the Patriots just two years ago in the playoffs on this same field.  The Patriots will be out for revenge this weekend in what should be a pretty good football game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens win when they get the ball in Ray Rice’s hands 20 times or more in a game, so they need to run the ball and stick with it in this game.  Ricky Williams will also get some carries against a Patriots’ D that impressively stuffed the Broncos’ running game last weekend.  The other key to this game is going to be Joe Flacco.  He needs to step up and be a man this weekend if the Ravens are going to have a shot of getting back to the Super Bowl.  The Patriots’ D is good at creating turnovers despite giving up a lot of passing yards.  Flacco is going to have to be careful with the ball, especially when throwing to whichever WR CB Kyle Arrington is covering as he has been a pass thief so far this year.  That being said, Flacco is certain to take some deep shots to WR Torrey Smith.  He will look for Anquan Boldin, Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta on the shorter stuff.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Ravens are going to have to blitz heavily in this game or they are going to be in trouble.  If Tom Brady has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have some success.  He has amazing weapons in the passing game and Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker and Deion Branch are all incredible receivers in the passing game.  Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard, Cary Williams and Lardarius Webb are going to have their hands full covering the TEs and WRs of the Patriots.  The Patriots aren’t going to run much, but BenJarvus Green-Ellis is a pretty solid power runner.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 31, RAVENS 20

The Ravens are somehow 5-3 in games started by Joe Flacco in the playoffs.  That is greatly a by product of the Ravens’ defense and running game which has carried them the last few years.  Flacco has played in 8 playoff games so far in his NFL career and he has completed 122 of 211 passes (53.1%) for 1,226 yards with 6 TD passes and 7 INTs (66.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 30 times for 36 yards (1.2 ypc) with 1 TD run in the playoffs.  The Ravens won 33-14 in 2009 on the road against the Ravens in the playoffs, but, it wasn’t because of Joe Flacco.  He only completed 4 of 10 passes for 34 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (10.0 QB Rating) in that game.  The Ravens won’t beat the Patriots this Sunday in the AFC Championship if Flacco plays like he did in 2009, as they are going to have to score some points to win.

The Texans pretty much handed this game to the Ravens with turnovers.  Joe Flacco didn’t have his best game today but he still completed 14 of 27 passes for 176 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Ray Rice led the way on the ground for the Ravens with 60 yards rushing on 21 carries (2.9 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 20 yards.  Ricky Williams pitched in with 27 yards rushing on 6 carries (4.5 ypc).  WR Anquan Boldin led the way in the air for the Ravens with 4 grabs for 73 yards (18.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WR Lee Evans (1 rec, 30 yards) and TE Kris Wilson (1 rec, 1 yard, TD) also pitched in for the Ravens in the passing game.  The Ravens finished up with 87 yards rushing on 31 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 27 passes (51.9%) for 140 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:20.

The defense was awesome against the pass, but not so good against the run for the Ravens today.  LB Ray Lewis (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed), CB Lardarius Webb (4 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 2 interceptions) and safety Ed Reed (6 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Ravens on D.  CB Jimmy Smith recovered a fumble that led to the Ravens’ first TD of the game.  The Texans finished up with 131 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 35 passes (48.6%) for 184 yards.  The Ravens have advanced to the AFC Championship as they will play the New England Patriots in Foxboro next Sunday.

The Baltimore Ravens rested up last weekend and they seem hungry and ready to go for tomorrow afternoon’s tilt with the Texans.  The Texans blistered the Bengals last weekend.  The Ravens beat the Texans 29-14 in Baltimore back in week six this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens have to get the ball in Ray Rice’s hands as much as possible in this game.  He had 161 total yards against the Texans in their first meeting of the year.  If Rice is effective running the ball, Joe Flacco could be deadly off of play action.  If Flacco has time to throw the ball, he could be somewhat effective as long as he’s careful with the ball as the Texans have an outstanding pass rush and secondary.  With that being said, the Ravens are still going to take some deep shots to WR Torrey Smith.  Anquan Boldin, Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta will likely handle the short stuff in this game.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans want to do the same thing the Ravens do on offense.  They want to feed the ball to Arian Foster and Ben Tate, but the Ravens are going to be keying on them.  The Ravens want to force rookie QB T.J. Yates to have to beat them with his throwing arm.  Yates will likely be under some pressure as OLB Terrell Suggs will be trying to meet up with him in the backfield a few times.  If the Ravens gang up to stop the run, they better be ready for Yates to go deep to Andre Johnson like they did last weekend, resulting in a 40-yard TD grab.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 20, TEXANS 16

The Ravens’ defense held up their end of the bargain yesterday in Pittsburgh.  Too bad the offense didn’t show up.  The Ravens sacked Ben Roethlisberger six times yesterday as they were in his face most of the game.  Safety Dawan Landry led the way for the Ravens on D yesterday with 10 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1/2 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit.  LB Ray Lewis pitched in with 9 tackles last night.  OLB Terrell Suggs was a beast yesterday as he had 6 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits and a forced fumble (which was returned by Cory Redding for a TD).  Safety Ed Reed (fumble recovery) and DT Cory Redding (13-yard fumble recovery for a TD) also made huge plays in this game for the Ravens’ D.  The Steelers finished up with 71 yards rushing on 31 carries (2.3 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 32 passes for 192 yards.

