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!!!
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