REDSKINS-COWBOYS REACTION AND PLAYOFF PREVIEW

    One thing impressed me last night in the Redskins' win over the Cowboys: the Redskins pass defense.  Sure the Redskins are near the bottom of the league when it comes to passing yards allowed, but their ability blitz all night demonstrated an impressive amount of trust in their corners.  DeAngelo Hall looked about as impressive as he ever has as he mostly shut down Dez Bryant for the entire game.  Josh Wilson displayed incredible blitzing speed as he lit up Tony Romo with blindside hits over and over again to rattle the Cowboys quarterback and force him to use up a timeout or two just to regain his composure.  Every time I saw Wilson crack Romo, I was left feeling depressed and annoyed that the Ravens let him go after a great 2010 season. 
     On the offensive side of the ball, Alfred Morris ran the only way he knows how...hard.  Morris has to be one of the strongest running backs in the game and he's not even 220 pounds.  Robert Griffin III spoke to the media afterward and expressed that when he is slowed down by injury Alfred Morris always seems to pick up the slack and dominate on the ground.  The rookie running back set a Redskins single season rushing record of 1613 yards with an average of 4.8 yards per carry and 13 rushing touchdowns.  This young man is a football player; that's all there is too it.
     The Redskins have what many would deem to be a tall task in taking on the red-hot Seattle Seahawks next week.  The Seahawks haven't been stellar on the road over the course of the season, but they've won 5 in a row including two road games during that stretch.  The Skins, however, have some important attributes that are are typical of good NFL playoff teams: the ability to run the ball, stop the run, and rush the passer.  The Skins certainly aren't my pick to go to the Superbowl from the NFC at this point, but there's no question that they can go toe to toe with anyone and shouldn't be overlooked or underestimated going into the post-season.

NFL PLAYOFFS PREVIEW

     The 2012 regular season was unusual to say the least.  Peyton Manning and Tom Brady both found themselves on teams with losing records through the first 5 games of the season, but somehow both the Broncos and Patriots now occupy the #1 and #2 AFC playoff seeds respectively.  The Ravens and Texans were impressive through the first 11 weeks or so, but fell off sharply in the final 5 weeks of the season.  The NFC appeared the stronger division with many stout defenses and impressive rookie quarterbacks who performed just as well or better than many of their veteran counterparts.  The Falcons went 12-4, but somehow few seem to regard them as a dominant team (and that's a bit mistake).  The Redskins are going to the playoffs for the first time in a very LONG time, and the Steelers and Giants will both miss the playoffs despite having won 4 out of the last 7 Superbowls. 
    More than anything, the 2012 regular season should be characterized as one in which just about every major contending team was soundly trounced at least a couple of times.  Every team was, at some point, questioned and doubted for its flaws exposed in losses.  There was no team that went 16-0, 15-1, or even 14-2 this season.  Maybe, however, that's not a bad thing.  Losses keep teams honest and make them seriously evaluate and correct their weaknesses.  The last two Superbowl Champions did their fair share of losing during the regular season, but they learned from their losses and got hot and healthy just in time for the playoffs.  Having homefield advantage is huge for many teams, but somehow road warriors have gotten the job done numerous times in recent years.  In the end, it all comes down to which playoff teams are healthy and firing on all cylinders in January.
     The wildcard round of the playoffs will be played next weekend with two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday.  I'll make my official predictions later in the week when the statuses of various injured players become clearer going into the weekend.  Now, however, I'll go over the 4 upcoming matchups in a more broad fashion simply to begin to develop ideas of how things might turn out.  Let's take a look.

BENGALS AT TEXANS- The Bengals didn't gain any momentum by facing the Ravens 2nd and 3rd string on Sunday, but they'll be facing a familiar playoff foe when they take the field in Houston on Saturday.  The Texans have looked flawed and vulnerable many times in the last 5 weeks while the Bengals have appeared to gain momentum with 7 wins in their last 8 games.  The Bengals defense has buckled down to an elite level while the Texans defense appears unable to keep even some of the worst teams in the league from scoring.  If the Texans manage to once again beat the Bengals in the wildcard round, they'll face the harrowing task of going to New England to play a well-rested Patriots team that spanked them on national TV only one month ago.  If Andrew Luck and a poor defense can beat the Texans, I see no reason why the Bengals can't do it.  The Texans, however, are much better at home and still have the playmakers to put up big points in Houston. 

VIKINGS AT PACKERS- There's simply no denying the work ethic, determination, talent, and sheer explosiveness of Adrian Peterson.  This season will undoubtedly leave few doubting his place among the greatest running backs of our generation.  The Packers, however, will have homefield advantage, and that will change a lot.  The Packers have only a single loss at Lambeau field this season, and they soundly beat the Vikings 23-14 in Green Bay in week 13.  The Vikings, on the other hand, are 3-5 on the road thus far, but won the last two road games they've played against the Rams and Texans.  The Packers' defense will be much stronger with a packed stadium of their fans cheering.  I'm not saying this game is unwinnable for the Vikings, but they barely squeaked by the Packers in Minneapolis last night, and homefield advantage may simply tip the scales too far in favor of the Packers this Saturday.

COLTS AT RAVENS- Andrew Luck is a talented young player.  He has demonstrated an ability to come back big in tight games and even beat some teams with impressive records.  The Colts, however, are not a great road team, and the Ravens are usually quite good at home.  The Ravens also got a chance to rest most of their starters this weekend as they played mostly 2nd and 3rd string players for most of the game.  The Colts, on the other hand, beat the Texans, but didn't rest their starters before a daunting road matchup.  Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton are fantastic receivers and will cause problems for the Ravens secondary at times without a doubt, but Andrew Luck has thrown 18 picks and the Colts have lost 9 fumbles while the Colts defense has only forced 15 turnovers all season.  The Colts haven't protected Luck particularly well, and they don't run the ball particularly well either, so the Ravens will be able to blitz heavily at times to rattle the young lad.  With all of that said, it's tough to count the Colts.  Their head coach was with the Ravens for 4 years, and their interim head coach ran offenses for years that beat the Ravens with the Steelers.  The Ravens are favored, but they've lost 4 out of their last 5 games (though the last one didn't really count) and if they can lose to Charlie Batch in Baltimore, they can lose to Andrew Luck.

SEAHAWKS AT REDSKINS- This will be an entertaining matchup as it will feature two talented, mobile rookie quarterbacks who led their respective teams in red-hot winning streaks to close out the season.  The Seahawks don't have a great record on the road over the course of the season, but they've won their last two road games, and have simply dominated teams in their last 5 games.  This is a post-season that the Seahawks shouldn't even be in considering the fact that they got credit for a win that even the league admitted they didn't deserve over the Packers in week 4.  With that said, the Seahawks may just prove that they absolutely belong in the playoffs if they can knock off the Redskins in Landover on Sunday.  The Redskins, on the other hand, are sitting pretty after they won their division and clinched a playoff berth and homefield advantage in the wildcard round last night.  Robert Griffin the 3rd is clearly slowed by his lingering knee injury, but the rest of the team has elevated its level of play to compensate.  No longer is RG3 the only thing that's working for the Redskins.  Suddenly they have a real defense, and as their passing numbers have gone down a bit, their rushing numbers have increased accordingly.  I won't even pretend to have a good idea of who will win this game yet.

     The wildcard round may not matter much in the AFC as the Broncos and Patriots may be nearly impossible to beat in their respective home fields, but upsets happen one way or another, and Peyton Manning has been known to choke early in the playoffs after fantastic regular seasons before... but then again, he also has been to two Superbowls and owns one ring.  The Ravens are a great team when they're healthy, and we'll see just how healthy they've become on Sunday.  The NFC is far less predictable in my mind.  Every team in the playoffs in that conference is capable of beating any of the other teams; we'll just have to see who gets hot and stays that way.  I hope you guys like the new blog layout and logo!
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!!

WEEK 17 NFL PREDICTIONS (FINAL REGULAR SEASON PICKS!)

