A win in New Orleans may not have seemed particularly impressive given the Saint's poor record this season. Drew Brees and company, after all, had just lost to the 49ers and Bengals in the Big Easy in consecutive weeks--how good could the Saints actually be? The Saints are not a good football team. They are a bad football team. They have one quality win on the season over the Green Bay Packers, and they have otherwise been frighteningly disappointing for their fans. What the Saints have, however, is a high octane offense. The Saints rank 3rd in the league in passing yards per game and 8th in the league in rushing yards per game. That might have meant a lot more if the Saints weren't 27th in the league in yards allowed and 25th in the league in points allowed per game. The Ravens executed the same game plan as the Bengals and 49ers before them, and they stay in the playoff race for yet another week.
As we've discussed before, the Ravens have a favorable schedule as compared to every single other AFC playoff contender. Yes, they technically will face a pair of teams that also boast 7-4 records, but the games against each of those teams will be in Baltimore. The Ravens gear up to face the 7-4 Chargers this Sunday. The Chargers are far worse at this point than their record would suggest. San Diego, for example, is down to its 4th center for this season after their 3rd starting center was recently placed on injured reserve. The Chargers will be starting a rookie center in front of the Ravens D line...good luck, young man. The Chargers simply aren't scaring anyone at this point. San Diego has won 5 of its last 8 games, but their 5 wins came against the Raiders (two games), the Jets, the Jaguars, and the Rams. Those 5 teams have a combined 8 wins--that's 4 teams that combine for one more win than the Ravens. Against winning teams during the last 8 games, on the other hand, the Chargers are 0-3. Most importantly, in their last trip to the east coast, the Chargers were throttled by the Dolphins 37-0.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time on why I believe the Ravens will beat the weakest 7-4 team in the league. The Chargers' statistics are skewed because of the sheer number of bottom-feeder teams they've faced. It, for example, is easy to appear to have a good pass defense against the Jaguars, Jets, and Raiders. The Ravens, on the other hand, have had to play five games thus far against teams with top ten offenses, and they've managed to remain 5th in points allowed per game. I realize that every team is capable of a letdown game, but this simply isn't a game I think anyone expects Baltimore to lose.
The Ravens and Chargers play on Sunday, but there is plenty of football to watch on Thanksgiving. Thusday will bring three divisional match-ups, and each game has big potential playoff implications. At 12:30 the Bears face the Lions in a game that could help or hurt the Lions' chances of securing a wildcard spot or even possibly tying the Packers for the division lead depending on how the Patriots perform in Green Bay on Sunday. The 4:30 game will feature the Eagles and Cowboys in a battle for the division lead as both teams stand 8-3. The 8:30 primetime game will feature one of the fiercest rivalries in football over the past few years, but neither one of these teams is nearly as dominant as in the last two seasons. The Seattle Seahawks travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers, and the winner will improve to 8-4 while the loser will fall to 7-5 as both teams currently stand at 7-4. I doubt either of these franchises is Super Bowl-bound this season, but this should certainly prove a violent contest filled with physicality and hatred. Ok, let's take a look at the pics!
WEEK 13 NFL PREDICTIONS
BEARS AT LIONS- The Bears just don't have it this year. The Lions got blasted last week against the Patriots, but the Patriots are probably the strongest team in the league at the moment. Only the Jaguars have allowed more points this season than the Bears. LIONS 35-14
EAGLES AT COWBOYS- This game is nearly impossible to predict. The Cowboys haven't impressed me in their divisional games thus far with a loss to the Redskins and a recent narrow victory over the awful Giants. This should be an utter shootout. I believe the Eagles will simply be able to score too quickly and too often for the Cowboys to keep up. EAGLES 42-38
REDSKINS AT COLTS- COLTS 33-17
TITANS AT TEXANS- The Titans' offensive line will be out 3 starters against the Texans. The Texans already beat the Titans 30-16 on October 26th. I don't expect a starkly different outcome on Sunday, but I'm anxious to see how Ryan Fitzpatrick looks against the 11th ranked pass defense in the league. This game could possibly be fairly competitive since the Texans pass defense ranks near the bottom of the league. The Texans, however, will also likely get Arian Foster back, and he's liable to run all over the bottom ranked run defense in the NFL. TEXANS 24-14
BROWNS AT BILLS- It's difficult to know what to expect from week to week from the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are hot off of a staggering 38-3 Monday night win over the Jets. The Browns, on the other hand, barely beat a rather pathetic Atlanta Falcons team last Sunday. I know that Josh Gordon is back, but the Bills have the 5th ranked pass defense in the league and the 8th ranked run defense in the league. The Browns lost two of their starting linebackers a couple of weeks ago, and that should be enough to allow the Bills to keep the ball moving. The Browns can't stop the run very well and Fred Jackson is returning to the field to give the Bills a much-needed boost at the running back position. The Browns looked good against a team with no defense last week, but the Bills will put up a fight. BILLS 27-23
CHARGERS AT RAVENS- The Ravens don't typically lose many games and November and December. I expect a strong ground-and-pound rushing attack to set up Flacco for some fireworks through the air to Torrey and Steve Smith. The Ravens should be able to get to Philip Rivers early and often. I expect another multiple sack game from Elvis Dumervil, and at least one sack from Terrell Suggs. The Chargers rookie center won't be able to handle the likes of Brandon Williams and Timmy Jernigan. Ryan Matthews is a decent running back, but he's nuts if he expects to have success running the football against THIS Ravens run defense. The Ravens have held much more talented running backs under well under 80 yards this season. Let's hope Will Hill continues his progress back to his elite form of last season. RAVENS 38-17
GIANTS AT JAGUARS- I don't know if anyone even cares who wins this game as neither of these teams could possibly make the playoffs. At this point the Giants should probably just play for a good draft position. GIANTS 24-21
BENGALS AT BUCCANEERS- I expect the Bengals to lost at least 2 of their final 5 games. This game will not be one of them. BENGALS 45-23
RAIDERS AT RAMS- The Rams defense is too strong in St. Louis to lose this game to the worst team in the NFL. The Raiders' celebration after their first win will be short lived. RAMS 27-19
SAINTS AT STEELERS- I don't believe the Steelers are a Super Bowl caliber team because they struggle on the road, but they've been thoroughly impressive at home. The Steelers will be able to execute the same game plan that the Ravens, Bengals, and 49ers did before them: run the football to keep Drew Brees off the field, and hit Drew Brees early and often. The Steelers looked shaky at times last week against the Titans, but they'll play better from start to finish in Pittsburgh. STEELERS 30-24
PANTHERS AT VIKINGS- This is another game that simply doesn't mean anything. Neither of these teams has a prayer at making the post-season, and neither is fun to watch for any particular reason. Because of this, I'll just go with the home team, but who really knows or cares what will happen. VIKINGS 21-20
CARDINALS AT FALCONS- The Falcons can't play defense and the Cardinals have held some fairly high-octane offenses to 20 points or less. I think Larry Fitzgerald will find a way to play, but this one will be closer than the Cardinals want it to be. CARDINALS 24-21
PATRIOTS AT PACKERS- I'm sure plenty of people will pick the Packers at home. Not me. I hate the Patriots, but they run the football well and the Packers can't stop the run. The Patriots have all the offensive firepower of the Packers, but they also have a solid defense. If Aaron Rodgers can find a way to spread the ball out and pick apart the Patriots secondary, then I'll give the Packers my nod as the favorites to win the Super Bowl, but I don't see that happening. This should, nevertheless, be quite an exciting game. PATRIOTS 34-28
BRONCOS AT CHIEFS- Peyton Manning has not had any issue beating the Chiefs since he has played for Denver. BRONCOS 28-20
DOLPHINS AT JETS- The Jets are bad, oh so very bad. DOLPHINS 35-13
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, food, and FOOTBALL!
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
WEEK 12 NFL PREDICTIONS
This week saw record low temperatures for the U.S. in November. The Buffalo Bills organization is buried in feet of snow, and their game has been moved to Monday night. Many teams playing games in cold weather environments will undoubtedly lean on their rushing attacks to move the football. The Ravens will NOT be playing in such an environment. They travel to New Orleans to play in a dome environment against a team that has historically been fantastic at home. The Saints, however, are coming off of two consecutive home losses, and they took two more key hits to their roster last week in their defeat to the Bengals.
The Saints will be without their leading wide receiver, Brandin Cooks, when they take the field against the Ravens on Monday night. Drew Brees is 0-3 against Baltimore in his 14 year career, and he'll be relatively low on weapons with which to change that trend. Brees will, instead, have to rely upon one of the best tight ends in the league, Jimmy Graham, and the Saints' best deep threat, Marques Colston, against a patchwork Ravens secondary with three new players at the cornerback position.
Brandin Cooks' quickness, hands, and route-running ability have made him Drew Brees' top possession wide receiver this season. He has 53 catches, 550 yards, and ranks behind only Jimmy Graham in each statistical category for the Saints' receiving corps. Few quarterbacks fare nearly as well after losing a chain-mover like Cooks, but Brees still has other receivers to whom he can turn in Cooks' absence. Brees has, in fact, spread the ball out to a decent number of receivers aside of his top three of Graham, Cooks, and Colston. Kenny Stills isn't far behind with 31 catches and 431 receiving yards this season, while Travis Cadet and Pierre Thomas combine for 56 catches and 456 receiving yards.
It's not that Brees has no other receivers to whom he can target in Brandin Cooks' stead, but he likely has few, if any, other receivers who have the speed and quickness to get open fast enough to help Brees evade a serious pass rush such as that which the Ravens will undoubtedly bring with them to New Orleans on Monday night. The Ravens pass defense is poorly ranked this season at 21st in the league in yards allowed, but their performance in the redzone is what has kept the Ravens scoring defense elite as they're 5th in the league with only 18.1 points allowed per game. The Saints have had decent rushing production from Mark Ingram who has averaged 4.5 yards per carry and has amassed over 600 rushing yards this season. Ingram's success running the football has allowed Brees to make some great passes off of play-action, but the Ravens run defense ranks 5th in the league only allowing 84.5 yards per game on the ground. If the Saints hope to have success against a Ravens defense, they'll likely only do so through the air.
The Ravens pass defense has had serious issues this season after Jimmy Smith's season-ending injury, especially against deep passes. The Saints pass defense, however, is arguably worse at this point and for similar reasons. The Saints have now lost their third starting safety to season-ending injury after Rafael Bush was put on injured reserve this week. It is not entirely clear who will step up to play free safety, but chances are whoever that is will be seriously picked on by Joe Flacco. The Ravens' deep passing game hasn't been what it was in previous years, but it's starting to pick up steam as Torrey Smith has scored 5 touchdowns in his last 5 games. With an extra week of rest, the Ravens offensive line should be ready to give Joe Flacco time to find Torrey Smith and possibly even Jacoby Jones, Kamar Aiken, or Marlon Brown deep down field.
