These two teams really deserve to play each other because they both suck!  The Ravens have lost 7 games in a row after a promising start while the Dolphins are a hapless 0-13 on the season.

The Ravens will come out running the football in this game with Willis McGahee (1,093 yards rushing, 7 TDs) against a Dolphins team that is allowing 155.4 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Look for the Ravens to keep the passing game short to the tight ends and Derrick Mason to try to avoid mistakes with the football which Kyle Boller tends to make on longer passes.

The Dolphins should just come out throwing the football against the Ravens who have problems in the secondary right now.  But Cleo Lemon must avoid challenging safety Ed Reed of the Ravens who has 6 interceptions so far this season.  The Dolphins would like to establish a running game with Samkon Gado but that will be easier said than done against a Ravens defense that is only allowing 77.4 yards rushing per game and 2.8 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  BALTIMORE RAVENS 17,  MIAMI DOLPHINS 13

There’s some reasons why the Ravens are only favored by three points in this football game.  The Ravens don’t usually bring their A-Game on the road with them.  They are 1-2 on the road and they’ve been outscored 61-42 in those games.  Kyle Boller wll be starting this week and he hasn’t exactly sparked the Ravens offense this season.  The Bills are only 1-2 at home despite outscoring their opponents 55-54.  They have lost two home games on the last play.

The Ravens will likely pound the football with an inspired Willis McGahee (525 yards rushing, 4.1 ypc) running against his old team that has a poor run defense (133.6 yards rushing per game, 4.6 ypc).  The Ravens will likely try to keep the ball on the ground because Kyle Boller doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the passing game especially with TE Todd Heap likely out for the game.  With that in mind the Ravens would benefit from Mark Clayton playing up to his ability on Sunday which he hasn’t yet this season.  Derrick Mason (49 rec, 451 yards) and Demetrius Williams (18 rec, 267 yards) could have decent games against a Bills defense that is allowing 287.8 yards passing per game but the Ravens better  be careful with the football because the Bills have 9 interceptions so far this season.

If the Bills are going have a chance in this football game they will have to open up the offense a little bit.  The Bills need to let rookie QB Trent Edwards pound the ball down the field to Lee Evans and challenge the Ravens corners which aren’t that good.  It’s been a shame that the Bills are wasting the talents of Lee Evans (12 rec, 113 yards) who is by far the most talented player on the Bills’ offense.  The Bills would like to run Marshawn Lynch in an attempt to control the clock but he will have his hands full against Ray Lewis and the rest of the Ravens defense which is only allowing 66.7 yards rushing per game and 2.9 yards per carry.

Both teams have big-time return men in the kicking game and this will be a big key to the game because neither team has a explosive offense.  KR/PR Yamon Figurs of the Ravens has been outstanding since he moved into the starting role.  He’s a little guy so the Bills will have to stay in their lanes.  KR Terrence McGee and PR Roscoe Parrish are two of the most elite return men in the NFL as they can take any kick to the house.

PREDICTION:  The Ravens have the better team but the Bills almost beat the Cowboys in their last game and they are way better than the Ravens.  Baltimore Ravens 16, Buffalo Bills 14.

Both of these teams are 2-2 on the season.  The Ravens are 2-0 outside of the AFC North outscoring their opponents 46-36.  The 49ers started this season 2-0 but they’ve been punished in the last two games by a combined score of 60-19!

The Ravens want to run the football with Willis McGahee (376 yards rushing, 4.7 ypc) against a suspect run defense of the 49ers which is allowing 130.0 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  For the Ravens to have success throwing the ball the O-Line must give QB Steve McNair solid protection.  If McNair has time to throw look for him to look for his TEs Quinn Sypniewski and Todd Heap.  He also will likely want to challenge Walt Harris and Nate Clements but he better be careful because those guys are good.  Watch out for the Ravens secret weapon in this game which will be #3 WR Demetrius Williams who’s really fast.

The 49ers have the worst offense in the NFL as they are only averaging 213.3 yards of total offense per game.  Look for the Ravens to focus the whole defense on stopping Frank Gore (254 yards rushing, 79 yards receiving) from beating them.  That will make things tough on veteran QB Trent Dilfer as he doesn’t have many weapons in the passing game.  Darrell Jackson needs to find a heart as he seems to be just going through the motions and he will likely alligator arm a few passes against the physical Ravens defense.

PREDICTION:  Look for the Ravens defense to completely shut down the 49ers.  And when the 49ers defense gets tired the Ravens will pull ahead for a semi-easy victory.

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The Baltimore Ravens are going back to the city they once called home before the city of Baltimore stole the Browns in much the same way that the Colts were stolen from them.  The hate resonates from the parking lot into the stadium when the purple birds head to Cleveland.  And it no doubt will be there again this Sunday.  The cherry on the top for this game is that Jamal Lewis is out to prove that the Ravens made a big mistake in getting rid of him in the off-season!

The Ravens offense has to be excited about playing a Browns’ “defense” that is allowing 176.3 yards rushing per game and 254.3 yards passing per game.  They hope to control the football on the ground with Willis McGahee (272 yards rushing, 4.1 ypc) doing the heavy lifting.  But, look for Steve McNair’s groin to suddenly feel much better with Kyle Boller stealing some of his playing time and the Browns’ secondary having big issues.  The Ravens must keep OLB Kamerion Wimbley out of there backfield to give McNair enough time to look downfield.  TE Todd Heap (15 rec, 165 yards, TD) could cause the Browns defense big problems as FS Brodney Pool has been repeatedly torched so far this season.  Derrick Mason (23 rec, 209 yards, TD) has emerged as the go-to receiver for the Ravens but the Browns’ corners should be able to put up a fight with him.  But, look for Demetrius Williams and Mark Clayton to stretch the defense.  Clayton is off to a slow start but he had an outstanding game in Cleveland last season.

Look for the Browns to give Jamal Lewis every opportunity to attack the Ravens’ defense.  He has carried the football 53 times this season for 307 yards (5.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He will no doubt have some high impact collisions with MLB Ray Lewis and it will be fun to watch.  If the offensive line gives Derek Anderson time to throw the football he could have some success against the Ravens defense and they are allowing 239.7 yards passing per game.  Another interesting battle will be Kellen Winslow (16 rec, 271 yards, TD) against all-world safety Ed Reed.  The Ravens will likely put Chris McAllister on WR Braylon Edwards (15 rec, 278 yards, 3 TDs) and that will also be an outstanding matchup.  An advantage that the Browns should try to exploit will be Joe Jurevicius against backup corner Corey Ivy.

Special teams could also have a big impact in this game as Yamon Figurs (Ravens) and Joshua Cribbs (Browns) both have the capability to take any punt return or kickoff return to the house!

PREDICTION:  I have to think that the Ravens will win this game because they have the better football team.  But, the Browns have played the Ravens well in Cleveland as they have won two of the last three meetings outscoring the Ravens 54-34!  With that in mind I would take the Browns and the points.

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