WEEK 17: A TIME TO REFLECT AND LEARN

     The 2012 regular season has been quite a roller coaster for the Baltimore Ravens.  The defense experienced too much turnover in the offseason to cope with the plague of injuries that descended upon literally all of its stars.  On the offensive side of the ball, however, highs and lows were far more perplexing and frustrating as they had almost nothing to do with injuries.  The offensive issues stemmed not from the availability of key personnel but instead from the inconsistency of Joe Flacco, the constant shuffling and poor performance of offensive linemen, and the poor play calling and offensive system of Cam Cameron.  The Ravens can contend with and beat just about any team when everything clicks for its offense.  The Ravens beat both teams in the last Superbowl, but got absolutely dominated by two teams that had literally never beaten Baltimore before.  The Ravens went on a 3 game losing streak and lost two of those games with 4th quarter leads of a touchdown or more.
      One could discuss and debate the frustrations and reasons for Ravens inconsistency this season, but I believe it to be far more productive to recognize that the Ravens won their division and analyze how their mistakes and losses could ultimately lead to improvements that allow the Ravens to make a run in the playoffs.
     The Ravens already displayed a number of improvements against the Superbowl Champion Giants last Sunday.  One of the most important improvements was their ability to convert 3rd downs. The Ravens coverted 11 of 18 3rd downs, and they did so in large part because of passes over the middle, something that we seldom saw while Cam Cameron was calling plays.  Its not that Cam Cameron's playbook didn't include passes over the middle; it's just that he seldom called those plays.  Joe Flacco's release appeared much quicker at times because the plays that Jim Caldwell called (well) allowed receivers to get open much sooner.  This Ravens pass offense was, at times, reminiscent of that of the Colts with Peyton Manning years ago. 
     Many have criticized Joe's awareness and release speed, but it's tough to release the ball quickly when the offensive coordinator calls plays that feature so many vertical routes which require more time for receivers to get open downfield.  Plays that allow receivers to get open quickly help to keep Joe Flacco on his feet.  Flacco, after all, wasn't sacked once in the entire game last Sunday.  Caldwell clearly understands that the Ravens offensive line struggles at times to protect the quarterback, and thus, it's imperative to make their job easier by getting the ball out of Joe's hands sooner.  Variety and creativity in play calling ultimately allows the deep passing game to find success as well.
     Joe Flacco was quite successful on deep passes against the Giants.  The Ravens knew quite well that they could take advantage of quite a mismatch with Torrey Smith being covered by Corey Webster.  Joe Flacco picked on Webster most of the game and got quite a bit of help from Smith with some rather spectaular catches.  It was a relief to see Flacco and T. Smith finally get back in sync after appearing to have lost their chemistry on deep passes for the 3 weeks prior to last Sunday.
     Another problem that persisted for the 3 weeks prior to last Sunday was the absence of Dannell Ellerbe.  This absence became a serious issue when Terrell Suggs became injured during the Ravens' second game against the Steelers.  Ellerbe's absence was felt even more when Jameel McClain came out with what turned out to be a season ending injury late in the game against the Redskins.  The Ravens then found themselves in a game against the hottest team in the NFL with almost all of their starting linebackers out or playing injured.  The Ravens defense struggled mightily for the first half against Manning, but the lack of depth in the linebacker corps ultimately led to a defensive collapse in the 2nd half.  The Ravens proved that they couldn't stop the run as the Broncos put together a 9 minute drive that featured only running plays.  It didn't matter than the Ravens KNEW the Broncos were going to run the ball because they simply couldn't stop it regardless.  The return of Ellerbe against the Giants elevated the Ravens pass coverage, run stopping ability, and the pass rush. 
     Losing 3 consecutive games may have frustrated and terrified Ravens fans, but it forced the offense to make a major staffing change and ultimately evaluate its weaknesses.  It took those very same 3 weeks for one of the Ravens' most integral defensive cogs to regain his health and return to playing shape.  So if 3 weeks of losing is what it took to get rid of Cam Cameron and get healthy in time to win the division and make a playoff run, then  please understand that it was all WELL worth it.

 WEEK 17 NFL PREDICTIONS

   Let's backtrack two weeks for a moment.  Week 15 was a miserable week for my predictions.  I would say that I should be ashamed of myself for going 7-9, but I think many people were caught off guard by what they saw.  Who would have thought that the Giants would get totally blanked and blown out by a Falcons team that has allowed even poor teams to play them close, and who could have seen the Patriots losing at home to a rookie quarterback?  Beyond those two, however, there were cases in which I simply underestimated some players and teams.  I didn't think the Vikings could really do much with only Adrian Peterson playing at a truly high level--I was wrong.  I also thought that the Redskins weren't good enough to beat the Browns in Cleveland without RG3--I was wrong again.  Finally, I thought that the Jets would be able to minimize turnovers and beat a bad titans team with their backs against the wall and their playoff hopes riding on the game--I couldn't have been more wrong. 
     Week 16, however, renewed my confidence in myself.  I spend more time analyzing statistics and considering recent performances, injuries, and trends.  The results were quite rewarding as I went 13-3 and felt quite vindicated after predicting the Ravens defense would return to form as soon as Dannell Ellerbe returned to the field.  My overall record is now 108-55.  I'm now just shy of a 2-1 win to loss ratio, but I'm still quite proud of my record this season.  Week 17 will unfortunately feature some games that are difficult to predict because it's impossible to know whether or not some teams are going to sit their starters.  Furthermore, if those teams DO sit their starters, how many will they sit?  And will their opponent sit their starters too?  We won't know for sure, but we can at least look at injury reports and try to determine who teams can keep on the field and how badly they need to win (if at all).  On the flip side, there are some teams that may benefit from a loss when it comes to their spot on the draft board in late April.  With that said, there are still HUGE games coming up that will have MAJOR a impact on this season's playoffs.  Let's take a look!

BUCCANEERS AT FALCONS- The Falcons have clinched a first round bye and and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.  They would be wise to sit their starters and let the Buccaneers have their fun for the day.  MY PREDICTION: BUCCANEERS 27-10.

JETS AT BILLS- This game means nothing, but the Bills are a good team at home.  Not much else to this one as the Jets are too unpredictable to accurately predict, especially in such a meaniningless late-season matchup.  MY PREDICTION: BILLS 17-10.

RAVENS AT BENGALS- John Harbaugh has stated that he wants to win this game.  Marvin Lewis has also stated that he doesn't intend to sit his starters.  It is for this reason that this game will be incredibly difficult to predict.  I'm sure the Ravens will give rest to players that need it, especially on defense.  They will, however, want to go full-throttle with their offense as this will be a good opportunity to get practice against one of the best defenses in the NFL on the road.  Nevertheless, the outcome of this game will come down to who is playing and for how much of the game.  The Ravens haven't lost to the Bengals in years, and maybe they'll play hard enough not to do so again this weekend.  MY PREDICTION: RAVENS 20-17.

BEARS AT LIONS- The Lions haven't won in months and the Bears desperately need this one to potentially get a wildcard spot in the playoffs.  MY PREDICTION: BEARS 21-20.

JAGUARS AT TITANS- Neither of these teams has any real interest in winning this game and I'm not entirely sure, but it may behoove the Jaguars to lose this to maximize their spot in the draft.  With that said, I'm going with the home team.  MY PREDICTION: 23-16.

TEXANS AT COLTS- The Colts are a good home team and the Texans have looked rather shakey for the last 5 weeks or so.  The Colts will want to win this one for their returning head Coach and to maintain momentum heading into a daunting wildcard round matchup against the Ravens in Baltimore.  The Texans may lose the overall first seed here.  MY PREDICTION: COLTS 33-28.

PANTHERS AT SAINTS- I wouldn't ordinarily bet against the Saints in New Orleans, but the Panthers are on quite a tear recently.  They've dominated the last 3 teams they've played including the Atlanta Falcons and the Chargers in San Diego.  Their defense has really come alive as of late and Cam Newton is doing his best to redeem himself and get back on track for next season.  MY PREDICTION: PANTHERS 31-24.

EAGLES AT GIANTS- The Giants are absolutely desperate and they need this win to even have a chance to get into the playoffs.  The Eagles were playing better as of late, but it's tough to judge them on their recent performance as Nick Foles is now on injured reserve and Michael Vick will once again start on Sunday.  The Giants aren't a great home team, but I have a feeling Vick will commit some rather unfortunate turnovers in a game that means very little to them.  This is Eli's last stand of 2012, I'll give him my vote of confidence.  MY PREDICTION: GIANTS 21-17.

BROWNS AT STEELERS- The Steelers will win this game out of pride and because Brandon Weeden is out.  The Steelers will also want to avoid the shame of a losing season.  MY PREDICTION: STEELERS 30-13.

RAIDERS AT CHARGERS- The Chargers will this game easily as the Raiders will presumably be without Carson Palmer and would probably lose even with him in the game.  MY PREDICTION: CHARGERS 28-7.

CARDINALS AT 49ERS- The 9ers will be looking to take out their frustrations from last week against an inferior opponent to improve to 11-4-1 on the season.  Even with major injuries to such players as Vernon Davis and Mario Manningham, the 49ers should be strong enough to beat down the Cardinals at home the way they know how.  MY PREDICTION: 49ERS 42-14.

RAMS AT SEAHAWKS- Good luck, Rams.  MY PREDICTION: SEAHAWKS 38-14 (and that could prove to be conservative).

PACKERS AT VIKINGS- Expect and incredible game from Adrian Peterson in a game that will make or break the Vikings in their quest to reach the playoffs.  The Packers beat the Vikings by a touchdown in Green Bay 4 weeks ago, but both of these teams has picked up major steam since then.  Green Bay, on the other hand, will lose the #2 seed to the 49ers if the 49ers win and the Packers lose.  In the end, the Packers are 5-0 in their division and actually ended up with one of the stringiest scoring defenses in the league.  Tough to beat Aaron Rodgers when the Packers defense gives him so many opportunities to drive.  MY PREDICTION: PACKERS 28-21.

DOLPHINS AT PATRIOTS- I would love to see an upset here, but there's no way the Patriots lose this game, even if they're not playing particularly well lately.  MY PREDICTION: Patriots 35-23.

CHIEFS AT BRONCOS- Not the Chiefs and not in Denver.  MY PREDICTION: BRONCOS 24-7.

COWBOYS AT REDSKINS- The Redskins seem destined to make the playoffs this year.  They're on a 6 game winning streak and have won the last 4 divisional games they've played.  The Cowboys' offense is incredible at engineering late game drives and had an impressive overtime win a couple of weeks ago in Pittsburgh.  In games such as these that could be virtual toss-ups, I give the upper hand to the home team.  I can only imagine how loud and crazy FedEx field is going to be this Sunday.  This one is for all the marbles...MY PREDICTION: REDSKINS 31-28.

    This is a week where Ravens fans can relax and hopefully enjoy their team spread the ball out and take some chances with its offense.  We should see plenty of Joe Flacco, but I would love to see Tandon Doss, Bryant McKinney, and Deonte Thompson get plenty of time on the field to show what they can do in the playoffs if needed.  There are a lot of meaningless matchups this Sunday, but there just enough important games to make this an exciting final weekend in the regular season.  You kept the faith, Baltimore, and you were rewarded for it.
AS ALWAYS GO RAVENS!!!!