Torrey Smith is hardly the only receiving weapon for which the Saints must account this week. Steve Smith has had over 1,400 receiving yards in 23 games against the New Orleans Saints defense, and he has put up over 200 yards against them in a single game. Unlike the Ravens, the Saints have a run defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league. The Saints have allowed 114 rushing yards per game this season, and allowed a total of 330 rushing yards in the last two weeks. Oh yeah...and the Saints played their last two games at home. Last week against the Bengals, the Saints allowed a whopping 186 yards on the ground. The Bengals controlled the game from start to finish, and the Saints didn't even score a touchdown until the final quarter. The Bengals have a poorly ranked pass defense as well, but that didn't seem to matter with the limited number of weapons at Drew Brees' disposal this season. It truly was a mistake to let Darren Sproles go, and I'm quite certain the Saints organization has realized that by now.
I can't say I predicted the Raiders would beat the Chiefs, but that only continues this season's trend of perplexing upsets. Besides, everyone beats someone at some point. If predicting NFL games were easy then it wouldn't be fun. With that said, let's get to the picks!
WEEK 12 NFL PREDICTIONS
BROWNS AT FALCONS- The Falcons have won their last two games against divisional opponents on the road, and three games ago they barely lost to the Lions by a single point. The Browns might have Josh Gordon back, but they've lost two more key defenders and looked horrible last week. Gotta go with the home team on this one. FALCONS 28-17
TITANS AT EAGLES- The Titans won't be able to keep up on the road with the offensive production of the Eagles. EAGLES 38-21
LIONS AT PATRIOTS- The Patriots might have some difficulty against the Lions' defense in Detroit, but they'll move the ball on them in Foxboro. PATRIOTS 27-21
PACKERS AT VIKINGS- One of these teams is very good at football. The other is the Vikings. PACKERS 42-19
JAGUARS AT COLTS- The Colts are coming off of a tough home loss to the best, most complete team in the league. Now they get to face one of the worst teams in the league, but they'll do so without one of their best playmakers as Ahmad Bradshaw is out for the season. This one will be closer than you might think. COLTS 23-13
BENGALS AT TEXANS- The Bengals can pat themselves on the back for beating a crappy Saints team that is only getting worse by the week, but the Texans are getting better with Ryan Mallet playing QB. Let's see who can stop J.J. Watt. TEXANS 27-24
BUCCANEERS AT BEARS- Josh McCown will be starting against his old team this week. As bad as the Buccaneers are, they still have some weapons such as Vincent Jackson. This game will be uncomfortably close. BEARS 20-17
CARDINALS AT SEAHAWKS- The Cardinals probably won't be as good without Carson Palmer for the remainder of the season, but they got the job done last week...and the week before that...and the week before that...etc The Cardinals pass defense is ranked 29th in the league, but the Seahawks pass offense is ranked 30th in the league. If the Cardinals can slow down the offenses of the Cowboys, 49ers, Eagles, and Lions, I don't see why they can't slow down that of the Seahawks. The question is whether or not the Cardinals will be able to put up points in Seattle. Hell, if Oakland scored 24 points in Seattle, I don't think the Cardinals should do any less. CARDINALS 27-23
RAMS AT CHARGERS- The Rams have come alive recently, and the only two games they've lost in the the last 5 weeks were against two of the league's best teams. The Chargers have fallen hard. RAMS 20-16
DOLPHINS AT BRONCOS- I will be absolutely thrilled if the Dolphins win this game, but I have a feeling Peyton Manning is going to have a bounce back game. This should still be close. BRONCOS 30-24
REDSKINS AT 49ERS- RG3 is basically worthless in this offense. 49ERS 33-14
COWBOYS AT GIANTS- Cowboys coming off a bye should run the ball right down the throats of a horrible Giants team that never seems to enjoy a home field advantage. Eli will complete a lot of passes...but to which team? COWBOYS 35-10
JETS AT BILLS- The Bills haven't been able to practice all week. There's no way they're prepared for this one. JETS 23-21
RAVENS AT SAINTS- I very well may predict a Ravens loss or two during this final 6 game stretch, but it won't be this week. The Ravens haven't been great on the road this season, but they don't struggle against teams with poor defenses, and they haven't lose to a team with a losing record yet. Forget what you think you know about the Saints offense. The Saints will be down to Marques Coltson, Kenny Stills, and Jimmy Graham. If the Bengals can go into New Orleans, jam the Saints receivers at the line and get pressure on Drew Brees, then the Ravens can too. The Saints will not be able to stop Justin Forsett, Lorenzo Taliaferro, and maybe even Kyle Juszczyk. As I stated previously, the Saints gave up 330 rushing yards in their last two games. When the Ravens establish the run, they'll open things up for a passing attack that won't have to deal with legitimate safeties as the Saints are painfully depleted. Steve Smith knows exactly how to attack this defense, and Torrey Smith will stretch the field. Owen Daniels should also have a decent game after extended rest. Drew Brees has never beaten the Ravens and this is the weakest his team has ever been while facing them...so why would he start now? I don't buy the desperation angle because the Saints are tied for the lead in their awful, awful division. The Ravens are in the hunt, and they know how to win in November. RAVENS 33-17
If I'm wrong about the Ravens and this ends up being a down week for them, then making the playoffs will be a serious challenge going forward. I, however, don't think they'll let us down this time. This is a better Ravens team than that of last season, and even last season's team went on a four game winning streak at this point in the year.
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
The Saints will be without their leading wide receiver, Brandin Cooks, when they take the field against the Ravens on Monday night. Drew Brees is 0-3 against Baltimore in his 14 year career, and he'll be relatively low on weapons with which to change that trend. Brees will, instead, have to rely upon one of the best tight ends in the league, Jimmy Graham, and the Saints' best deep threat, Marques Colston, against a patchwork Ravens secondary with three new players at the cornerback position.
Brandin Cooks' quickness, hands, and route-running ability have made him Drew Brees' top possession wide receiver this season. He has 53 catches, 550 yards, and ranks behind only Jimmy Graham in each statistical category for the Saints' receiving corps. Few quarterbacks fare nearly as well after losing a chain-mover like Cooks, but Brees still has other receivers to whom he can turn in Cooks' absence. Brees has, in fact, spread the ball out to a decent number of receivers aside of his top three of Graham, Cooks, and Colston. Kenny Stills isn't far behind with 31 catches and 431 receiving yards this season, while Travis Cadet and Pierre Thomas combine for 56 catches and 456 receiving yards.
It's not that Brees has no other receivers to whom he can target in Brandin Cooks' stead, but he likely has few, if any, other receivers who have the speed and quickness to get open fast enough to help Brees evade a serious pass rush such as that which the Ravens will undoubtedly bring with them to New Orleans on Monday night. The Ravens pass defense is poorly ranked this season at 21st in the league in yards allowed, but their performance in the redzone is what has kept the Ravens scoring defense elite as they're 5th in the league with only 18.1 points allowed per game. The Saints have had decent rushing production from Mark Ingram who has averaged 4.5 yards per carry and has amassed over 600 rushing yards this season. Ingram's success running the football has allowed Brees to make some great passes off of play-action, but the Ravens run defense ranks 5th in the league only allowing 84.5 yards per game on the ground. If the Saints hope to have success against a Ravens defense, they'll likely only do so through the air.
The Ravens pass defense has had serious issues this season after Jimmy Smith's season-ending injury, especially against deep passes. The Saints pass defense, however, is arguably worse at this point and for similar reasons. The Saints have now lost their third starting safety to season-ending injury after Rafael Bush was put on injured reserve this week. It is not entirely clear who will step up to play free safety, but chances are whoever that is will be seriously picked on by Joe Flacco. The Ravens' deep passing game hasn't been what it was in previous years, but it's starting to pick up steam as Torrey Smith has scored 5 touchdowns in his last 5 games. With an extra week of rest, the Ravens offensive line should be ready to give Joe Flacco time to find Torrey Smith and possibly even Jacoby Jones, Kamar Aiken, or Marlon Brown deep down field.
Torrey Smith is hardly the only receiving weapon for which the Saints must account this week. Steve Smith has had over 1,400 receiving yards in 23 games against the New Orleans Saints defense, and he has put up over 200 yards against them in a single game. Unlike the Ravens, the Saints have a run defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league. The Saints have allowed 114 rushing yards per game this season, and allowed a total of 330 rushing yards in the last two weeks. Oh yeah...and the Saints played their last two games at home. Last week against the Bengals, the Saints allowed a whopping 186 yards on the ground. The Bengals controlled the game from start to finish, and the Saints didn't even score a touchdown until the final quarter. The Bengals have a poorly ranked pass defense as well, but that didn't seem to matter with the limited number of weapons at Drew Brees' disposal this season. It truly was a mistake to let Darren Sproles go, and I'm quite certain the Saints organization has realized that by now.
I can't say I predicted the Raiders would beat the Chiefs, but that only continues this season's trend of perplexing upsets. Besides, everyone beats someone at some point. If predicting NFL games were easy then it wouldn't be fun. With that said, let's get to the picks!
WEEK 12 NFL PREDICTIONS
BROWNS AT FALCONS- The Falcons have won their last two games against divisional opponents on the road, and three games ago they barely lost to the Lions by a single point. The Browns might have Josh Gordon back, but they've lost two more key defenders and looked horrible last week. Gotta go with the home team on this one. FALCONS 28-17
TITANS AT EAGLES- The Titans won't be able to keep up on the road with the offensive production of the Eagles. EAGLES 38-21
LIONS AT PATRIOTS- The Patriots might have some difficulty against the Lions' defense in Detroit, but they'll move the ball on them in Foxboro. PATRIOTS 27-21
PACKERS AT VIKINGS- One of these teams is very good at football. The other is the Vikings. PACKERS 42-19
JAGUARS AT COLTS- The Colts are coming off of a tough home loss to the best, most complete team in the league. Now they get to face one of the worst teams in the league, but they'll do so without one of their best playmakers as Ahmad Bradshaw is out for the season. This one will be closer than you might think. COLTS 23-13
BENGALS AT TEXANS- The Bengals can pat themselves on the back for beating a crappy Saints team that is only getting worse by the week, but the Texans are getting better with Ryan Mallet playing QB. Let's see who can stop J.J. Watt. TEXANS 27-24
BUCCANEERS AT BEARS- Josh McCown will be starting against his old team this week. As bad as the Buccaneers are, they still have some weapons such as Vincent Jackson. This game will be uncomfortably close. BEARS 20-17
CARDINALS AT SEAHAWKS- The Cardinals probably won't be as good without Carson Palmer for the remainder of the season, but they got the job done last week...and the week before that...and the week before that...etc The Cardinals pass defense is ranked 29th in the league, but the Seahawks pass offense is ranked 30th in the league. If the Cardinals can slow down the offenses of the Cowboys, 49ers, Eagles, and Lions, I don't see why they can't slow down that of the Seahawks. The question is whether or not the Cardinals will be able to put up points in Seattle. Hell, if Oakland scored 24 points in Seattle, I don't think the Cardinals should do any less. CARDINALS 27-23
RAMS AT CHARGERS- The Rams have come alive recently, and the only two games they've lost in the the last 5 weeks were against two of the league's best teams. The Chargers have fallen hard. RAMS 20-16
DOLPHINS AT BRONCOS- I will be absolutely thrilled if the Dolphins win this game, but I have a feeling Peyton Manning is going to have a bounce back game. This should still be close. BRONCOS 30-24
REDSKINS AT 49ERS- RG3 is basically worthless in this offense. 49ERS 33-14
COWBOYS AT GIANTS- Cowboys coming off a bye should run the ball right down the throats of a horrible Giants team that never seems to enjoy a home field advantage. Eli will complete a lot of passes...but to which team? COWBOYS 35-10
JETS AT BILLS- The Bills haven't been able to practice all week. There's no way they're prepared for this one. JETS 23-21
RAVENS AT SAINTS- I very well may predict a Ravens loss or two during this final 6 game stretch, but it won't be this week. The Ravens haven't been great on the road this season, but they don't struggle against teams with poor defenses, and they haven't lose to a team with a losing record yet. Forget what you think you know about the Saints offense. The Saints will be down to Marques Coltson, Kenny Stills, and Jimmy Graham. If the Bengals can go into New Orleans, jam the Saints receivers at the line and get pressure on Drew Brees, then the Ravens can too. The Saints will not be able to stop Justin Forsett, Lorenzo Taliaferro, and maybe even Kyle Juszczyk. As I stated previously, the Saints gave up 330 rushing yards in their last two games. When the Ravens establish the run, they'll open things up for a passing attack that won't have to deal with legitimate safeties as the Saints are painfully depleted. Steve Smith knows exactly how to attack this defense, and Torrey Smith will stretch the field. Owen Daniels should also have a decent game after extended rest. Drew Brees has never beaten the Ravens and this is the weakest his team has ever been while facing them...so why would he start now? I don't buy the desperation angle because the Saints are tied for the lead in their awful, awful division. The Ravens are in the hunt, and they know how to win in November. RAVENS 33-17
If I'm wrong about the Ravens and this ends up being a down week for them, then making the playoffs will be a serious challenge going forward. I, however, don't think they'll let us down this time. This is a better Ravens team than that of last season, and even last season's team went on a four game winning streak at this point in the year.