The offense was pathetic for the Ravens last night.  Joe Flacco completed 16 of 30 passes for 125 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT yesterday.  Ray Rice carried the ball 12 times for 32 yards (2.7  ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 7 passes for 32 yards (4.6 avg).  Willis McGahee pitched in with 4 carries for 4 yards (1.0 avg) and 2 receptions for 14 yards (7.0 avg) yesterday.  TE Todd Heap led the way in the passing game for the Ravens last night with 3 catches for 43 yards with a TD grab.  WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh is one of the goats for the Ravens in this game as he caught 3 passes for 38 yards, but he dropped a sure first down pass on a 4th and 18 on the Ravens’ last play of the game!  The Ravens finished up with 35 yards rushing on 18 carries (1.9 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 30 passes for 91 yards as they only had the ball for 25:32 in this game.  It has to really hurt the Ravens to have the Steelers knock them out of the playoffs!

These two teams absolutely hate each other.  Forget about the Jets/Patriots game, this is going to be the hardest hitting game of the weekend without a doubt.  The Ravens and Steelers split this season which each team winning by a field goal on the other teams’ homefield.  The Ravens beat the Steelers 17-14 on 10/3 at Heinz Field but the Steelers didn’t have “Little Ben” for that game.  In the second matchup, the Ravens broke “Little Ben’s” nose on the first play of the game but the Steelers prevailed 13-10 on 12/5 in Baltimore.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are not intimidated by the Steelers’ run defense so expect Ray Rice and Willis McGahee to get their fair share of touches in this game.  The key players for the Ravens are going to be OTs Marshal Yanda and Michael Oher as they are going to be responsible for keeping OLBs LaMarr Woodley & James Harrison out of the backfield.  If the OTs give Joe Flacco time to throw the ball, he’s going to make some plays down the field against the vastly overrated Steelers’ secondary.  WRs Anquan Boldin, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Derrick Mason and TE Todd Heap are going to give the Steelers’ D a lot of headaches in this game.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The front seven will be responsible for stopping Rashard Mendenhall and getting to Ben Roethlisberger.  The Ravens should have little problem in dealing with Mendenhall who rushed for 124 combined yards and only 2.8 yards per carry against them this year.  The Steelers OTs have had issues with pass rushers this year so look for the Ravens to turn loose both Terrell Suggs & Jarret Johnson against Flozell Adams and Jonathan Scott.  The Steelers will likely have to settle for shorter passes so the Ravens should get up close and bump the WRs.  The Ravens must give help deep when Mike Wallace is running down the field but Ed Reed should be more than up for that challenge.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 20, STEELERS 16

The Ravens looked they were going to be in for a fight in this game as they only led 10-7 at the half.  Then they just took over on both sides of the ball in the second half.  Joe Flacco was very solid as he completed 25 of 34 passes for 265 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 26 yards (3.7 ypc) today.  Ray Rice was a solid weapon for the Ravens today with 57 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.4 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 42 yards (8.4 avg) with a TD grab.  Willis McGahee also had a decent game with 44 yards rushing on 10 carries (4.4 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 10 yards (5.0 avg) in this game.  TE Todd Heap (10 rec, 108 yards) and WR Anquan Boldin (5 rec, 64 yards, TD) led the way for the Ravens in the passing game today.  The Ravens finished up with 142 yards rushing on 40 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 34 passes for 248 yards as they had possession of the football for a stunning 41:44!

The defense was incredible for the Ravens in this game as they forced 5 turnovers in this game!  LB Jameel McClain (6 tackles), safety Dawan Landry (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and OLB Terrell Suggs (4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 4 QB hits) led the way for the Ravens’ D in this game.  CB Chris Carr (fumble recovery), DT Brandon McKinney (fumble recovery), CB Josh Wilson (interception) and safety Haruki Nakamura (interception) also made huge contributions on D for the Ravens today.  The Chiefs finished up with 108 yards rushing on 19 carries (5.7 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 18 passes for 53 yards.  The Ravens earned a trip to Pittsburgh to deal with their old nemesis the Steelers who they have split games with this year.  The Ravens won on Heinz Field earlier this year.

The Baltimore Ravens are supremely confident going into this game on Sunday afternoon.  They have a lot more playoff experience than the Chiefs do and it could play a big role in this game.  The Chiefs are 7-1 at Arrowhead Stadium this year but they are an offensive team with a so-so D which the Ravens expect to exploit both on the ground and through the air.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens will likely come out running the ball in this game with Ray Rice & Willis McGahee attacking a Chiefs’ D that is allowing 110.3 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry so far this year.  The O-Line is going to have to keep Joe Flacco clean in this game to really excel on offense.  The Chiefs are giving up 219.9 yards passing per game so Flacco is likely going to make some plays down the field.  Anquan Boldin, T.J. Houshmandzadek, Derrick Mason and Todd Heap are likely all to see quite a few targets in this game.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Ravens are going to key on stopping Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones in this game forcing the Chiefs to throw the ball.  That will be easier said than done as the Chiefs are averaging 164.2 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry.  The Ravens will likely double Dwayne Bowe and force Matt Cassel to beat them by throwing to some else.  Safety Ed Reed will be ballhawking in this game as he has been outstanding since missing the first few games of he year due to injury.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 23, CHIEFS 16

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