WEEK 16 NFL PREDICTIONS AND RAVENS-GIANTS PREGAME ANAYLSIS

     I stated that my prediction of the Ravens Broncos game was entirely optimistic and also based on the assumption that Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe would play.  They did not play, and neither did Bernard Pollard.  The Ravens defense played admirably and even with a little fire in the first half, but the lack of depth and the absence of starters in conjuction with a no-show from the offense led to a second half collapse.  This Ravens team simply can't win games with a skeleton crew.  The thing that made this team great earlier in the season was its ability to buckle down and stop teams in the redzone.  With a short field, teams had trouble getting into the endzone and often had to settle for fieldgoals.  That defense simply wasn't on the field last sunday.  This is not to say that I'm making excuses as to why the Ravens lost, but rather, explaining the facts.  No Ray Lewis, no Dannell Ellerbe, no Jameel McClain, no Bernard Pollard, no Lardarius Webb, an injured Terrell Suggs, and injured Ed Reed, and a presumably somewhat injured Haloti Ngata means you're left with almost nothing.
     The defense, however, could have performed much better last Sunday if they were kept off of the field for a longer period of time with serious offensive drives and morale boosting touchdowns.  The Broncos defense is top notch, but the Ravens are supposed to be able to put points on just about anyone at home.  The culprit?  Well Joe Flacco clearly played a gigantic role, but his ability to succeed seems to be increasingly hampered by a lack of faith in his offensive line. 
     Joe Flacco spent a much larger time on the ground than he would have liked last Sunday.  Michael Oher is clearly not the answer at left tackle, and the only truly dominant lineman the Ravens have on their roster was out with a sprained ankle (I assume you all know that I'm referring to Marshal Yanda).  It's easy to understand why the Ravens went 12-4 and to the AFC Championship last year when you look at their offensive line.  Bryant McKinney started every game at left tackle and is a talented pass blocker even if he is a little lazy in the run-blocking realm.  Ben Grubbs was the pro bowl left guard who was also an excellent pass blocker, but he sadly took a bigger contract with the Saints in the off-season.  Matt Birk played well most of the season even if he did get manhandled by Vince Wilfork in January.  Marshal Yanda was the right guard and he's simply good at everything.  Michael Oher's only major flaws last season stemmed occassional false start penalties at right tackle as he offers rather good protection from edge rushers on THAT side.  Fast forward to this season, and you see a patchwork offensive line with few players at their natural position and the only natural left tackle with a pristine, unblemished jersey sitting idly on the bench.
     Now I know that Joe Flacco has poor awareness in the pocket and always appears totally taken by surprise by presure off the edge.  With that knowledge, however, John Harbaugh has done a poor job at adjusting accordingly and putting in someone who has proven to protect Joe on the left side better than anyone else currently on the roster--especially Michael Oher.  Harbaugh is so unyieldingly stubborn with his "doghouse" philosophy that he often keeps the best players off of the field just because they upset him at one point or another.  Dannell Ellerbe was reportedly in Harbaugh's doghouse not too long ago and didn't see much of the field as a result.  Ellerbe stepped in for Ray Lewis out of necessity earlier this season and suddenly we all saw that he performed phenomenally.  The same needs to happen with Bryant McKinney.  I don't care if he doesn't seem to give 100% in practice or if Harbaugh didn't like his work ethic in the off-season.  McKinney started all season and protected Joe well on the left side.  Michael Oher has simply proven he cannot do that regardless of his comparatively better work ethic.  A big part of coaching is knowing your weaknesses and adjusting accordingly to minimize the exposure and impact of those weaknesses.  Harbaugh has done a poor job of that this year down the stretch, and he's running out of time to redeem himself.  We can blame Joe all we want, and he deserves plenty of blame, but when you can't keep him upright, how do you expect him to pass?

WEEK 16 NFL PREDICTIONS

FALCONS AT LIONS- The Lions are on a 6 game losing streak with little motivation to win.  The Falcons, on the other hand have made a habit of winning games this season and are one game shy of clinching a #1 seed in the playoffs. MY PREDICTION: FALCONS 34-23.

SAINTS AT COWBOYS- No way the Cowboys lose this game against a slumping Saints team outside of New Orleans.  MY PREDICTION: COWBOYS 28-17.

TITANS AT PACKERS- The Packers haven't been nearly the team they were last season, but this won't be a tough matchup at Lambeau.  MY PREDICTION: PACKERS 24-16.

COLTS AT CHIEFS- The Colts are fighting to solidify a wildcard spot in the playoffs.  The Chiefs are one of the worst teams in the league and rumors have swirled that Romeo Crennel will be fired at the end of this season.  This might not be a total blowout, but Andrew Luck seems to do just enough win close games against mediocre and bad teams.  MY PREDICTION: COLTS 20-17.

BILLS AT DOLPHINS- Neither of these teams have a prayer to go to the playoffs, but I like the Dolphins in a squeaker at home.  MY PREDICTION: DOLPHINS 17-16.

CHARGERS AT JETS- The Chargers will win this game.  MY PREDICTION: CHARGERS 21-10.

REDSKINS AT EAGLES- The Eagles are improving in some ways, but they're still prone to turnovers.  The Redskins are on a roll here, and they beat the Eagles not too long ago.  This could be a blowout of the Eagles keep turning the ball over, but the Redskins' pass defense is poor enough that the Eagles should score some points.  MY PREDICTION: REDSKINS 33-23.

BENGALS AT STEELERS-  This is a tough one to predict.  The Steelers need this win to avoid being eliminated from the playoff hunt and they're at home against a foe that they beat on the road.  The Bengals have since picked up steam, however, and their defense has improved drastically.  I simply have a hard time seeing the Steelers losing this game.  MY PREDICTION: STEELERS 21-17.

RAMS AT BUCCANEERS- The Bucs lost narrowly to two great teams a few weeks ago...and then they lose to two very BAD teams in embarrassing losses for the last two weeks.  The Rams have won 3 out of their last 4 and have proven they can win on the road recently.  MY PREDICTION: RAMS 20-13.

RAIDERS AT PANTHERS- Panthers win this one easily against and show their promise for next season. MY PREDICTION: PANTHERS 30-17.

PATRIOTS AT JAGUARS- Ha.  MY PREDICTION: PATRIOTS 42-19.

VIKINGS AT TEXANS- I want to see Adrian Peterson run away with this game so incredibly badly, but the Texans should have enough firepower to outscore a Vikings team that hinges its success on one freakishly talented player. 

BROWNS AT BRONCOS- The Browns have improved greatly since the first half of the season, but the Broncos are probably the best team in football right now.  MY PREDICTION: BRONCOS 34-16.

BEARS AT CARDINALS- The Bears are desperate and the Cardinals are bad.  C'mon Bears, you can do it. MY PREDICTION: BEARS 24-13.

GIANTS AT RAVENS- Both teams are coming off of embarrassing losses and have serious injuries that could affect this game heavily.  I do, however, believe the Ravens will FINALLY get Dannell Ellerbe back and they'll probably give Bryant McKinney some time at left tackle to allow Flacco to open up on an injured and lackluster Giants secondary.  It appears as though Marshal Yanda will try to play, and the Giants could be without Justin Tuck.  This is yet another game that depends largely on who is healthy enough to play.  Will Bernard Pollard be ready to go?  What about Ahmad Bradshaw?  Eli Manning and Joe Flacco have almost identical statistics this season so it's not like one quarterback is totally above the other this season.  I gotta go with my gut feeling that the Ravens are going to put up one last final regular season homestand and win a close game with a Justin Tucker field goal as time expires.  I will, again, possibly amend this prediction if gameday arrives and it becomes clear that the a sizeable number of Ravens starters won't play.  Assuming they do, however...MY PREDICTION: RAVENS 27-24.

49ERS AT SEAHAWKS- Both of these teams have looked good recently and it's tough to know what to think since the 49ers will be starting a different quarterback than the last time they faced and beat the Seahawks in San Franscisco.  I get it, the Seahawks have put up a startling number of points in the last couple of weeks, but they did so against some pretty awful competition.  The 49ers on the other hand, did possibly the most difficult thing in football last week when they beat the Patriots in Foxborough.  I don't know if the 49ers' passing attack will be strong enough against the Seahawks in Seattle.  Man, this is tough.  Let's go with the hot home team with something to prove.  MY PREDICTION: SEAHAWKS 17-16.

     This isn't the last chance for the Ravens to win the division, but they need to win this week to be able to give their starters some much needed rest before attempting a playoff run.  Without that rest, the Ravens simply can't contend with the likes of the Patriots, Texans, and Broncos...especially because they'd be playing any of those teams on the road.  The Ravens won't be eliminated from the playoffs this week if they lose to their second consecutive Manning, but they might as well be.  The Ravens need to win this game and they need the support of their fanbase.  If there was ever a time to get pumped and load in Baltimore, it would be this Sunday.  Sure couldn't hurt to have #52 burst out of that tunnel... Keep track of injury report and get ready for a war on Sunday, Baltimore.
AS ALWAYS GO RAVENS!!!!