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY: UPDATED STATE OF THE AFC NORTH
My hopes of another Steelers road defeat to a losing team came crashing down when Big Ben and company remembered how to play football in the 4th quarter of their game in Tennessee on Monday night. The Titans led by as much as 11 points in the 3rd quarter, but their inferior defense finally came back down to earth as Le'Veon Bell rumbled effortlessly for a total over over 200 yards. I heard some Ravens fans get excited about how the Steelers almost lost to a truly bad team, but almost losing is an action commonly referred to as winning.
The Steelers now go into their bye week with a division-leading 7 wins. The Bengals might technically have the division lead as they hold the best winning percentage due to their tie to the Panthers, but wins are what will ultimately decide the AFC North crown, and the Bengals tie is still one missed opportunity for a win. The Bengals may yet play a deciding role in the outcome of the AFC North as they have 3 divisional matchups left, but their upcoming schedule is so difficult that it's hard to see them winning more than 2 or 3 of their remaining 6 games. THIS should give Ravens fans some comfort as the Bengals remain the only team in the AFC North with a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage in the race for the playoffs if both the Ravens and Bengals were to finish with the same win percentage. Now it IS important to note that the odds of the Ravens finishing with the same win percentage as the Bengals are exceedingly slim as the Ravens would have to tie one of their remaining opponents in the last 6 games of the regular season. With that said, it's great that the only AFC North team to have swept the Ravens in the regular season appears to be a long shot to make the playoffs despite their current spot atop the division.
Unlike the Bengals, the Steelers have a chance to improve in the week off and win a good number of their remaining 6 games. Ryan Shazier, Ike Taylor, and Troy Polamalu all have strong odds of returning immediately or shortly after the Steelers' bye week, and their respective presences should bolster a Steelers defense that just struggled to contain one of the worst offenses in the league on Monday night. Any increase in defensive ability should, unfortunately for nearly everyone in Baltimore, give the Ben Roethlisberger far more opportunities to put together drives. That isn't to say, however, that the Steelers are a flawless team. They appear to have road problems that go beyond the loss of a few defensive starters, but their impressive array of offensive weapons and their timely bye week should go a long way to aiding a final push for their first post-season berth since Tim Tebow embarrassed them three years ago.
It was only one week ago that the Browns appeared to be the hottest team in the AFC North. Suddenly the Browns lost two defensive starters in Karlos Dansby and Jabaal Sheard, and oh yeah, they lost their home game to the Texans as well. It's not that the Texans are a horrible team, but I doubt anyone assumed the Browns would lose to them in Cleveland shortly after beating the Bengals senseless in the same venue. Now the Browns will go into a harrowing late-season stretch wherein four out of their last 6 games will be on the road, and their two home games come against teams with winning records in the Colts and Bengals. The one factor that could potentially save the Browns' season is the return of Josh Gordon. I don't expect Gordon to come in and immediately be in game shape as though he had been playing all season, but there are plenty of people who have bought into that idea recently. Even with Josh Gordon, the Browns simply no longer appear to possess the defensive ability to come up with enough stops to give their offense opportunities to score. If the Browns find themselves with an early deficit, they'll likely get away from the run and put the ball in the hands of Brian Hoyer far more times than would be conducive to wins. If Hoyer gets in a shootout with Andrew Luck, for example, I have little doubt as to which quarterback will emerge as the victor.
The Browns' final opponent of the regular season is the only AFC North opponent to win in Cleveland in 2014. The Baltimore Ravens' win over the Browns also happens, coincidentally, to be their only divisional road victory this season. Fortunately for the Ravens, the only divisional matchup left on their schedule is the aforementioned home game against the Browns. The Ravens have an improved chance of going into New Orleans to beat the Saints next Monday night as the Saints lost both their leading wide receiver, Brandin Cooks, and their starting safety, Rafael Bush. Bush is now the third starting safety the Saints have lost to season-ending injury. Bush's backup, in fact, suffered a broken arm only the week before, so the Saints will have to reach deep into their depth chart to find safeties. The Saints' best cornerback, Keenan Lewis, played only 11 snaps against the Bengals as his leg injury from the week prior flared up early in Sunday's game. The same Andy Dalton that had a passer rating of 2 the week prior against the Browns ended up with a passer rating of 143.9 in New Orleans last Sunday. If there was ever a road game wherein the conditions were primed for a Ravens victory, it would be this one against the Saints.
After the Saints game, the Ravens head home to face a Chargers team that fares quite poorly in trips to the East Coast. A huge part of the Chargers ineffectiveness in the last month has been poor offensive line play. Despite the talent and experience level of Philip Rivers, the Chargers barely beat the worst team in football at home in San Diego last weekend 13-6. If the Chargers can't move the football at home against the Raiders, they're going to get absolutely obliterated against a fierce and fairly well-rested Ravens front 7 in Baltimore. The Ravens have a great chance to emerge from this two week stretch against two of the league's best quarterbacks with a 8-4 record. The following, however, will be possibly the greatest remaining test on a relatively easy schedule.
The Miami Dolphins silenced my doubts about their ability to perform without their starting left tackle when they beat the Buffalo Bills last Thursday night. The Tannehill and company may still possibly struggle when they go on the road without their Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle, but the Dolphins won't be playing the Ravens in Baltimore. Miami has an incredibly tough schedule ahead with three of their next four games on the road including trips to Denver and Foxboro. Even their road trip in two weeks to New York to face the Jets could prove treacherous as the Jets looked vastly improved with Michael Vick as their starting QB against the Steelers two weekends ago. The Dolphins may just lose all of their road games during that four game stretch, but their one home game will be against the Ravens, and that's what scares me. Let's assume, for a moment, that the Ravens lose in Miami to the Dolphins. That would put the Ravens at 8-5 with two home games left. The Ravens will almost certainly beat the Jaguars at home, and it's difficult to see the Baltimore losing at home to a Browns team with such an inability to stop the run. Those two wins would give the Ravens a 10-5 record. That leaves the Week 16 showdown in Houston against the Texans looming as the last truly challenging game on the Ravens' schedule.
The Houston Texans appear to be improved with Ryan Mallet at the helm of their offense. The Texans looked to be absolutely finished earlier this season, but they have won 2 out of their last 3 games. At 5-5 they have a fighting chance of making a wildcard playoff berth. Houston would likely have to win at least 4 or 5 of their last 6 games to earn a wildcard spot, and they still have to face 3 opponents with winning records including two division-leading teams in the Bengals and Colts. Whether or not the Texans have a shot at making the playoffs, however, means little when it comes to their odds of beating the Ravens at home. As I've said in previous posts, it's hard to know who will have the advantage: Gary Kubiak because of his knowledge of his former team, or the Texans with their knowledge of their former coach and his offensive tendencies. Regardless of who holds the upper hand (if anyone even does at all), the Texans will be a tough test on the road. Arian Foster missed the last game with a groin injury, but that didn't stop the Texans from scoring and doing so in creative ways. If the Ravens want to absolutely guarantee a spot in the post-season, they MUST beat either the Dolphins or Texans. If the Ravens manage to beat both of these teams on the road, there's a serious chance that Baltimore could end up winning the division.
If there's any theme to the inconsistency of the teams I've discussed in this post, it's that injuries have severely altered their identities and turned many of their strengths into weaknesses over the course of this season. The once-impressive defenses of the Bengals, Steelers, Browns, AND Ravens have all taken key hits during the middle of this season. The result of these key defensive injuries has been unparalleled divisional parity. The team that will likely come out on top in the AFC North in the next 6 weeks will be that which finds a way to once again solidify its defense in what may soon prove to be incredibly harsh winter environments. Inconsistency and parity extend FAR beyond the AFC North as both of last year's Super Bowl participant teams have lost in uncharacteristic fashion in the last month. A big reason for their losses was, yup, you guessed it, major injuries to key personnel. Let's hope that the Ravens can take advantage of relative health coming out of a bye week and a relatively easy remaining schedule in this final stretch of the regular season. This team runs the football too well and stops the run well enough to win games in November and December. Let's hope the secondary holds up as well, and let's pray the passing game thrives off the potential success of the rushing attack.
THIS IS THE HOME STRETCH, RAVENS FANS
BALTIMORE DOMINATES IN COLD WEATHER
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
The Steelers now go into their bye week with a division-leading 7 wins. The Bengals might technically have the division lead as they hold the best winning percentage due to their tie to the Panthers, but wins are what will ultimately decide the AFC North crown, and the Bengals tie is still one missed opportunity for a win. The Bengals may yet play a deciding role in the outcome of the AFC North as they have 3 divisional matchups left, but their upcoming schedule is so difficult that it's hard to see them winning more than 2 or 3 of their remaining 6 games. THIS should give Ravens fans some comfort as the Bengals remain the only team in the AFC North with a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage in the race for the playoffs if both the Ravens and Bengals were to finish with the same win percentage. Now it IS important to note that the odds of the Ravens finishing with the same win percentage as the Bengals are exceedingly slim as the Ravens would have to tie one of their remaining opponents in the last 6 games of the regular season. With that said, it's great that the only AFC North team to have swept the Ravens in the regular season appears to be a long shot to make the playoffs despite their current spot atop the division.