WEEK 15 NFL PICKS AND RAVENS-BRONCOS PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

     This week isn't do or die for the Ravens as far as getting into the playoffs is concerned.  If the Ravens lose to the Broncos but beat the Giants, they'll clinch the AFC North anyway.  Hell, even if the Ravens lose to both the Broncos and Giants, if they beat the Bengals, they'll clinch the AFC North.  Their 4-1 record in the division as well as an 8-2 conference record give them the tiebreakers they need to ensure that simply one more win in the next three games means they'll see the playoffs, but is that really what we want?  Beating the Broncos at home is something the Ravens must do for a few huge reasons.  Reason #1: The Ravens need to show that they can still outgun a legitimate team at home the way they did against the Patriots in week 3.  Reason #2: The Ravens need to clinch the division early so they can sit their starters for 2 weeks before the first playoff game in Baltimore.  Reason #3: The Ravens need to rally their fanbase as crowd noise and enthusiasm were surprisingly low in the last home game--and it was against the Steelers.
     The Broncos, on the other hand, don't need a win in Baltimore.  I'm sure they would prefer a win, but they have clinched their division, and losing may actually cause many of their starters to breathe a sigh of relief as it would mean the team would likely sit them for the remainder of the season with no reason to fight for a 3-seed instead of the 4-seed.  This, however, does not mean that the Broncos will lay down for the Ravens.  On the contrary, the Broncos will most likely be hoping that the 49ers can pull off an upset in New England and beat the Patriots.  I sincerely doubt that will happen, but the possibility of gaining a 2-seed in the playoffs and a bye week would certainly be enough incentive for the Broncos to go all out this weekend in Charm City. 
     This game isn't going to come down to which team wants the win more.  I wish it were that simple, but it's not.  Peyton Manning has a history of beating the Ravens that dates back over a decade.  The last time the Ravens beat a team led by Peyton Manning was in 2001.  He has, since then, twice beaten the Ravens in the playoffs, and often humiliated or crushed the spirits of a city that once rooted for his franchise.  To make matters worse, Peyton Manning's current franchise appears far healthier than the Ravens this week.  For Baltimore, however, there yet remains a glimmer of hope...
     The Ravens have yet to activate Ray Lewis, but the iconic middle linebacker did practice this week and it's hard for me to imagine he would sit out another week when his team's linebacker corps has become so incredibly thin.  Ray's replacement during his absence, Dannell Ellerbe, practiced in limited capacity yesterday and will hopefully work his way up to full participation today after missing the last two games with an ankle injury.  Ellerbe is the fastest and most athletic linebacker on the team at this point, and his pass coverage skills could prove immensely valuable against Peyton Manning's offense.  Terrell Suggs was a full participant in practice yesterday and is listed as a game-time decision, but I have a feeling he'll see at least some snaps.  If these three defensive stars play, then you can expect this game to be much more difficult for the Broncos. 
     Let's assume that two of the last three Ravens I just mentioned are good to go this weekend.  The Ravens defense won't be able to shut out the Broncos because no team probably can do that.  The job of the defense will be to slow the Broncos offense as much as possible and try to hold Peyton's squad to field goals.  The true pressure of winning this game will fall on the offense.  The 2012 Ravens offense certainly hasn't been weak by Ravens standards, and it has been typically quite strong at home.  The offense will be facing one of the best defenses in the league on Sunday, but it's not a suffocating defense like that of the Seahawks or 49ers.  It's an oppotunistic defense that creates a lot of turnovers and plays well enough to give Peyton Manning the ball back when he needs to score quickly.
     Peyton Manning's ability to score quickly is a huge reason that the Ravens offense needs to come out firing on all cylinders.  Some weapons that haven't been utilized recently should step up on Sunday.  Torrey Smith needs a big game, and he needs to not only be targeted on deep passes...though connecting on one or two of those would be nice.  Ed Dickson could return and his season has been slowed by injuries and a lack of targets, so this is a great time for him to show the Ravens once again why they drafted him.  The Ravens will be playing without their best offensive lineman, Marshall Yanda, and that will mean either having Bobbie Williams step up or bringing Bryant McKinney back to left tackle, moving Michael Oher to right tackle, and Kelechi Osemele to right guard.  The Ravens will need to give Flacco all the protection he can get against a harrowing Broncos pass-rush. 
     One of the things that could help to neutralize the Broncos pass-rush would be tweaking the passing game to allow Ravens receivers to get into position so that Joe can get the ball out of his hands quickly.  Flacco needs to work on his pocket awareness, but it would be wise to game-plan to compensate for his tendency to hold on to the ball so long.  Ray Rice should, of course be a huge part of this game, but I would like to see both #27 and fullback Vonta Leach used as receivers.  Leach seems to be a first down machine in the passing game, and Rice...well we know what he can do when you throw him short passes and get him into space.
     I would love to be able to accurately predict this game, but it's tough to know what to expect with so many Ravens defensive players questionable and the promotion of Jim Caldwell to the position of offensive coordinator.  Almost everyone will be counting the Ravens out of this one, but you can bet that the 12th man in M&T Bank Stadium will give the Ravens as big of a homefield advantage as ever with Peyton coming to town.  And hey, if they can beat the Patriots in Baltimore, why not the Broncos?


WEEK 15 NFL PREDICTIONS

     Week 14 proved to be just about my worst for predictions this season, but week 13 was solid.  My prediction record now stands at 88-43 and I still have a better correct pick rate than all but two of ESPN's twelve analysts...and those guys get paid for this.  I have a better correct pick rate than even Accuscore--so take THAT, technology!  Let's hope week 15 is good to me and I can reach or top 100 in the correct pick column.

GIANTS AT FALCONS- The Giants often really turn it on late in the season.  They're fantastic road warriors and they will be facing a Falcons team that has a great record that is likely the product of a fairly easy schedule.  The Falcons are one of those teams that the Giants simply know how to beat.  MY PREDICTION: GIANTS 27-23.

BRONCOS AT RAVENS- This one is too early for me to predict as I do not yet know who will be starting on defense for the Ravens.  I may actually have to go back and amend this prediction by Sunday, so I will possibly have to publish a retraction in the next 48 hours before the game.  As it stands right now, I will be optimistic in my prediction and assume Ray Lewis, Dannell Ellerbe, and Terrell Suggs will all play as a win would mean they could potentially have two following weeks of rest.  This is the Ravens regular season Superbowl.  The Ravens organization showed that it would do whatever they think it'll take to win by getting rid of Cam Cameron.  The Broncos will be far more rested and healthy, but they haven't looked that impressive in wins over the Chiefs and Raiders recently.  Not having Willis McGahee will prove a huge factor for the Broncos in this game.  Try not to think of me as TOO big of a homer for this pick as I may have to change it depending on who is ready to go for the birds.  MY PREDICTION: RAVENS 34-31.

PACKERS AT BEARS- Charles Woodson will be out, but Clay Matthews returns and the Packers simply know how to beat the Bears this season...but recently a lot of teams seem to know how to do that.  MY PREDICTION: PACKERS 28-21.

REDSKINS AT BROWNS- Without a healthy RG3, the Redskins haven't a prayer at winning this game.  The Browns defense is currently better than the banged up, depleted defense that the Redskins faced last week, and the Redskins will have trouble stopping Trent Richardson in Cleveland.  If RG3 is out, his backup will find that the Browns are far better than earlier in the season.  Even if RG3 plays he won't have the speed and elusiveness required to run the offense with which the Redskins have found success as of late.  Their offensive line simply isn't strong enough protect a hurt RG3 or a healthy Kirk Cousins.  I might have picked the Browns even if RG3 were healthy, to be quite frank, but he's not.  MY PREDICTION: BROWNS 26-17.

COLTS AT TEXANS- I might pick the Colts here if the Texans hadn't lost in such embarrassing fashion on Monday.  The Texans haven't been too convincing against bad and mediocre teams as of late, and Andrew Luck has proven incredibly clutch in the 4th quarter recently, but he has also had trouble on the road this season.  I'll be rooting for the Colts here, but I don't expect them to win in Houston this week. MY PREDICTION: TEXANS 37-24.

JAGUARS AT DOLPHINS- I like the Dolphins in this matchup without a ton of specific reasons.  MY PREDICTION: DOLPHINS 21-17.

BUCCANEERS AT SAINTS- Drew Brees has been an interception machine in the last month, and I have a feeling most people will pick the Bucs here, but the Saints are strong at home and are a matchup problem for a Buccs team that ranks last in the NFL in pass defense.  They already beat the Bucs in Tampa Bay, they'll beat them in Naaawlens if Drew can throw to HIS receivers.  MY PREDICTION: SAINTS 31-23.

VIKINGS AT RAMS- Adrian Peterson is a freak and a monster, but the Vikings have only won a single road game this season and they're not going to win their second this week.  MY PREDICTION: RAMS 21-10.

LIONS AT CARDINALS- The Cardinals are bad...so very bad.  MY PREDICTION: LIONS 26-7.

SEAHAWKS AT BILLS- The Bills are good enough at home to keep this one close, but the Seahawks are too stout defensively to lose this game.  MY PREDICTION: SEAHAWKS 20-17.

PANTHERS AT CHARGERS- I like Cam Newton even though he's had a bit of a sophomore slump, but I don't think he'll win with a cross-country trip to San Diego on the calendar this week.  The Chargers showed that they can still win a game every now and then by beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh last week, and I have a feeling they'll add a check in the loss column of the Panthers this week as Norv Turner shows what he can do in order to hopefully land a job with another team next season.  MY PREDICTION: CHARGERS 37-20.

STEELERS AT COWBOYS- I have a feeling that many people will pick the Steelers to win this game.  I am not one of those people.  The Cowboys are better than their record indicates, and DeMarcus Ware will give Ben Roethlisberger serious problems.  The Steelers are playing for a playoff spot, but so are the Cowboys.  I give the edge to the home team.  MY PREDICTION: COWBOYS 28-20.

CHIEFS AT RAIDERS- Who even cares at this point...MY PREDICTION: RAIDERS 21-13.

49ERS AT PATRIOTS- The 49ers simply don't have the firepower to outscore the Patriots in Foxboro.  If this game were at Candlestick Park then I might like their odds--but it's not.  Patriots will pick off Kaepernick once or twice, but that'll only add insult to injury to a team that recently lost to the Rams.  MY PREDICTION: PATRIOTS 30-17.

JETS AT TITANS- The Jets are desperate at this point.  This game could go either way, but somehow I feel as though this will be one of those few games where things click for Rex's crew.  The Titans are a safe pick, but I like the Jets in this one. MY PREDICTION: JETS 21-20.

     I don't doubt the incredible skill and sheer intelligence of Peyton Manning.  His offensive line is quite strong and will give him time to make throws (not that he requires much at all).  Ed Reed hasn't tackled well at numerous times this season, but he has a habit of coming up with big plays against Peyton Manning because Manning's insistance on throwing the ball over the middle even with #20 lurking the secondary.  The Broncos aren't running the ball as well as they used to, however, and that should give the Ravens offense enough opportunities to put up points.  Let's see what Caldwell can do.  Keep the faith, Baltimore, and get LOUD when you see #52 emerge from that that tunnel!!
AS ALWAYS GO RAVENS!!!

WEEK 15 POWER RANKINGS AND THURSDAY NIGHT PREDICTION

     The 2012 regular season has proved deceiving at times when it has come to determining which teams are truly dominant.  The season began with replacement officials that effectively skewed the NFC standings with one of the worst calls in the history of football as the Packers were cheated out of a win and the Seahawks were given a boost that may prove a major factor in reaching the playoffs.  We watched offensive powerhouses that typically dominate the league begin the year with numerous losses as the replacement referees allowed defensive backs to get away with a lot of contact that would ordinarily warrant penalties.  After the first four weeks, however, the regular NFL officials returned, and players, fans, and coaches watched things return to normal.
     The Patriots began the season 1-2, but have since emerged as the NFL's most dominant team with a 9-1 record in their last 10 games.  The Broncos certainly weren't an offensive powerhouse last season, but Peyton Manning is used to leading a team to offensive greatness.  The Broncos were also 1-2, but like the Patriots, they've since emerged as arguably the NFL's second most dominant team with an identical 9-1 record during their last 10 games.  The Texans, Ravens, and Falcons all began the season hot but have since been exposed in a number of ways that make many fans, writers, and commentators view them as potentially vulnerable in the playoffs.  The 49ers looked brutal in some games, but perplexingly mediocre and even downright pathetic in their losses to the Rams, Vikings, and Giants.  The Bear's defense appeared incredibly dominant for much of the season, but has totally fallen off a cliff in the last 5 games.  Andrew Luck has led his team to a 9-4 record, but that record has been partially the result of a rather weak schedule that is about to reach the hardest stretch. 
     Often times the NFL features a team or two that just totally dominates the regular season from start to finish, but that simply hasn't happened this year.  It has certainly made things a lot less predictable and a lot more interesting.  With that said, let's take a look at which teams look the most dominant as of this week.

1. PATRIOTS- There's no way around it.  They're not my favorite team, but they're clearly the best in the league at this point.  They knife through even highly rated defenses with ease and have amassed an ungodly 472 points...and that's 97 points more than the next highest scoring team.  The scariest part is that they've emerged as the league's best team without Rob Gronkowski for weeks now.  Well Gronk is coming back this week or next, and I feel sorry for anyone in this team's path.

2. BRONCOS- It took Denver the first month or so to find its footing, but then Peyton finally took total control of this offense and truly clicked with his receivers.  The Broncos don't win in as dominanting fashion as the Patriots, but that's always been Peyton Manning's style.  Manning does enough to win games.  He might have a poor first half or even a poor first three quarters, but his ability to manage the clock and a run no-huddle offense allows him to comeback from almost any deficit and win in spectacular fashion. 

3. FALCONS- I rank the Falcons in this spot simply because of their record and nothing more.  It's tough to argue with 11-2, but the recently lost to one of the worst teams on their schedule and have seldom dominated losing teams.  The Falcons have, however, beaten a few strong teams and it is for this reason that I give them a 3rd place ranking.

4. 49ERS- I've been back and forth about the 49ers so far this season.  They've suffocated teams such as the Jets, Bills, Cardinals, and Bears, but they've shown vulnerability against teams that simply know how to give them a hard time.  The Giants have demonstrated that they simply know how to beat the 49ers in San Francisco, and the Rams are not nearly as good as the San Fran, but have seemed to also have figured out the '9ers' weaknesses.  Against the rest of the league, however, the 49ers demonstrate stout defense, a tough running game, and a passing game that is improving with the rise of Colin Kaepernick.  This team will face its toughest stretch in the next two weeks as they travel to New England and Seattle for tough road battles.  I expect this team to finish 10-5-1.

5. GIANTS- This team, like the 49ers, has a team that simply seems to know how to beat them.  Fortunately, that team almost never makes the playoffs.  For the rest of the league, the Giants are a scary late season opponent.  Eli Manning heats up when he feels pressure to win and has a chance this weekend to beat the last of the dominant NFC teams this weekend as the Giants travel to Atlanta.  The thing that makes me rank an 8-5 team so highly is that the Giants are actually better on the road than at home.  That makes it almost beneficial for them not to have a high seed in the playoffs. 

6. PACKERS- The Packers should be 10-3 right now, but they haven't impressed me much this season.  Aaron Rodgers has 29 TD passes but only 77 more passing yards than Joe Flacco thus far.  The Packers could heat up, however, with the return of Clay Matthews.  The Packers are 7-1 in their last 8 games and have owned their division. 

7. RAVENS- Some people might think this ranking is too high after two losses to less than elite teams.  I would agree, except that the major reason the Ravens lost the past two games was injuries to Ravens linebacker corps.  The Ravens were without Dannell Ellerbe, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and also lost Jameel McClain late in their loss to the Redskins.  This week will see the return of Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and possibly Dannell Ellerbe, and that will provide a huge boost to a broken defense that was dominant for about a month not too long ago.  Getting rid of Cam Cameron could provide a reasonable boost in offensive production if only because it will hopefully mean that the appropriate plays will be called in appropriate situations.  If the Ravens can put up a big homestand and beat the Broncos this week, then they'll leapfrog a few teams on this list....I'm not holding my breath though.

8. COLTS- The Colts have their best chance to prove themselves as a serious playoff contender this weekend by facing the Texans in Houston.  I wouldn't ordinarily expect the Texans to lose after a humiliating loss, but Houston has played close games with worst teams in the last month.  Who knows? Maybe the Colts will win with a little Luck...

9. SEAHAWKS- This team has impressed me all season with its defense and talented young QB.  They put on the most defensively dominant performance of the season last week and crushed the Cardinals' spirit.  This team can run the ball and stop the run with a quarterback that protects the football and has a knack for touchdown passes.  In other words, they're built for the playoffs.

10. BENGALS- The Bengals are making a late season push and have a chance to get a wildcard seed in the playoffs if they can beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh in a little over a week.  They lost a tough game to an emotional Dallas team last weekend, but they're still a very strong football team that is absolutely on the rise. 

11. REDSKINS- I'm giving the Redskins this ranking because of their recent wins, not because of how good I believe they'll be this week.  RG3's injury will keep him from being effective in the ways that he has been all season.  I believe the Browns will beat the Skins this weekend, but I also believe RG3 will be back to full health the following week and could lead his team to a playoff birth by finishing the season strong with two wins over teams they've already beaten in the last month.

12. COWBOYS- I believe the Cowboys are a better team than the Redskins in a lot of respects, but they have trouble closing out games and won't have a healthy Dez Bryant even if he tries to play.  The boys have played a ton of tough teams very closely, but their record is still 7-6.  The Cowboys have won their last two games and could potentially win out if they can start by upending the Steelers this weekend. 


THURSDAY NIGHT PREDICTION

BENGALS AT EAGLES- This game may not be a big showdown between major playoff contenders, but the Eagles have improved recently and could potentially kill the Bengals' playoff hopes.  As a Ravens fan, I have more of an interest in this game than fans of most other teams in the league, but I have a feeling it'll be particularly exciting for anyone who tunes in to see it.  I say this because Bryce Brown has been an absolutely electric runner at times in the last month, Nick Foles is improving by leaps and bounds.  What could make it particularly exciting is the fact that Bryce Brown has the tendency to fumble the ball.  This game could come down to a turnover or two and I expect the Bengals to be more careful with ball security.  I'll be rooting for the Eagles, but this will be a tough one for them.  MY PREDICTION: BENGALS 28-17.


FURTHER THOUGHTS ON FLACCO

     I've heard and read an astounding amount of criticism of Joe Flacco in the last couple of days.  Joe is described as having poor pocket awareness and being incredibly inconsistent.  When the Ravens lose, Joe's performance typically comes under heavy scrutiny.  Yes, these are things at which Joe struggles to do on a regular basis.  Yes, he can appear hot and cold from one half of a game to the next.  Aaaand yes, Joe Flacco is not what many would refer to as an elite quarterback.  I would argue, however, that he's not as far off as a lot of people think, and the departure of Cam Cameron will go a long way to taking Joe to the next level.
     The rather convenient set of statistics that might give Ravens fans reading this article hope for Joe's development are Drew Brees' stats with Cam Cameron as his offensive coordinator through his first 5 season in the NFL.  Believe it or not, Brees never broke 3,600 pass yards under Cameron and only came close in one of his seasons with the Chargers.  Flacco had a higher average passer rating of 86.2 during his time with Cam than Drew Brees' 84.6. 
     There was nothing wrong with Drew Brees' performance as a San Diego Charger, but it was his performance immediately after leaving the guidance and play-calling of Cam Cameron that proved truly astounding.  Drew Brees began playing for the Saints in 2006 after the Chargers drafted and decided to go with Phillip Rivers.  Brees threw for 4,418 yards during his first season in gold and black and has since never thrown for less than just under 4,400 yards.  Brees has, in fact, averaged 4,732.33 yards per season in each of his complete seasons since saying goodbye and good riddance to Cam Cameron's simple system.  That comes out to 298.88 yards per game during that timespan.  Under Cam, Brees threw for an average 209.28 yards per game. 
     I certainly don't expect Joe Flacco to become an overnight sensation now that Cam Cameron is gone, but this is certainly proof of how Cam's poorly thought out system can hold back an undeniably elite quarterback such as Drew Brees and make him look--well--a lot like Joe Flacco.  If the Ravens experience a lot of success in the next three weeks with Jim Caldwell calling plays, then maybe he'll stay as the offensive coordinator for next season.  If not, they'll be in the market for an Andy Reid or a Norv Turner in the off-season.  Either way, I refuse to believe we've seen the best of Joe Flacco, and I'm anxious to see if the Ravens can bounce back this week at home against possibly the greatest quarterback of our time.

CAM CAMERON GETS CANNED AND MONDAY NIGHT REACTION

WHAT WENT WRONG IN WASHINGTON?    