Unlike the Bengals, the Steelers have a chance to improve in the week off and win a good number of their remaining 6 games. Ryan Shazier, Ike Taylor, and Troy Polamalu all have strong odds of returning immediately or shortly after the Steelers' bye week, and their respective presences should bolster a Steelers defense that just struggled to contain one of the worst offenses in the league on Monday night. Any increase in defensive ability should, unfortunately for nearly everyone in Baltimore, give the Ben Roethlisberger far more opportunities to put together drives. That isn't to say, however, that the Steelers are a flawless team. They appear to have road problems that go beyond the loss of a few defensive starters, but their impressive array of offensive weapons and their timely bye week should go a long way to aiding a final push for their first post-season berth since Tim Tebow embarrassed them three years ago.
It was only one week ago that the Browns appeared to be the hottest team in the AFC North. Suddenly the Browns lost two defensive starters in Karlos Dansby and Jabaal Sheard, and oh yeah, they lost their home game to the Texans as well. It's not that the Texans are a horrible team, but I doubt anyone assumed the Browns would lose to them in Cleveland shortly after beating the Bengals senseless in the same venue. Now the Browns will go into a harrowing late-season stretch wherein four out of their last 6 games will be on the road, and their two home games come against teams with winning records in the Colts and Bengals. The one factor that could potentially save the Browns' season is the return of Josh Gordon. I don't expect Gordon to come in and immediately be in game shape as though he had been playing all season, but there are plenty of people who have bought into that idea recently. Even with Josh Gordon, the Browns simply no longer appear to possess the defensive ability to come up with enough stops to give their offense opportunities to score. If the Browns find themselves with an early deficit, they'll likely get away from the run and put the ball in the hands of Brian Hoyer far more times than would be conducive to wins. If Hoyer gets in a shootout with Andrew Luck, for example, I have little doubt as to which quarterback will emerge as the victor.
The Browns' final opponent of the regular season is the only AFC North opponent to win in Cleveland in 2014. The Baltimore Ravens' win over the Browns also happens, coincidentally, to be their only divisional road victory this season. Fortunately for the Ravens, the only divisional matchup left on their schedule is the aforementioned home game against the Browns. The Ravens have an improved chance of going into New Orleans to beat the Saints next Monday night as the Saints lost both their leading wide receiver, Brandin Cooks, and their starting safety, Rafael Bush. Bush is now the third starting safety the Saints have lost to season-ending injury. Bush's backup, in fact, suffered a broken arm only the week before, so the Saints will have to reach deep into their depth chart to find safeties. The Saints' best cornerback, Keenan Lewis, played only 11 snaps against the Bengals as his leg injury from the week prior flared up early in Sunday's game. The same Andy Dalton that had a passer rating of 2 the week prior against the Browns ended up with a passer rating of 143.9 in New Orleans last Sunday. If there was ever a road game wherein the conditions were primed for a Ravens victory, it would be this one against the Saints.
After the Saints game, the Ravens head home to face a Chargers team that fares quite poorly in trips to the East Coast. A huge part of the Chargers ineffectiveness in the last month has been poor offensive line play. Despite the talent and experience level of Philip Rivers, the Chargers barely beat the worst team in football at home in San Diego last weekend 13-6. If the Chargers can't move the football at home against the Raiders, they're going to get absolutely obliterated against a fierce and fairly well-rested Ravens front 7 in Baltimore. The Ravens have a great chance to emerge from this two week stretch against two of the league's best quarterbacks with a 8-4 record. The following, however, will be possibly the greatest remaining test on a relatively easy schedule.
The Miami Dolphins silenced my doubts about their ability to perform without their starting left tackle when they beat the Buffalo Bills last Thursday night. The Tannehill and company may still possibly struggle when they go on the road without their Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle, but the Dolphins won't be playing the Ravens in Baltimore. Miami has an incredibly tough schedule ahead with three of their next four games on the road including trips to Denver and Foxboro. Even their road trip in two weeks to New York to face the Jets could prove treacherous as the Jets looked vastly improved with Michael Vick as their starting QB against the Steelers two weekends ago. The Dolphins may just lose all of their road games during that four game stretch, but their one home game will be against the Ravens, and that's what scares me. Let's assume, for a moment, that the Ravens lose in Miami to the Dolphins. That would put the Ravens at 8-5 with two home games left. The Ravens will almost certainly beat the Jaguars at home, and it's difficult to see the Baltimore losing at home to a Browns team with such an inability to stop the run. Those two wins would give the Ravens a 10-5 record. That leaves the Week 16 showdown in Houston against the Texans looming as the last truly challenging game on the Ravens' schedule.
The Houston Texans appear to be improved with Ryan Mallet at the helm of their offense. The Texans looked to be absolutely finished earlier this season, but they have won 2 out of their last 3 games. At 5-5 they have a fighting chance of making a wildcard playoff berth. Houston would likely have to win at least 4 or 5 of their last 6 games to earn a wildcard spot, and they still have to face 3 opponents with winning records including two division-leading teams in the Bengals and Colts. Whether or not the Texans have a shot at making the playoffs, however, means little when it comes to their odds of beating the Ravens at home. As I've said in previous posts, it's hard to know who will have the advantage: Gary Kubiak because of his knowledge of his former team, or the Texans with their knowledge of their former coach and his offensive tendencies. Regardless of who holds the upper hand (if anyone even does at all), the Texans will be a tough test on the road. Arian Foster missed the last game with a groin injury, but that didn't stop the Texans from scoring and doing so in creative ways. If the Ravens want to absolutely guarantee a spot in the post-season, they MUST beat either the Dolphins or Texans. If the Ravens manage to beat both of these teams on the road, there's a serious chance that Baltimore could end up winning the division.
If there's any theme to the inconsistency of the teams I've discussed in this post, it's that injuries have severely altered their identities and turned many of their strengths into weaknesses over the course of this season. The once-impressive defenses of the Bengals, Steelers, Browns, AND Ravens have all taken key hits during the middle of this season. The result of these key defensive injuries has been unparalleled divisional parity. The team that will likely come out on top in the AFC North in the next 6 weeks will be that which finds a way to once again solidify its defense in what may soon prove to be incredibly harsh winter environments. Inconsistency and parity extend FAR beyond the AFC North as both of last year's Super Bowl participant teams have lost in uncharacteristic fashion in the last month. A big reason for their losses was, yup, you guessed it, major injuries to key personnel. Let's hope that the Ravens can take advantage of relative health coming out of a bye week and a relatively easy remaining schedule in this final stretch of the regular season. This team runs the football too well and stops the run well enough to win games in November and December. Let's hope the secondary holds up as well, and let's pray the passing game thrives off the potential success of the rushing attack.
THIS IS THE HOME STRETCH, RAVENS FANS
BALTIMORE DOMINATES IN COLD WEATHER
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
Thursday, November 13, 2014
BYE WEEK BREAKDOWN AND WEEK 11 NFL PICKS
At this point last season the Baltimore Ravens held a record of 4-6. They had lost a handful of painfully close games such as those against the Packers and Bears or in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. First half ineptitude was the hallmark of the Jim Caldwell offense, and 4th quarter collapses were a near certainty given the depressing amount of time the defense spent on the field each week. One thing kept a glimmer of hope alive in the hearts of players and fans of the formerly dominant team: the mediocrity/parity of most of the rest of the AFC.
After ten weeks in 2014 the Ravens find themselves with a respectable 6-4 record. Offensive production has improved overall under the guidance of offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak, and the Ravens defense ranks third in the NFL in points allowed--the only defensive stat that TRULY matters. Lately, however, the Ravens lost two games to division rivals including a loss in Cincinnati that simply shouldn't have been and an embarrassing dismantling in Pittsburgh that exposed nearly every weakness the Ravens possessed.
Both the Steelers and Bengals, thankfully, then proceeded to experience their own embarrassment with losses to the Jets and Browns respectively. The Ravens, meanwhile, dominated the lowly Tennessee Titans in Baltimore in what seemed like a practice game to get back on track and try out new members of a controversially disappointing secondary. The newly made-over secondary didn't disappoint, but it would be foolish to pronounce the back end of the defense fixed after a dominant performance against a bottom-feeding team with a rookie starting quarterback.
Joe Flacco and company don't have any particularly dominant teams left on their schedule, but they will soon face two experienced quarterbacks often thought of as elite in Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. The Saints and Chargers have both been uncharacteristically weak in recent weeks, but New Orleans still possesses the third ranked offense in the league and the Chargers rank eleventh in passing yards per game. The Chargers have exclusively been beaten by winning teams (Broncos, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Chiefs) but are still strong in a way that will challenge the only true weak spot the in the Ravens' game--the secondary. The Saints are not much different. Drew Brees and company have lost one more game than the Chargers, but they still have the ability to put up a lot of points in a hurry, especially in New Orleans.
It's a good thing that the Ravens have a bye week just before going to the toughest road environment left on their schedule. Extra time to rest will ensure the players are as healthy as they can be before facing a team to which they've never lost, and extra time will also afford the Ravens coaching staff the ability to deeply analyze and pick apart a somewhat flawed team that has, nevertheless, maintained a nearly perfect home record. No, the Ravens' season will NOT be over if they lose to the Saints, and No, the Ravens' season will likely also not be over if they lose to the Chargers. If they end up losing to both, however, they'll likely have to win their 4 remaining games to maintain the hope of making the playoffs.
Earning a playoff berth seems like a serious accomplishment after failing to do so last season, but what will that post-season spot mean if the Ravens aren't strong enough to then beat other playoff teams? This brings me to my most important point: if the Ravens can't manage after a bye week to go on the road and beat a totally beatable Saints team, and if they can't then come home to Baltimore and beat an ice-cold Chargers team that ranks nearly last in the league in rushing, then what can anyone actually expect from Baltimore in the post-season? No, wins over the Saints and Chargers aren't absolutely essential to gaining entry to the big dance, but they'll certainly show us whether or not the Ravens can actually dance once they get there.
With its collective back to the wall, this organization has shown an incredible ability to dig deep and win football games in November and December. I expect nothing less in 2014. The Ravens' point differential is higher than that of all teams in the league except the Patriots, Broncos, and Eagles. They have shown the ability to run the football and stop the run, so playing in cold weather should come quite naturally to them.
The Ravens have a fierce defensive front 7 with and impressive mix of speed, youth, experience, and depth. Suggs and Dumervil combine to form one of the fiercest pass rushing tandems in the league, and Haloti Ngata has a pleasantly bizarre combination of interceptions and passes defensed that would only typically make sense for a safety or cornerback. For the record, Ngata has more passes defensed (9) than Richard Sherman or J.J. Watt. The Tongan behemoth is also tied with C.J. Mosley for most picks (2) on the team. Timmy Jernigan has been playing like a first round pick as of late, and Pernell McPhee is making a great case for a serious contract after this season. If there was ever a defensive front 7 that could make problems for the likes of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, it's this one. The question remains whether or not the back end of the defense without Jimmy Smith will be able to hold up against such offensive juggernauts. With more practice, preparation, schematic tweaking, and a little help from a dominant pass rush, this Ravens defense might just surprise us all. We'll know a LOT more in just a few weeks. For now let's just kick back, relax, and watch the rest of teams tear each other to pieces while our favorite players rest and get healthy. Now let's take a look at the picks!