     The Ravens blew their second 4th quarter lead in the last two weeks and lost yesterday in overtime to a mediocre Redskins team.  No, the Redskins are not a great team.  They certainly have done a great job in the last month with their current personnel, but they're 7-6 and have a rather pathetic defense.  The Ravens had numerous chances to put the game out of reach and did find themselves on the losing end of some rather questionable calls, but a team can't dwell on what they can't control.  People always want to blame Cam Cameron, and an ever-increasing number of fans seem to want to find reasons to blame Dean Pees.  I simply can't blame the Ravens coaching staff this time as they put together a winning game plan that featured a lot of running from Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce, three touchdown passes from Flacco, and a defensive plan that contained and harassed RG3.  It was, instead, a series of blunderous errors by Ravens players that let to a stunning loss at FedEx Field. 
     The first of such errors can on the Ravens first offensive drive of the second half.  The Ravens started to move the ball well on the ground, but it wasn't long before we watched Flacco stand in the pocket and cock his arm back only to have the ball batted out of his hands for the second week in a row.  The Redskins recovered the ball, but the Ravens defense stoutly held the Skins to a field goal.  One could blame the offensive line for not giving Flacco enough time to get the ball off, but I would instead place the blame on Flacco as he neglected to simply step up into the pocket to make that throw.
     On the very next offensive possession, the Ravens drove deep into Redskins territory on the shoulders of great running from Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce.  The Ravens found themselves easily in field goal range on 3rd and 6, but this time Ryan Kerrigan sacked Flacco.  Joe felt the need to release the ball in what was most likely an attempt to make the play and incomplete pass rather than a sack.  In doing so, however, Joe send a wobbly ball into the hands of London Fletcher for an interception.  The Ravens lost a chance to score 3 easy points that would have won them the game in the end.
     The offense certainly shouldn't take most of the blame for this loss as the defense allowed a team with a 6-6 record to 31 points.  There were countless missed tackles, and the Redskins moved down the field at numerous times in only a few plays.  The inside linebackers looked absolutely atrocious in pass coverage and almost everyone struggled to tackle Alfred Morris.  Ed Reed missed plenty of tackles, but this time he scared me more as he seemed nowhere to be found in coverage when the Ravens needed him the most. 
     On their final drive in regulation, the Redskins completed nearly all of their passes including a touchdown in the corner of the endzone.  The Ed Reed of only two years ago would absolutely FEAST on rookie quarterbacks, and this time the Ravens weren't even contending with RG3 but his BACKUP!!  Ed Reed and his secondary allowed Kirk Cousins to complete all of his passes and beat the Ravens when they enjoyed a comfortable 8 point lead with less than a minute left in the game.  I know this sounds like total blasphemy, but I'm beginning to wonder if Ed Reed should even come back next season if the Ravens can draft or acquire a a younger, more aggressive replacement. 

BREAKING NEWS AND A SILVER LINING!

     After writing the first section of this post yesterday, I learned that the Ravens fired Cam Cameron and promoted Jim Cadwell to offensive coordinator.  This is a bold move, and I certainly did not see them making this fire before the end of the season.  The more I think about it, however, the more it makes sense.  The Ravens need only one win to lock up the division and a 4th seed in the playoffs.  It makes more sense to have Caldwell get his feet wet with three games to get used to calling the plays and making offensive adjustments before the Ravens go into the playoffs.  Beyond that, if the Ravens beat either of the Manning brothers in the next two weeks, they can sit their starters against the Bengals to give some much needed rest to a host of injured players.  Jim Caldwell would be wise to look at every loss this season as they're great indicators of everything Cam Cameron did poorly.  I know I stated earlier that I couldn't place this loss on the coaches, but I neglected to mention a major error that may have just been the straw that broke the camel's back.
     Just before halftime, the Ravens found themselves up by a touchdown with the ball back around their own 30 yard line, 29 seconds on the clock, and one remaining timeout.  I assumed the offense would either kneel the ball out or take a couple of shots downfield to get within field goal range and then stop the clock to set up for the kick.  I was wrong.  The Ravens didn't kneel--nor did they take shots downfield.  Cam, instead, called a couple of run plays and ran down the clock that way.  Apparently that was when Harbaugh became perplexed and rather furious at him.  There's no reason NOT to take deep shots downfield because the Redskins have one of the worst pass defenses in the league.  John Harbaugh is reported to have argued with Cam on his way into the locker room, and the fact that the Ravens offense only score 7 second half points likely only further solidified the decision between Harbaugh and the owner to let Cameron go.
     Some commentators and analysts have labelled the move to fire Cam as an act of "desperation", but I would argue that it was actually well thought out.  It's quite clear that the Ravens brought in Caldwell as insurance in case Cam Cameron proved once again unable to take the Ravens offense to the next level.  The Ravens prefer to promote from within when it comes to choosing coordinators, so hiring Caldwell initially as a quarterbacks coach enabled the Ravens organization and staff to get comfortable with Jim before promoting him in the wake of Cam Cameron's departure.  Jim Caldwell has not been an offensive coordinator in the NFL, but he should prove more than capable of calling plays as he got a reputation for promoting the no-huddle offense while working as Peyton Manning's quarterback coach and head coach.  Caldwell also does not play to change the Ravens playbook this season, but instead will simply tweak aspects of the existing offense and hopefully call plays at more appropriate moments.  He'll also hopefully give Joe Flacco more authority to use the no-huddle and sugar-huddle offenses that the Ravens had so much success with early in the season and more recently in late game heroics against the Chargers.  For those reasons, the move should be referred to as calculated and wise rather than desperate.

PATRIOTS SPANK THE TEXANS

     The Texans appear to be falling off from their early season dominance much in the way the Ravens have.  The major difference between the two teams is that the Ravens lost their last two close games while the Texans squeaked their last two close games out with clutch comeback wins.  Both teams face a tough final three weeks.  It appears as though the teams with truly elite quarterbacks in the AFC took a little while to find their footing early in the season, but are now hitting their stride at the right time. 
     The Patriots' quarterback is the personification of elite.  Then again, so is the Broncos' quarterback.  Both men have lightning fast releases and total control of their offenses.  They have the experience of multiple superbowl appearances, and over a decade of consistent regular season dominance.  I give Peyton Manning an edge over Brady because of how hard Manning's team fell without him in comparison to the 11-5 record that the Patriots achieved when Brady last suffered a major injury.  With that said, watching Tom Brady last night I was reminded of why I loathe him so very much.  He's good.  he's really quite good.  His release takes a little over a second, he is able to look off his receivers, he spreads the ball around, and he continues to make great throws despite getting hit over and over by vicious D linemen.  Brady does sit on the field after getting hit with his legs out and his head down like a five year old who just got put in timeout, but that's about the only embarrassing thing about his play.  If Tom Brady wasn't good, I certainly wouldn't despise him.  My level of respect for his talent is appropriately high.
     The Patriots no longer have to rely solely on the talent of Tom Brady and his receivers to win games.  The Pats now have a respectable defense that held the Texans' vaunted offense scoreless in the first have and only allowed them to score 14 points all game (7 of which came in garbage time).  The Texans defense had no answer to the Patriots balanced offensive attack.  Teams seem to know now that if you double team J.J. Watt then the Texans don't have enough of a pass rush aside from him to really stop even mediocre or bad teams.  The Texans barely squeaked by the Lions and the Jaguars, and I knew it would only be a matter of time until they got flattened by a serious playoff team.
     There's little point in going over the statistics and details of last nights' game.  The Patriots did almost everything well.  They made Donte Stallworth appear useful once more, they got tons of use out of Wes Welker, Danny Woodhead, and Aaron Hernandez, and they put on their most dominant performance of the season against the team with the NFL's best record.  Oh, I almost forgot--they did it all without Rob Gronkowski.  Vince Wilfork is playing well enough to get defensive player of the year consideration, and the Patriots secondary halted Texan drives with interceptions and fantastic pass coverage. 
     Even the best teams in the league have been dominated once or twice this season, but I fear for the Texans that it will soon be widely accepted that they're no longer of of the NFL's top teams.  My real fear is that the same continues to prove true for the Ravens over the next three weeks, but the return of Ray Lewis and possibly Terrell Suggs and Dannell Ellerbe along with the changing of offensive coordinators will hopefully provide the Ravens will a big enough boost to beat a team led by Peyton Manning for the first time since Manning was a rookie...in 1998.  I haven't lost faith in the Ravens, in fact I've gained faith in the organization after Harbaugh and Stevie B. decided that enough is enough and canned Cam Cameron.  We've got a big game this week, Baltimore.  Keep the faith! 
AS ALWAYS, GO RAVENS!!!!

BATTLE OF THE BELTWAY BREAKDOWN AND WEEK 14 PICKS

     The last time the Ravens and Redskins met was almost exactly two years ago on December 7th, 2008.  That game was over almost before it began as Ed Reed intercepted a pass from Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell that set up a Ravens touchdown, and then Reed returned a fumble for 22 yards to score a second touchdown to put the Ravens up 14-0 in the first quarter.  The Ravens led the entire game and didn't allow the Redskins to score until garbage time in the 4th quarter.  I looked back at the recap of the game on ESPN and found this interesting quote:  "If the Washington Redskins are fortunate, it might be another four years before they have to face the Baltimore Ravens again. If the Redskins are lucky, maybe Ed Reed will be retired by then."  Well Ed Reed has certainly not retired, but this matchup will be almost nothing like the last.
     Many of the Ravens star players still remain from the 2008 squad, but many more have since departed for other teams and retirement.  The Ravens leading receivers at the time, Derrick Mason and Todd Heap, are both now done with football.  Derrick Mason retired a Ravens and Todd Heap was recently cut by the Cardinals and will almost certainly retire from football at the end of this season.  The Ravens leading rusher in the 2008 regular season was Le'Ron McLain.  Ed Reed is the lone remaining member of the Ravens secondary, Haloti Ngata is the lone remaining Ravens defensive lineman.  Bart Scott left with Rex Ryan to go to the Jets along with Jim Leonhard. 
     The Ravens do, however, still have their main defensive leaders in Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, and Haloti Ngata.  They also have the same head coach and the same quarterback, and Ray Rice has since emerged as the NFL's greatest all-purpose weapon in the last 4 years.  The Redskins, on the other hand, have changed in far more profound ways.  Zim Zorn is no longer their head coach, nor is Jason Campbell their quarterback.  The Redskins have, in fact, had somewhat of a revolving door in regards to quarterbacks since the two teams last met.  We could go over the Donovan McNabb experiment or discuss the tandem of mediocrity that was John Beck and Rex Grossman, but I think it's more important that we get right down to the present situation.
     Robert Griffin III has turned out to be just about everything he was touted to be coming out of college.  He's smart, strong, he has an amazing arm, and oh yeah, he's one of the fastest players in the NFL with a 4.35 forty yard dash.  The Redskins have had their fair share of ups and down this year, but none of the downs were because of the play of RG3.  The majority of the Redskins losses have been due to major deficiencies in the Redskins' pass defense which ranks 31st out of 32 NFL teams.  The Redskins, after all, rank 8th in points scored in the NFL thus far, but also rank 23rd in points allowed.  The Ravens, on the other hand, are 7th in points allowed, and 9th in points scored. 
     Forget that the Ravens are 9-3 for a moment, and forget that the Redskins are 6-6 after a a three game sweep of each of their division rivals.  Let's look at this from a matchup standpoint:

RAVENS PASS OFFENSE VS. REDSKINS PASS DEFENSE- This is a matchup that should work in the Ravens' favor.  The Redskins' secondary is as bad as secondaries get in the NFL.  On top of that, the Redskins' linebackers don't cover particularly well.  I'll give lots of credit to London Fletcher for being so consistent for such a long time, but he's a liability in coverage and will possibly be even worse as he'll be playing through an injury this week.  The Skins will have a hard time covering Torrey Smith, Jacoby Jones, Dennis Pitta, and Anquan Boldin...oh yeah let's not forget Ray Rice--he's pretty good at running after the catch.  EDGE: RAVENS

RAVENS RUSH OFFENSE VS. REDSKINS RUSH DEFENSE- The Ravens have had an up and down season running the ball.  That has to do with the shuffling of offensive linemen from week to week.  Ray Rice is one of the top running backs in the league, Bernard Pierce is starting to heat up as a second string back, and Vonta Leach is a devastating lead blocker who can obliterate some of the biggest men who stand in his way (yeah talkin about you, Casey Hampton).  The Redskins, however, boast the 4th best run defense in the league, and that can't be taken lightly.  Fortunately for the Ravens, the Redskins' defensive leader and leading tackler, London Fletcher, is dealing with an ankle injury and hasn't practiced all week.  Fletcher will almost certainly play, but he won't be 100%.  The Ravens will be looking to run the ball, but they might have some trouble against this defense.  EDGE: REDSKINS

REDSKINS RUSH OFFENSE VS. RAVENS RUSH DEFENSE- This will be where the Redskins will find their biggest advantage over the Ravens.  The Ravens have found themselves for the first time in over a decade struggling to stop the run this year.  They began to improve in the month after their bye week, but then Dannell Ellerbe injured his ankle and Terrell Suggs now has a torn right biceps.  The Steelers didn't run all over the Ravens, but when they did run, they had good success.  Alfred Morris already has 1106 rushing yards this year, and RG3 has 714.  This quarterback-runningback duo in a way reminds me somewhat of Tebow and McGahee last season.  It may resemble a high school offense at times, but it works and RG3 is so incredibly fast that rushing the passer proves totally futile.  Also, unlike Tebow, RG3 can throw...and MAN, can he throw.  EDGE: REDSKINS

REDSKINS PASS OFFENSE VS. RAVENS PASS DEFENSE- RG3 isn't breaking records for passing yards this season, but that certainly doesn't mean he can't make the throws that he needs to make to win games.  The offense that the Redskins run makes it difficult for defenses to drop back into coverage because it leaves the edges open for RG3 to run.  Also, when RG3 is flushed out of the pocket he becomes dangerous as he can extend the play until a receiver gets open or even flip the ball to the running back to his outside.  They've taken a page out of the Georgia Tech playbook and it's working.  Pierre Garcon is a talented, who will undoubtedly make plays.  The most difficult thing for the Ravens will be the fact that the best way to stop RG3 is to stay in zone coverage, but the Ravens have looked rather pathetic recently in zone without the speed and coverage skills of Dannell Ellerbe.  The Ravens secondary has had some bright spots recently with the rise of Corey Graham and Bernard Pollards return to good health.  The Ravens also recently acquired veteran cornerback Chris Johnson who will likely get back to the field after a hamstring injury 3 weeks ago.  RG3 will make some throws, but I believe the Ravens will hold him under 200 passing yards and without a passing touchdown.  EDGE: RAVENS

REDSKINS SPECIAL TEAMS VS. RAVENS SPECIAL TEAMS-  This is a matchup that shouldn't be left out or taken lightly.  The Ravens have been great in punt and kickoff coverage and Justin Tucker has been close to perfect with his leg.  The Redskins began the season by mindlessly giving Billy Cundiff another chance, and he "Cundiffed" away his last chance at being employed by an NFL team.  The Skins have since found a great kicker in Kai Forbath.  Forbath has made all of his kicks this season, including one from 50 yards out.  This game could come down to a field goal and it'll be fun to see which of these young kickers can come in clutch for their respective teams.  The Ravens, however, have Jacoby Jones who has two kickoffs returned for touchdowns and a punt returned for a touchdown.  He could be the X factor in this game and the Redskins would be wise to keep the ball out of his hands.  EDGE: RAVENS

     This game will be difficult to predict as it won't be quite the same as a normal road game for the Ravens, but both teams could possibly be missing some important defensive players.  The Ravens shouldn't have trouble passing on the Redskins, and the Redskins shouldn't have trouble running over the Ravens.  The game could come down to field goals, turnovers, or simply who manages the clock better.  I'll be at the game screaming my lungs out for the birds, but I have to admit that I'm looking forward to watching RG3 play in person.  I have nothing but respect for the young guy, and I have a feeling that win or lose, he's going to make some amazing plays.



WEEK 14 NFL PREDICTIONS

RAMS AT BILLS- I believe the Rams are the better team in this matchup, but the Bills have won their last two games at home and came very close to beating the Patriots and Colts in the last month.  MY PREDICTION: BILLS 24-14.

COWBOYS AT BENGALS- The Cowboys will make this a good game, but the Bengals have found a rhythm recently.  I would love it if the Cowboys won this, but the Bengals will be too strong at home.  MY PREDICTION: BENGALS 31-24.

CHIEFS AT BROWNS- The Browns are turning out to be a pretty good team in the second half of the season.  The Chiefs won't win this game on the road but might have done so in Arrowhead Stadium.  MY PREDICTION: BROWNS 20-16.

TITANS AT COLTS- The Colts are quite good at home.  Andrew Luck will light up the Titans defense this time around with his home crowd behind him.  MY PREDICTION: COLTS 33-26.

BEARS AT VIKINGS- No more Percy Harvin means no more wins for the Vikings.  The Bears should win this easily despite the best efforts of Adrian Peterson.  MY PREDICTION: BEARS 27-13.

EAGLES AT BUCCANEERS- The Eagles played a good game against the Cowboys, but fumbles continue to plague Bryce Brown who is an otherwise absolutely electric runner.  The Buccaneers are simply a better team and the Eagles won't be able to keep up with them in the scoring department.  MY PREDICTION: BUCCANEERS 34-24.

RAVENS AT REDSKINS- This game, I believe, will be a total offensive battle.  The Redskins won't be able to stop the Ravens passing attack and will have trouble containing Ray Rice when he gets the ball.  The Ravens will struggle with the Redskins running attack as they have struggled with mobile quarterbacks all season.  This game is almost a total toss-up, but I believe the Ravens redzone defense will keep RG3 and company out of the endzone at some critical times and this will ultimately win the game.  The Redskins be able to rack up yardage on the ground, but the Ravens have beaten their fair share of teams that have put up big numbers on the ground on them.  The Ravens are also better equipped to run a two-minute drill against a depleted Redskins secondary.  The Ravens have won 15 straight after a loss.  I really hope they don't prove me wrong like they did last week.  MY PREDICTION: RAVENS 33-27.


FALCONS AT PANTHERS- The Panthers made this a close game last time, but then again, the Falcons have had many close games and they've won just about all of them.  I've given up on hoping the Falcons will lose.  MY PREDICTION: FALCONS 28-20.

JETS AT JAGUARS- You never know what you're going to get with either of these two teams.  Sanchez is probably fighting for his job at this point, so I expect a big showing from him.  Shonne Green should put up 100 yards on the ground, but the Jaguars should still win this game now that Blaine Gabbert isn't playing.  MY PREDICTION: JAGUARS 17-13.

CHARGERS AT STEELERS- At this point the Chargers may simply WANT to lose out for a good draft pick.  Norv Turner is reportedly gone at the end of this season along with the Chargers general manager.  It wouldn't matter, the Steelers would beat this Chargers team even with a full staff.  MY PREDICTION: STEELERS 30-13.

DOLPHINS AT 49ERS- No way the 49ers are losing two games in a row.  The Dolphins have had their moments and even looked pretty good in a close loss to the Patriots last weekend, but they won't do as well flying across country against this kind of a defense.  MY PREDICTION: 49ERS 33-17.

CARDINALS AT SEAHAWKS- The Seahawks are a good team that has had an incredibly tough schedule this season.  The Cardinals are one of the few weak teams they face.  MY PREDICTION: SEAHAWKS 21-10.