WEEK 11 NFL PREDICTIONS
BILLS AT DOLPHINS- This will be a huge test for a Dolphins team that just lost arguably its best offensive player in left tackle Branden Albert. Ryan Tannehill got thoroughly pummeled last season without good protection, and I fear he might experience a lot more of that against a divisional rival in a short week to prepare. Cortland Finnegan will also likely be out for this game. The one saving grace is that this game will be played in Miami. The last time these two teams played, the Bills beat the Dolphins soundly and that was when the Dolphins were in relatively good health. The Fins will still win some games this season, but probably they simply don't match up well to this Bills team. Oh and Tannehill is still pretty banged up from the Lions game. BILLS 23-20
VIKINGS AT BEARS- The Vikings are coming off of a bye week that followed two solid wins over crappy teams. Well what do you know? The BEARS ARE ALSO A CRAPPY TEAM! VIKINGS 28-17
TEXANS AT BROWNS- The Browns have been, at times, uneven this season, but they appear to be hitting their stride at the moment. The Texans, meanwhile, haven't shown enough offensive consistency and likely won't be able to do much against a stout Browns defense. I expect Joe Haden to minimize Andre Johnson's effectiveness. The only team the Texans have beaten on the road this season was the Raiders. BROWNS 30-14
SEAHAWKS AT CHIEFS- I heard a commentator speak about how the thought Seattle was going to absolutely take the Chiefs to task. I also learned that the Seahawks lost one of their best defensive linemen for the season this week. As much as the media seemed enamored with the Seahawks of last season, they must start to understand that this is simply not the same team. The defensive line is quite different, and lately the Seahawks have played down to some of the worst opponents in the league. They barely edged the Panthers 13-9, and they also narrowly beat the Raiders 30-24. That doesn't strike me as a team that will go into Kansas City and lay a smackdown a team that won 6 of its last 7 games over teams such as the Patriots, Chargers, Dolphins, and Bills. Go ahead and tell eeeverybody, Richard Sherman, you're the man, you're the man, you're the man. It won't matter much when your team loses this weekend. CHIEFS 21-16
FALCONS AT PANTHERS- If this game is exciting it's only because these two teams suck so very much that things might be even and interesting. The Falcons have put up a decent amount of point this season, but they can't play serious defense. The Panthers struggle to score...and play defense...yeah I'm going Falcons here. Cam Newton looked awful on Monday night. FALCONS 24-17
BENGALS AT SAINTS- The Bengals haven't shown me any reason why they could go on the road and win this game. I don't care that the Ravens lost to them twice, this is a bad football team and injuries have only made it worse. This is the week that they fall to last place in the AFC North. SAINTS 42-26
BUCCANEERS AT REDSKINS- I can feel it, Redskins fans! This is the week that your team beats one of the crappiest teams in the NFL!!! Seriously, though, coming off of a bye week the Redskins should win this one easily. REDSKINS 33-20
BRONCOS AT RAMS- The Rams surprised the world when they beat the Seahawks. The Seahawks beat the Broncos...soooo the Rams will beat the Broncos? Nope, not how that works. BRONCOS 35-21
49ERS AT GIANTS- The 49ers lose Patrick Willis for the season, but they'll get Aldon Smith back. They beat the Saints on the road so they should be able to handle the Giants. 49ERS 24-21
RAIDERS AT CHARGERS- The Chargers haven't won in a month, but they've played only winning teams for the last 3 weeks. The Raiders are awful and that's not going to change. CHARGERS 27-14
EAGLES AT PACKERS- The Eagles are a better team than the Packers, but the Packers are tough to beat in Green Bay and appear to have hit their stride as of late. PACKERS 38-35
LIONS AT CARDINALS- The Cardinals looked like arguably the best team in the league...and then their quarterback went down for the season. LIONS 30-24
PATRIOTS AT COLTS- The Patriots are a complete team with solid defense and impressive offense. The Colts have serious defensive weaknesses, but they'll be coming off of a bye week and are extremely healthy. My brain tells me to pick the Patriots here, but my gut tells me the Colts will fare much better with Vontae Davis back and a healthy pass rush. The Patriots also aren't great at stopping the run and that could mean a big day for Ahmad Bradshaw as the Patriots put all their effort into stopping the Colts' number one ranked passing attack. If this were in Foxboro, there would be no question I'd pick the Patriots...it is in Lucas Oil Stadium. COLTS 37-31
STEELERS AT TITANS- This is a game the Titans SHOULD lose, but it's tough to tell with these Steelers. The Steelers struggled against a mobile Michael Vick, and Mettenberger doesn't have that kind of mobility or enough weapons to take the Steelers down. I REEEEALLY hope I'm wrong about this. STEELERS 28-14
There's a narrow but NOT nonexistent chance that all three of the Ravens' AFC North rivals lose this week. There is a HIGH probability that the Bengals will lose and a decent chance that the Browns or Steelers could lose too. If all three AFC North teams lose this week, the Ravens would find themselves in first place once again. Whatever happens, I have a feeling the Ravens certainly won't be in last place when they travel to New Orleans next week. Let's hope the Titans, Texans, and Saints all take care of business.
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
After ten weeks in 2014 the Ravens find themselves with a respectable 6-4 record. Offensive production has improved overall under the guidance of offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak, and the Ravens defense ranks third in the NFL in points allowed--the only defensive stat that TRULY matters. Lately, however, the Ravens lost two games to division rivals including a loss in Cincinnati that simply shouldn't have been and an embarrassing dismantling in Pittsburgh that exposed nearly every weakness the Ravens possessed.
Both the Steelers and Bengals, thankfully, then proceeded to experience their own embarrassment with losses to the Jets and Browns respectively. The Ravens, meanwhile, dominated the lowly Tennessee Titans in Baltimore in what seemed like a practice game to get back on track and try out new members of a controversially disappointing secondary. The newly made-over secondary didn't disappoint, but it would be foolish to pronounce the back end of the defense fixed after a dominant performance against a bottom-feeding team with a rookie starting quarterback.
Joe Flacco and company don't have any particularly dominant teams left on their schedule, but they will soon face two experienced quarterbacks often thought of as elite in Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. The Saints and Chargers have both been uncharacteristically weak in recent weeks, but New Orleans still possesses the third ranked offense in the league and the Chargers rank eleventh in passing yards per game. The Chargers have exclusively been beaten by winning teams (Broncos, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Chiefs) but are still strong in a way that will challenge the only true weak spot the in the Ravens' game--the secondary. The Saints are not much different. Drew Brees and company have lost one more game than the Chargers, but they still have the ability to put up a lot of points in a hurry, especially in New Orleans.
It's a good thing that the Ravens have a bye week just before going to the toughest road environment left on their schedule. Extra time to rest will ensure the players are as healthy as they can be before facing a team to which they've never lost, and extra time will also afford the Ravens coaching staff the ability to deeply analyze and pick apart a somewhat flawed team that has, nevertheless, maintained a nearly perfect home record. No, the Ravens' season will NOT be over if they lose to the Saints, and No, the Ravens' season will likely also not be over if they lose to the Chargers. If they end up losing to both, however, they'll likely have to win their 4 remaining games to maintain the hope of making the playoffs.
Earning a playoff berth seems like a serious accomplishment after failing to do so last season, but what will that post-season spot mean if the Ravens aren't strong enough to then beat other playoff teams? This brings me to my most important point: if the Ravens can't manage after a bye week to go on the road and beat a totally beatable Saints team, and if they can't then come home to Baltimore and beat an ice-cold Chargers team that ranks nearly last in the league in rushing, then what can anyone actually expect from Baltimore in the post-season? No, wins over the Saints and Chargers aren't absolutely essential to gaining entry to the big dance, but they'll certainly show us whether or not the Ravens can actually dance once they get there.
With its collective back to the wall, this organization has shown an incredible ability to dig deep and win football games in November and December. I expect nothing less in 2014. The Ravens' point differential is higher than that of all teams in the league except the Patriots, Broncos, and Eagles. They have shown the ability to run the football and stop the run, so playing in cold weather should come quite naturally to them.
The Ravens have a fierce defensive front 7 with and impressive mix of speed, youth, experience, and depth. Suggs and Dumervil combine to form one of the fiercest pass rushing tandems in the league, and Haloti Ngata has a pleasantly bizarre combination of interceptions and passes defensed that would only typically make sense for a safety or cornerback. For the record, Ngata has more passes defensed (9) than Richard Sherman or J.J. Watt. The Tongan behemoth is also tied with C.J. Mosley for most picks (2) on the team. Timmy Jernigan has been playing like a first round pick as of late, and Pernell McPhee is making a great case for a serious contract after this season. If there was ever a defensive front 7 that could make problems for the likes of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, it's this one. The question remains whether or not the back end of the defense without Jimmy Smith will be able to hold up against such offensive juggernauts. With more practice, preparation, schematic tweaking, and a little help from a dominant pass rush, this Ravens defense might just surprise us all. We'll know a LOT more in just a few weeks. For now let's just kick back, relax, and watch the rest of teams tear each other to pieces while our favorite players rest and get healthy. Now let's take a look at the picks!
WEEK 11 NFL PREDICTIONS
BILLS AT DOLPHINS- This will be a huge test for a Dolphins team that just lost arguably its best offensive player in left tackle Branden Albert. Ryan Tannehill got thoroughly pummeled last season without good protection, and I fear he might experience a lot more of that against a divisional rival in a short week to prepare. Cortland Finnegan will also likely be out for this game. The one saving grace is that this game will be played in Miami. The last time these two teams played, the Bills beat the Dolphins soundly and that was when the Dolphins were in relatively good health. The Fins will still win some games this season, but probably they simply don't match up well to this Bills team. Oh and Tannehill is still pretty banged up from the Lions game. BILLS 23-20
VIKINGS AT BEARS- The Vikings are coming off of a bye week that followed two solid wins over crappy teams. Well what do you know? The BEARS ARE ALSO A CRAPPY TEAM! VIKINGS 28-17
TEXANS AT BROWNS- The Browns have been, at times, uneven this season, but they appear to be hitting their stride at the moment. The Texans, meanwhile, haven't shown enough offensive consistency and likely won't be able to do much against a stout Browns defense. I expect Joe Haden to minimize Andre Johnson's effectiveness. The only team the Texans have beaten on the road this season was the Raiders. BROWNS 30-14
SEAHAWKS AT CHIEFS- I heard a commentator speak about how the thought Seattle was going to absolutely take the Chiefs to task. I also learned that the Seahawks lost one of their best defensive linemen for the season this week. As much as the media seemed enamored with the Seahawks of last season, they must start to understand that this is simply not the same team. The defensive line is quite different, and lately the Seahawks have played down to some of the worst opponents in the league. They barely edged the Panthers 13-9, and they also narrowly beat the Raiders 30-24. That doesn't strike me as a team that will go into Kansas City and lay a smackdown a team that won 6 of its last 7 games over teams such as the Patriots, Chargers, Dolphins, and Bills. Go ahead and tell eeeverybody, Richard Sherman, you're the man, you're the man, you're the man. It won't matter much when your team loses this weekend. CHIEFS 21-16
FALCONS AT PANTHERS- If this game is exciting it's only because these two teams suck so very much that things might be even and interesting. The Falcons have put up a decent amount of point this season, but they can't play serious defense. The Panthers struggle to score...and play defense...yeah I'm going Falcons here. Cam Newton looked awful on Monday night. FALCONS 24-17
BENGALS AT SAINTS- The Bengals haven't shown me any reason why they could go on the road and win this game. I don't care that the Ravens lost to them twice, this is a bad football team and injuries have only made it worse. This is the week that they fall to last place in the AFC North. SAINTS 42-26
BUCCANEERS AT REDSKINS- I can feel it, Redskins fans! This is the week that your team beats one of the crappiest teams in the NFL!!! Seriously, though, coming off of a bye week the Redskins should win this one easily. REDSKINS 33-20
BRONCOS AT RAMS- The Rams surprised the world when they beat the Seahawks. The Seahawks beat the Broncos...soooo the Rams will beat the Broncos? Nope, not how that works. BRONCOS 35-21
49ERS AT GIANTS- The 49ers lose Patrick Willis for the season, but they'll get Aldon Smith back. They beat the Saints on the road so they should be able to handle the Giants. 49ERS 24-21
RAIDERS AT CHARGERS- The Chargers haven't won in a month, but they've played only winning teams for the last 3 weeks. The Raiders are awful and that's not going to change. CHARGERS 27-14
EAGLES AT PACKERS- The Eagles are a better team than the Packers, but the Packers are tough to beat in Green Bay and appear to have hit their stride as of late. PACKERS 38-35
LIONS AT CARDINALS- The Cardinals looked like arguably the best team in the league...and then their quarterback went down for the season. LIONS 30-24
PATRIOTS AT COLTS- The Patriots are a complete team with solid defense and impressive offense. The Colts have serious defensive weaknesses, but they'll be coming off of a bye week and are extremely healthy. My brain tells me to pick the Patriots here, but my gut tells me the Colts will fare much better with Vontae Davis back and a healthy pass rush. The Patriots also aren't great at stopping the run and that could mean a big day for Ahmad Bradshaw as the Patriots put all their effort into stopping the Colts' number one ranked passing attack. If this were in Foxboro, there would be no question I'd pick the Patriots...it is in Lucas Oil Stadium. COLTS 37-31
STEELERS AT TITANS- This is a game the Titans SHOULD lose, but it's tough to tell with these Steelers. The Steelers struggled against a mobile Michael Vick, and Mettenberger doesn't have that kind of mobility or enough weapons to take the Steelers down. I REEEEALLY hope I'm wrong about this. STEELERS 28-14
There's a narrow but NOT nonexistent chance that all three of the Ravens' AFC North rivals lose this week. There is a HIGH probability that the Bengals will lose and a decent chance that the Browns or Steelers could lose too. If all three AFC North teams lose this week, the Ravens would find themselves in first place once again. Whatever happens, I have a feeling the Ravens certainly won't be in last place when they travel to New Orleans next week. Let's hope the Titans, Texans, and Saints all take care of business.
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
REASONS FOR RENEWED OPTIMISM IN BALTIMORE
I hope my readers can forgive me for neglecting to post Week 10 NFL predictions. This was the final week of the season for the teams that I coach, and there was little else on which I had time to focus. I doubt many people predicted the Ravens would lose to the Titans, and they didn't. I'm sure there were many of us, however, that feared another loss was on its way after the Ravens struggled to get the Titans offense of the field in the first quarter. Mettenberger looked sharp early in his debut, and it appeared as though the changes to Ravens secondary personnel made little difference--if anything it appeared a though the secondary was weaker. Then it happened. Last year's NCAA national champion safety and Ravens 2014 3rd round pick, Terrence Brooks, absolutely OBLITERATED a Titans receiver attempting to make a catch over the middle of the field. Not only did the receiver fail to complete the catch, but he was knocked out of the game entirely. That thunderous hit set the tone for the rest of the game, and the Titans were limited to three-and-outs until the last 4 minutes of the 4th quarter. Even when the Titans began to put together a late-game desperation drive, newly signed cornerback, Danny Gorrer quickly put a halt to any faint Titan hopes as he picked off Mettenberger close to the sideline and proceeded with an impressive return.
Beating up on the Titans is not something that in and of itself should instill hope into the hearts of the Ravens staff, players, and fans. A Ravens win over the Titans in concert with a Steelers road loss to the Jets and a Thursday night Bengals home loss to the Browns, however, means Week 10 was a resounding success for anyone who bleeds black and purple. Suddenly the Ravens stand at 6-4 with only one less win than the two leading teams in the AFC and only two wins less than the winningest team in the NFL. The Ravens are actually one of 5 teams in the AFC currently in possession of 6 wins, but almost all of those other teams appear have much tougher roads ahead of them in the final 7 weeks of the regular season. Let's take a look at each one!
The Colts had their bye this week, but they currently stand at 6-3 with all 6 wins coming in the last 7 weeks. The Colts will absolutely need this bye week as they face a red-hot Patriots team in Indianapolis next Sunday night. The Colts then face the Browns in Cleveland Week 14 and the Cowboys in Dallas in Week 16. Andrew Luck and company will almost certainly win their division barring any total collapse that could only be brought on by a catastrophic, season-ending injury to Andrew Luck, but they appear to also have a real shot at finishing their season with a rather modest 10-6 record. Well 10-6 is a good record, but it would certainly be modest for a division winner.
Next on our list is a Kansas City Chiefs team with 6-3 wins. The Chiefs are winners of 4 straight since their bye week including impressive wins at San Diego and Buffalo. The Chiefs don't have much of a passing attack, but they rank 6th in the league in rushing yards per game and 1st in the league in pass defense with only 199.4 yards allowed per game through the air. The Chiefs, however, must face an occasionally dominant Seahawks team next week, the Broncos in Week 13, the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 14, the Steelers in Pittsburgh in Week 16, and the Chargers in Week 17. The Chiefs certainly won't lose ALL of those games, but there's a serious chance they could lose to 3 or 4 of those 5 opponents and finish 10-6 or 9-7...or maybe even 8-8.
The next team on our list currently leads the AFC North with a 6-3 record, and is also currently the only team in the AFC North over which the Ravens own a tiebreaker if they utlimately finish with identical records. The Browns, however, will NOT finish ahead of the Ravens, and I can say that with a reasonable degree of certainty. I won't deny that the Browns looked great in their dismantling of the Bengals in Cincinnati last Thursday night, but they have almost no weak opponents left on their schedule. Next week the Browns play an uneven Texans squad, but then they travel to Atlanta to play a Falcons team that plays far better at home. In Week 13 the Browns travel to Buffalo to face the much improved Bills, and then they'll head back to Cleveland where they'll host the Colts. The Browns then play the Bengals in Cleveland the following week, the Panthers in Carolina, and they finish the season in Baltimore against a team that already beat them in Cleveland in Week 3. The Browns are in the midst of one of their best seasons in MANY years, but even the return of Josh Gordon late in the season might not be enough to stop them from losing to the Bills, Colts, Bengals, and Ravens. The Browns, nevertheless, are still one of the teams that pose the most threat to a possible return to the playoffs for the Ravens.
Before today I would have said the Steelers were the team most likely to win the AFC North, but Pittsburgh lost to a Jets team with only a single win on the season coming into today's game. The Steelers absolutely hammered the Ravens last week, and they thumped the Colts and Texans before that. Big Ben and company, however, have now lost 3 out of their 5 road games, and their two road wins came against two of the worst teams in the league. Many in Maryland have applauded the Ravens for handling business and beating the teams over which they've been heavily favored this season. The Steelers, on the other hand, lost in dramatic fashion to the anemic Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now to the Jets who had not won a game since Week 1 against the Oakland Raiders. Maybe the Steelers just aren't a great road team, or maybe Mike Tomlin and his guys have simply overlooked opponents perceived as weak. I don't care what the reason is as long as the Steelers continue to lose football games. Suddenly, next week's trip to Tennessee doesn't seem like a total lock for black and yellow. I'll still likely predict a Steelers win, but if they can lose to the Jets, they can lose to the Titans. There are still somewhat tougher opponents further down the road including the Bengals (twice) and the Chiefs. The Saints aren't particularly threatening especially on the road...but then again, neither were the Jets or Bucs. The Steelers also face the Falcons in Atlanta, and that is not an easy win regardless of the Falcons' record thus far. I still expect a relatively strong finish from the Steelers, but their dominance at home means absolutely nothing when it comes to road predictions.
The Bengals, Dolphins, and Chargers all currently possess 5 wins, but have been thought of for most of the season as big threats to the Ravens' possible return to the playoffs. The Bengals might just be the least likely team of this entire list to have even just a shot at the wildcard despite their two narrow wins over the Ravens. The Bengals still must travel to New Orleans to face the Saints next week, the Texans in Houston in Week 12, and then the Steelers twice, the Broncos, and the Browns in a terrifying last month of the season. I expect the Bengals to lose a least 5 more games (possibly 6) and finish 2014 with a 6-9-1 record or 7-8-1. Either way, they're not getting out of this alive with the state of that defense regardless of how they swept the Ravens.
The Dolphins still pose a reasonable threat to the Ravens when Joe Flacco and company travel to Miami in Week 14, but a devastating injury to the Dolphins offenive line that occurred on Sunday could hamper the Dolphins' ability to finish the way many of us expected they would. The Dolphins lost their starting left tackle, Branden Albert, and that loss is likely what kept them from putting up more points late and erasing the possibility of the Lions' eventual comeback. Now Ryan Tannehill could once again face similar pressure to that which plagued his 2013 season. This is actually rather sad for me. As much as I feared the Ravens going to Miami in Week 14, I loved watching another AFC East team find success in a division so often dominated by the Patriots. Now one of the two teams to which the Patriots have lost this season will be without arguably its best offensive player for the remainder of the season. The upside is that Suggs and Dumervil will likely feast on Branden Albert's replacement and his replacement's replacement on the other end of the line. The Dolphins themselves now face some rather tough opponents including the Bills in Miami next week, the Ravens in Miami, the Broncos in Denver, and the Patriots in Foxboro. The Dolphins could still win 4 or 5 of their final 7 games, but it will be an uphill battle with their most important offensive lineman suddenly out of the picture.
The Chargers once appeared to be red hot with 5 straight wins from September 14th to October 12th. Since October 12th, however, the Chargers with their most recent 37-0 blowout loss to the Dolphins last weekend. The Chargers are currently enjoying a bye week, and they'll get to play their next two games against teams with losing records, but they finish the season with a harrowing 5 week run against all winning teams including the Ravens in Baltimore, the Patriots in San Diego, the the Broncos in San Diego, the 49ers in San Francisco, and the Chiefs in Kansas City. The Chargers will be miraculously lucky to win even ONE of the games during that final 5 games stretch, and I'd bet quite a bit of money that the absolute best they'll finish is 8-8.
Last but certainly not least, the Ravens are 6-4. They certainly have no easy road back to the playoffs, but they face most of their toughest opponents in Baltimore where they've only lost a single game this season. The Ravens come out of their bye week traveling to a Saints team that has only beaten a single winning team this season. That game still looms as a challenge, but certainly not as daunting as it may have appeared before the season began. Drew Brees appears far less effective without Darren Sproles, and the typically spectacular veteran seems to breakdown under even a moderate amount of pressure this season...*enter Suggs and Doom*. The Saints also rank near last in the league in pass defense, so Flacco has a decent shot at a high-scoring day.