SAINTS AT GIANTS- The Giants should handle the Saints as the Saints are very similar to the Packers.  The Giants pass rush will prove the key to this game.  MY PREDICTION: GIANTS 38-28.

LIONS AT PACKERS- Earlier this season I would have gone with Green Bay at home for this one.  My brain still tells me to do so, but the Lions have looked stronger lately and I feel like picking a nice upset.  MY PREDICTION: LIONS 23-20.

TEXANS AT PATRIOTS- This is absoluely the most interesting game of the week.  The Patriots could possibly be the best team in the league right now...but so could the Texans.  Jonathan Joseph will probably try to play, but he won't be 100% and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if he reinjures his hamstring.  Arian Foster won't have an easy time running against the Patriots, but the Texans should take advantage of a relatively weak Patriots pass defense.  That simply won't matter, however, as the Patriots have a scary offense that has simply too many weapons and ways of scoring.  Tom Brady has a good O line and a quick release that will take away J. J. Watt as a major factor.  I learned a long time ago not to bet against the Patriots in Foxboro and certainly not in December.  Good luck Texans, you'll need it.  This could end up a lot like the Packers' slaughter of the Texans earlier this season.  I certainly wouldn't mind if the Patriots lost this one, but I can't see it happening with the way the Texans have played in the last month.  MY PREDICTION: PATRIOTS 38-27.

     I love this time of year.  Christmas is coming up, and football gets really interesting as the weather gets cold and the race for playoff spots heats up.  This will be where we really see where the Ravens are made of, and whether or not they're built for a deep playoff run this season.  The Ravens have won 4 games after each of their losses thus far this season, and if they can do that again, they'll finish 13-3.  That's a big "if" though.  Keep the faith, Baltimore!  AS ALWAYS GO RAVENS!!!

RAVENS-STEELERS ANALYSIS AND THURSDAY NIGHT PREDICTION

     It's safe to say that almost the entire country was confident the Ravens would beat the Steelers at home with the 3rd string Pittsburgh quarterback starting.  It's also safe to say that the Ravens probably underestimated the Steelers without Big Ben.  Any member of the Ravens staff or roster will probably tell you that they didn't overlook the Steelers and that they game-planned for them the same way they would with any other team.  There are, however, some strong indicators that the Ravens coaches didn't plan nearly as well as they should have.
     Cam Cameron did not appear to have done his homework on the Steelers, and if he did, that homework wouldn't have received a passing grade.  Cam called numerous plays designed to take the top off of the Steelers' secondary and almost none of them were successful.  It's possible that Cam was trying to take advantage of the fact that Ike Taylor injured his ankle and had to come out of the game, but this strategy overlooked an important statistic.  The Steelers are the best team in the league at preventing deep passes.  Any team that hopes to beat the Steelers will have to do so by running the football and setting up short and intermediate passes.  I thought Cam did a great job of setting up plays to pass the ball to Vonta Leach, but he appeared to abandon this type of effort later in the game.  It was encouraging last week to see Joe throw a short pass to Torrey on a slant that he then turned up field and took for over 50 yards.  If there's one thing the Ravens have, it's speedy receivers.  If you get the ball to them quickly, they're likely to get at least 5+ yards easily.
     Ray Rice is another speedy weapon who was under-utilized and incorrectly utilized on Sunday.  The first major instance was when the Ravens found themselves on 1st and goal from the Steelers 5 yard line and proceeded to throw three consecutive unsuccessful passes before settling for a field goal.  Ray Rice has a habit of getting into the endzone when he's given the ball against the Steelers and he did so later in the game, but in this situation, Cam Cameron essentially doomed the Ravens by taking the ball out of the hands of their best weapon.  Rice averaged 6.5 yards per carry on Sunday. You, thus, simply have to give him a carry or two to try to get in the endzone before trying to pass.  The Steelers have the #1 rated pass defense in the NFL...you'd think Cam would have taken that into consideration.  Then again, I've come to expect stupidity from Cam in these type of situations.
     Possibly Cam's biggest blunder came in the 4th quarter.  Ed Reed just made what should have been a game saving interception in the endzone that he proceeded to return for 27 yards.  The Ravens simply needed to run down the clock with a long drive and possibly kick a field goal to put the game out of reach.  The best strategy to engineer such a drive would have been to put the ball back in the hands of the running backs that had great success all game up to that point.  Bernard Pierce had averaged 4.3 yards per carry on 8 carries, Vonta Leach averaged 10 yards per catch on 4 catches, and Ray Rice had 78 rushing yards on 12 carries.  Cam could have designed plays to get the ball back into the hands of these guys quickly by handing the ball off or on short dump-off passes in order to keep the chains moving and the clock running.  He did nothing of the sort.  Cam instead failed to give Ray Rice a single carry in the 4th quarter and had Joe Flacco drop back to pass downfield.  James Harrison proceeded to strip the ball from the clutches of Flacco, and the Steelers recovered the football deep into Ravens territory.  In that resgard, this game was eerily similar to one almost exactly two year earlier in Baltimore.
     After every Ravens loss, I always hope that the Ravens learn something valuable and become a stronger team as a result.  I would have hoped that the Ravens realized their errors in strategy, but somehow I doubt they have.  The coaching staff seems somewhat incapable of realizing Joe Flacco's weaknesses.  His pocket awareness is poor, and he has a tendency at times to hold on to the ball far longer than he should.  This could be easily corrected by calling plays that feature routes that allow receivers to get open quicker so Joe can feel confident releasing the ball much earlier.  One has but to study film of Tom Brady and the Patriots' offense to see a good example of this kind of thing.  The Ravens' offenseive line is also fairly poor in pass protection, and that is all the more reason to design an offense to get the ball out of Joe's hands early and into the hands of some of the NFL's fastest recievers.  Mix that in with a healthy dose of handing the ball off to Ray Rice and then you'll set up deep passes off of play action fakes when you need to get down field in a hurry.
     Instead of recognizing Joe Flacco's weaknesses and the weaknesses of the offensive line, the Ravens coaches simply attribute such a loss to errors in execution.  The problem is that such errors are common enough that the Ravens shouldn't put Joe in position where he's likely to make them.  It may be that the staff does recognize their schematic errors and simply doesn't want to second-guess themselves to the media.  If that were true, however, we wouldn't see the same mistakes persist over the course of the season.  Cam Cameron stopped giving the ball to Ray Rice against the Eagles when the Ravens had a solid lead and Ray was averaging over 10 yards per carry.  Cam stopped giving the ball to Ray Rice after the first two drives of the game against the Texans, and we all know how that turned out.  I expected Cam to give the ball to Ray Rice more in the second half of the season since he limited Ray's carries in the first half, but somehow that still hasn't happened to the extent that most fans would have liked.  It might be interesting to get into the mind of Cam Cameron, but somehow I don't think anyone would find a whole lot there.
    One encouraging statistic going into this weekend's game against the Redskins is that the Ravens haven't lost consecutive games since Joe Flacco's rookie season.  After a loss, the Ravens typically bounce back well, and I could certainly see them doing so in a road game that is literally just down the road.  There should be plenty of Ravens fans at FedEx field, and hopefully that'll help in the same way it helped when Qualcomm stadium was saturated with purple jerseys two weekends ago.  The Redskins also have the 31st ranked passing defense in the league that allows 299 yards per game.  The Skin will also be without cornerback Cedric Griffin as he has been suspended for 4 games for PED use.  Hopefully these facts bode well for the Ravens' passing offense that has been perplexingly inconsistent all season.
     There are, however, many things to worry about with this Redskins squad.  Robert Griffin the 3rd is an incredibly speedy and elusive quarterback with a strong arm and some good receiving weapons at his disposal. RG3 and company are on a tear recently winning their last 3 games.  They have averaged 28.66 points per game during this recent winning streak, and lead the league in rushing yards per game.  If the Ravens hope to beat the Redskins, they're going to have to contain RG3 and try to hold the Redskins to fieldgoals as often as possible.  Hopefully Dannell Ellerbe will return to give the Ravens a boost in the linebacker corps especially since Terrell Suggs is currently dealing with a torn biceps and almost certainly won't play.  The Ravens won't be able to shut down the Redskins.  They'll simply have to outscore them in what could be quite an offensive battle.

THURSDAY NIGHT PREDICTION

BRONCOS AT RAIDERS- I simply can't pretend to be thrilled about this matchup.  It will be an utter snooze-fest and an easy win for the Broncos.  It will also mean that the Broncos will have a long week to prepare to come to Baltimore.  I can only hope that Carson Palmer finds some type of rhythm and puts forth an effort not seen from the Raiders since they beat the Steelers early in the season.  The Raiders' defense is so incredibly awful that it has allowed 37.2 points per game in the last 5 contests--that were all losses.  The Broncos, by contrast, haven't lost a game since week 5, and they have averaged 30.5 points per game over the last 7 games.  The Broncos also have the 6th ranked pass defense and  the 7th ranked run defense in the NFL.  May God have mercy on the souls of the Raiders...because Peyton Manning most certainly won't.  MY PREDICTION: BRONCOS 38-17.

     With all of that said, I will be watching the Broncos game simply to observe as much as possible before the Ravens have to play them.  The Raiders are such a poor team that I probably won't gain insight in ways to beat them, but I'd still like to observe their offense performing in a divisional game on the road without Willis McGahee as the starting running back.  I really hope the Ravens coaching staff alters their game plan against the Broncos as Von Miller and company can really get after a quarterback.  Joe Flacco will absolutely need to be able to get rid of the ball early, and Dean Pees is going to have to get creative with his own schemes to make sure Manning doesn't carve up a Ravens defense that he has only lost to once in his career--and that loss was during his rookie season.  The Ravens are still 9-3 and can lock up the AFC North by winning two of their last 4 games.  Keep the faith Baltimore!  As always GO RAVENS!!