Next the Ravens face the Chargers at home whose only road wins came against the bottom-feeding Oakland Raiders and the 5-4 Buffalo Bills. The Chargers defense hasn't allowed a huge amount of yards this season, but it certainly has allowed a fantastic number of points in the last 3 weeks. The Chargers, in fact, have allowed just under 32 points per game in their current losing streak. They appear to truly struggle when traveling across country. Furthermore, the Chargers have one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL, and they'll likely be playing in fairly cold Baltimore weather on November 30th--not exactly something to which Philip Rivers is accustomed.
In Week 14 the Ravens will travel to Miami to face a team that possesses one of the best pass defenses in the NFL (2nd overall). The Dolphins also have an elite rushing attack (4th), but their ability to throw and run the football likely just took a hit with the aforementioned loss of Branden Albert. I expect the Ravens front seven to get a decent pass rush on Ryan Tannehill. Because of their excellent pass defense, however, I expect the Dolphins to be quite a serious challenge to the Ravens. This is the game in the final 6 weeks of the season that the Ravens are most likely to lose, but they have a much better shot now that Miami's offensive line will be weaker.
Even if the Ravens lose to the Dolphins in Miami, they still get to return to Baltimore to face one of the worst teams in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars. This game is not a guaranteed win, but it's about as likely a win as the Ravens will get before the end of the regular season. After the Jaguars, the Ravens face a Texans team in Houston that has lost five of its last 7 games. I don't know whether the Ravens have an advantage having Gary Kubiak as their offensive coordinator because he knows how to attack his former defense, or whether the Texans have an advantage as their defense knows how to stop a Gary Kubiak-led offense. Either way, three of the Texans four wins have come against teams with a combined win total of 5. J.J. Watt is still a dominant force, but the Texans have never found an offensive rhythm. Hell, the Texans only beat the Titans in Houston 19-17 three weeks ago. The Ravens have only lost to the Texans once in NFL history. I like their odds in this game.
The Ravens finish their season at home against the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens edged the Browns in Cleveland in Week 3, but the Browns will likely have Josh Gordon back by the final week of the season and unlike most seasons, the Browns will actually likely have something to play for by Week 17. This is, by no means, a guaranteed win. The Ravens haven't lost at home to the Browns in the entire Flacco/Harbaugh era, but the Browns have played the Ravens fiercely in near every meeting between these two AFC North rivals. Brian Hoyer is clearly a competent quarterback, and the Browns have play-makers on both sides of the ball. I, however, fully expect the Ravens to win this game with good pressure on Hoyer and a raucous Ravens fan base making communication nearly impossible for the Cleveland offensive unit.
The Ravens almost always put together strong second halves of seasons. Last year's team was an aberration as the Ravens possessed, for the first time in the team's history, a total and utter lack of ability to run the football. Now the Ravens can run the football and stop the run during cold months as both their run defense and run offense rank in the top 10. I expect the Ravens to win a minimum of 4 of their final 6 games with the possibility of winning 5 or a far lower possibility of catching fire and winning out. Regardless, in any of those scenarios the Ravens finish with at least 10 wins and will almost certainly win at least a wildcard spot in the playoffs because of the comparatively challenging schedules that each of the other 5 and 6 win AFC playoff contenders face going forward. It's entirely possible and actually rather likely that both AFC wildcard teams emerge from the AFC North. I maintain that the Bengals will finish dead last, but only time will tell which of the other three will move on to post-season play.
THIS LEAGUE IS SATURATED WITH PARITY IN 2014
GET READY, RAVENS FANS
WE'RE IN FOR A WILD RIDE!
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
Beating up on the Titans is not something that in and of itself should instill hope into the hearts of the Ravens staff, players, and fans. A Ravens win over the Titans in concert with a Steelers road loss to the Jets and a Thursday night Bengals home loss to the Browns, however, means Week 10 was a resounding success for anyone who bleeds black and purple. Suddenly the Ravens stand at 6-4 with only one less win than the two leading teams in the AFC and only two wins less than the winningest team in the NFL. The Ravens are actually one of 5 teams in the AFC currently in possession of 6 wins, but almost all of those other teams appear have much tougher roads ahead of them in the final 7 weeks of the regular season. Let's take a look at each one!
The Colts had their bye this week, but they currently stand at 6-3 with all 6 wins coming in the last 7 weeks. The Colts will absolutely need this bye week as they face a red-hot Patriots team in Indianapolis next Sunday night. The Colts then face the Browns in Cleveland Week 14 and the Cowboys in Dallas in Week 16. Andrew Luck and company will almost certainly win their division barring any total collapse that could only be brought on by a catastrophic, season-ending injury to Andrew Luck, but they appear to also have a real shot at finishing their season with a rather modest 10-6 record. Well 10-6 is a good record, but it would certainly be modest for a division winner.
Next on our list is a Kansas City Chiefs team with 6-3 wins. The Chiefs are winners of 4 straight since their bye week including impressive wins at San Diego and Buffalo. The Chiefs don't have much of a passing attack, but they rank 6th in the league in rushing yards per game and 1st in the league in pass defense with only 199.4 yards allowed per game through the air. The Chiefs, however, must face an occasionally dominant Seahawks team next week, the Broncos in Week 13, the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 14, the Steelers in Pittsburgh in Week 16, and the Chargers in Week 17. The Chiefs certainly won't lose ALL of those games, but there's a serious chance they could lose to 3 or 4 of those 5 opponents and finish 10-6 or 9-7...or maybe even 8-8.
The next team on our list currently leads the AFC North with a 6-3 record, and is also currently the only team in the AFC North over which the Ravens own a tiebreaker if they utlimately finish with identical records. The Browns, however, will NOT finish ahead of the Ravens, and I can say that with a reasonable degree of certainty. I won't deny that the Browns looked great in their dismantling of the Bengals in Cincinnati last Thursday night, but they have almost no weak opponents left on their schedule. Next week the Browns play an uneven Texans squad, but then they travel to Atlanta to play a Falcons team that plays far better at home. In Week 13 the Browns travel to Buffalo to face the much improved Bills, and then they'll head back to Cleveland where they'll host the Colts. The Browns then play the Bengals in Cleveland the following week, the Panthers in Carolina, and they finish the season in Baltimore against a team that already beat them in Cleveland in Week 3. The Browns are in the midst of one of their best seasons in MANY years, but even the return of Josh Gordon late in the season might not be enough to stop them from losing to the Bills, Colts, Bengals, and Ravens. The Browns, nevertheless, are still one of the teams that pose the most threat to a possible return to the playoffs for the Ravens.
Before today I would have said the Steelers were the team most likely to win the AFC North, but Pittsburgh lost to a Jets team with only a single win on the season coming into today's game. The Steelers absolutely hammered the Ravens last week, and they thumped the Colts and Texans before that. Big Ben and company, however, have now lost 3 out of their 5 road games, and their two road wins came against two of the worst teams in the league. Many in Maryland have applauded the Ravens for handling business and beating the teams over which they've been heavily favored this season. The Steelers, on the other hand, lost in dramatic fashion to the anemic Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now to the Jets who had not won a game since Week 1 against the Oakland Raiders. Maybe the Steelers just aren't a great road team, or maybe Mike Tomlin and his guys have simply overlooked opponents perceived as weak. I don't care what the reason is as long as the Steelers continue to lose football games. Suddenly, next week's trip to Tennessee doesn't seem like a total lock for black and yellow. I'll still likely predict a Steelers win, but if they can lose to the Jets, they can lose to the Titans. There are still somewhat tougher opponents further down the road including the Bengals (twice) and the Chiefs. The Saints aren't particularly threatening especially on the road...but then again, neither were the Jets or Bucs. The Steelers also face the Falcons in Atlanta, and that is not an easy win regardless of the Falcons' record thus far. I still expect a relatively strong finish from the Steelers, but their dominance at home means absolutely nothing when it comes to road predictions.
The Bengals, Dolphins, and Chargers all currently possess 5 wins, but have been thought of for most of the season as big threats to the Ravens' possible return to the playoffs. The Bengals might just be the least likely team of this entire list to have even just a shot at the wildcard despite their two narrow wins over the Ravens. The Bengals still must travel to New Orleans to face the Saints next week, the Texans in Houston in Week 12, and then the Steelers twice, the Broncos, and the Browns in a terrifying last month of the season. I expect the Bengals to lose a least 5 more games (possibly 6) and finish 2014 with a 6-9-1 record or 7-8-1. Either way, they're not getting out of this alive with the state of that defense regardless of how they swept the Ravens.
The Dolphins still pose a reasonable threat to the Ravens when Joe Flacco and company travel to Miami in Week 14, but a devastating injury to the Dolphins offenive line that occurred on Sunday could hamper the Dolphins' ability to finish the way many of us expected they would. The Dolphins lost their starting left tackle, Branden Albert, and that loss is likely what kept them from putting up more points late and erasing the possibility of the Lions' eventual comeback. Now Ryan Tannehill could once again face similar pressure to that which plagued his 2013 season. This is actually rather sad for me. As much as I feared the Ravens going to Miami in Week 14, I loved watching another AFC East team find success in a division so often dominated by the Patriots. Now one of the two teams to which the Patriots have lost this season will be without arguably its best offensive player for the remainder of the season. The upside is that Suggs and Dumervil will likely feast on Branden Albert's replacement and his replacement's replacement on the other end of the line. The Dolphins themselves now face some rather tough opponents including the Bills in Miami next week, the Ravens in Miami, the Broncos in Denver, and the Patriots in Foxboro. The Dolphins could still win 4 or 5 of their final 7 games, but it will be an uphill battle with their most important offensive lineman suddenly out of the picture.
The Chargers once appeared to be red hot with 5 straight wins from September 14th to October 12th. Since October 12th, however, the Chargers with their most recent 37-0 blowout loss to the Dolphins last weekend. The Chargers are currently enjoying a bye week, and they'll get to play their next two games against teams with losing records, but they finish the season with a harrowing 5 week run against all winning teams including the Ravens in Baltimore, the Patriots in San Diego, the the Broncos in San Diego, the 49ers in San Francisco, and the Chiefs in Kansas City. The Chargers will be miraculously lucky to win even ONE of the games during that final 5 games stretch, and I'd bet quite a bit of money that the absolute best they'll finish is 8-8.
Last but certainly not least, the Ravens are 6-4. They certainly have no easy road back to the playoffs, but they face most of their toughest opponents in Baltimore where they've only lost a single game this season. The Ravens come out of their bye week traveling to a Saints team that has only beaten a single winning team this season. That game still looms as a challenge, but certainly not as daunting as it may have appeared before the season began. Drew Brees appears far less effective without Darren Sproles, and the typically spectacular veteran seems to breakdown under even a moderate amount of pressure this season...*enter Suggs and Doom*. The Saints also rank near last in the league in pass defense, so Flacco has a decent shot at a high-scoring day.
Next the Ravens face the Chargers at home whose only road wins came against the bottom-feeding Oakland Raiders and the 5-4 Buffalo Bills. The Chargers defense hasn't allowed a huge amount of yards this season, but it certainly has allowed a fantastic number of points in the last 3 weeks. The Chargers, in fact, have allowed just under 32 points per game in their current losing streak. They appear to truly struggle when traveling across country. Furthermore, the Chargers have one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL, and they'll likely be playing in fairly cold Baltimore weather on November 30th--not exactly something to which Philip Rivers is accustomed.
In Week 14 the Ravens will travel to Miami to face a team that possesses one of the best pass defenses in the NFL (2nd overall). The Dolphins also have an elite rushing attack (4th), but their ability to throw and run the football likely just took a hit with the aforementioned loss of Branden Albert. I expect the Ravens front seven to get a decent pass rush on Ryan Tannehill. Because of their excellent pass defense, however, I expect the Dolphins to be quite a serious challenge to the Ravens. This is the game in the final 6 weeks of the season that the Ravens are most likely to lose, but they have a much better shot now that Miami's offensive line will be weaker.
Even if the Ravens lose to the Dolphins in Miami, they still get to return to Baltimore to face one of the worst teams in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars. This game is not a guaranteed win, but it's about as likely a win as the Ravens will get before the end of the regular season. After the Jaguars, the Ravens face a Texans team in Houston that has lost five of its last 7 games. I don't know whether the Ravens have an advantage having Gary Kubiak as their offensive coordinator because he knows how to attack his former defense, or whether the Texans have an advantage as their defense knows how to stop a Gary Kubiak-led offense. Either way, three of the Texans four wins have come against teams with a combined win total of 5. J.J. Watt is still a dominant force, but the Texans have never found an offensive rhythm. Hell, the Texans only beat the Titans in Houston 19-17 three weeks ago. The Ravens have only lost to the Texans once in NFL history. I like their odds in this game.
The Ravens finish their season at home against the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens edged the Browns in Cleveland in Week 3, but the Browns will likely have Josh Gordon back by the final week of the season and unlike most seasons, the Browns will actually likely have something to play for by Week 17. This is, by no means, a guaranteed win. The Ravens haven't lost at home to the Browns in the entire Flacco/Harbaugh era, but the Browns have played the Ravens fiercely in near every meeting between these two AFC North rivals. Brian Hoyer is clearly a competent quarterback, and the Browns have play-makers on both sides of the ball. I, however, fully expect the Ravens to win this game with good pressure on Hoyer and a raucous Ravens fan base making communication nearly impossible for the Cleveland offensive unit.
The Ravens almost always put together strong second halves of seasons. Last year's team was an aberration as the Ravens possessed, for the first time in the team's history, a total and utter lack of ability to run the football. Now the Ravens can run the football and stop the run during cold months as both their run defense and run offense rank in the top 10. I expect the Ravens to win a minimum of 4 of their final 6 games with the possibility of winning 5 or a far lower possibility of catching fire and winning out. Regardless, in any of those scenarios the Ravens finish with at least 10 wins and will almost certainly win at least a wildcard spot in the playoffs because of the comparatively challenging schedules that each of the other 5 and 6 win AFC playoff contenders face going forward. It's entirely possible and actually rather likely that both AFC wildcard teams emerge from the AFC North. I maintain that the Bengals will finish dead last, but only time will tell which of the other three will move on to post-season play.
THIS LEAGUE IS SATURATED WITH PARITY IN 2014
GET READY, RAVENS FANS
WE'RE IN FOR A WILD RIDE!
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
Sunday, November 2, 2014
RAVENS REFLECTION: LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?
On a night where the Ravens lost to their most hated rivals by 20 points, it's hard to be optimistic going forward. Unlike last week's narrow and controversial loss to the Bengals, this week's loss to the Steelers felt truly over by the beginning of the 4th quarter. There was absolutely horrendous officiating with perplexing calls against the Ravens and no-calls that benefited the Steelers to a high degree. The officiating did not, however, account for the entire 20 point deficit. For the second week in a row, the Ravens gave up 14 quick points off of turnovers. No team can be successful when it coughs up the ball to the other team multiple times deep in their own half of the field. T he pass rush that looked hellishly fierce early on appeared to struggle down the stretch at getting to Ben Roethlisberger. The play of the Ravens secondary once again exposed the team's biggest weakness. The Ravens never had these kinds of issues from 2003-2012 while Ed Reed patrolled center field. We all loved and appreciated Ed, but maybe we took his knowledge of the game and instincts for granted as he played in the shadow of the greatest linebacker of all time. Yes, it's easy to feel depressed and hopeless about the Ravens after two disappointing losses to the Ravens biggest divisional rivals...but there's light at the end of the tunnel.
The Ravens went 4-6 last season through their first 10 weeks. They're not 5-4 with a game home game coming up against one of the worst teams in the league. If there's one major different between this year's and last year's Ravens team, it's that this year's Ravens team beats the loser teams that they're SUPPOSED to beat. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Baltimore will destroy the Tennessee Titans next week. The problem is that the Ravens can't play horrible teams EVERY week. Instead they have serious tests against the Saints, Chargers, Dolphins and Texans coming up in the second half of the season. The way the Ravens are playing right now, one would hardly expect the Baltimore to win more than one of those four games, but there is good reason to believe that our beloved birds will play significantly better than what they've shown in the past two weeks. The Ravens secondary has not been complete for almost the entire season thus far. Two of the Ravens top three corners are currently out, but the best of those two, Jimmy Smith, should be set to return right after the bye week. Jimmy Smith typically never gets tested by opposing quarterbacks, and he is rated as a top ten corner in the league by Pro Football Focus. Having him back will be instrumental to the Ravens' success against such pass-heavy offenses as those of the Saints and Chargers.
In addition to Jimmy Smith, the Ravens will get cornerback Asa Jackson back by Week 14 in time for the Ravens trip to Miami to play the Dolphins. This could prove critical as the Dolphins appear to currently be the best team left of the Ravens schedule. With Jackson's return, the Ravens will have a well staffed secondary for the first time this season, and they'll have it just in time for a playoff push. The last time the Ravens won a Super Bowl they went through a similar rough patch where they lost three painful games down the stretch before clinching the division with a decisive win over the world champion New York Giants. The Ravens were able to clinch that division and then go on a playoff run because of one major factor: the health of their defense. The Ravens appeared to bottom out in a blowout loss to the Denver Broncos wherein they played without 8 defensive starters. Upon the return of those defensive starters, the Ravens went on a miraculous run through the playoffs where their once poorly ranked defense suddenly suffocated three of the very best quarterback in the league in Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady.
This years's defense has been better in many regards than that of the last Super Bowl winning team, and the current offense is also well on pace to outscore the Ravens 2012 offense which was the most productive in team history with a total of 399 regular season points (I know it's not much, but hey, the Ravens are a defensive team). This defense is NOT, however, effective without arguably its best player, Jimmy Smith. This team is nowhere near guaranteed a playoff berth by sheer virtue of its comparatively weak remaining strength of schedule, but it simply a different team when the aforementioned key players are back on the field. I know this sounds far to optimistic after such a blowout loss, but the Ravens WILL get better over the course of the next month.
KEEP THE FAITH, RAVENS FANS.
THIS TEAM SHOULD GO INTO THE BYE WEEK 6-4
AND READY TO MAKE A SERIOUS PLAYOFF PUSH.
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!! (GO GET HEALTHY)
The Ravens went 4-6 last season through their first 10 weeks. They're not 5-4 with a game home game coming up against one of the worst teams in the league. If there's one major different between this year's and last year's Ravens team, it's that this year's Ravens team beats the loser teams that they're SUPPOSED to beat. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Baltimore will destroy the Tennessee Titans next week. The problem is that the Ravens can't play horrible teams EVERY week. Instead they have serious tests against the Saints, Chargers, Dolphins and Texans coming up in the second half of the season. The way the Ravens are playing right now, one would hardly expect the Baltimore to win more than one of those four games, but there is good reason to believe that our beloved birds will play significantly better than what they've shown in the past two weeks. The Ravens secondary has not been complete for almost the entire season thus far. Two of the Ravens top three corners are currently out, but the best of those two, Jimmy Smith, should be set to return right after the bye week. Jimmy Smith typically never gets tested by opposing quarterbacks, and he is rated as a top ten corner in the league by Pro Football Focus. Having him back will be instrumental to the Ravens' success against such pass-heavy offenses as those of the Saints and Chargers.
In addition to Jimmy Smith, the Ravens will get cornerback Asa Jackson back by Week 14 in time for the Ravens trip to Miami to play the Dolphins. This could prove critical as the Dolphins appear to currently be the best team left of the Ravens schedule. With Jackson's return, the Ravens will have a well staffed secondary for the first time this season, and they'll have it just in time for a playoff push. The last time the Ravens won a Super Bowl they went through a similar rough patch where they lost three painful games down the stretch before clinching the division with a decisive win over the world champion New York Giants. The Ravens were able to clinch that division and then go on a playoff run because of one major factor: the health of their defense. The Ravens appeared to bottom out in a blowout loss to the Denver Broncos wherein they played without 8 defensive starters. Upon the return of those defensive starters, the Ravens went on a miraculous run through the playoffs where their once poorly ranked defense suddenly suffocated three of the very best quarterback in the league in Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady.
This years's defense has been better in many regards than that of the last Super Bowl winning team, and the current offense is also well on pace to outscore the Ravens 2012 offense which was the most productive in team history with a total of 399 regular season points (I know it's not much, but hey, the Ravens are a defensive team). This defense is NOT, however, effective without arguably its best player, Jimmy Smith. This team is nowhere near guaranteed a playoff berth by sheer virtue of its comparatively weak remaining strength of schedule, but it simply a different team when the aforementioned key players are back on the field. I know this sounds far to optimistic after such a blowout loss, but the Ravens WILL get better over the course of the next month.
KEEP THE FAITH, RAVENS FANS.
THIS TEAM SHOULD GO INTO THE BYE WEEK 6-4
AND READY TO MAKE A SERIOUS PLAYOFF PUSH.
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!! (GO GET HEALTHY)
WEEK 9 NFL PREDICTIONS
The Steelers have lost 3 out of their last 4 games against the Ravens in Pittsburgh. They have also lost 4 our of their last 5 games against the Ravens when Ben Roethlisberger has started at quarterback. The Steelers were already throttled in their first meeting with the Ravens in Week 2 of this season...so why does everyone assume the Steelers will win? I pondered this potentially epic midseason matchup over the course of the last week, and my opinion of the likely outcome has changed dramatically. There was a time for the first two years of Joe Flacco's career where the Steelers were thought to simply have the Ravens' number. The Steelers, in fact, swept the Ravens in Joe Flacco's rookie season, and then they beat the Ravens once in the regular season and once again in the playoffs in Joe Flacco's sophomore season. Many of these losses came in heartbreaking fashion with Ben Roethlisberger finding a way to buy time with his legs and make last minute drives. Some other Ravens losses to the Steelers came at the hands of Troy Polamalu with his interceptions and strip-sacks. Almost all of these games was decided by a margin of 3 points or less, and for Ravens fans such as myself it always felt as though the Steelers were always juuuuust a hair better than our beloved birds. Then 2011 happened.
On September 11, 2011, the Ravens demolished the Steelers 35-7, and they did so buy out-performing Big Ben and company in every phase of the game. Steelers fans that I spoke to at the time said things like "just wait until the Ravens come to Pittsburgh." Well the Ravens went to Pittsburgh that season as they do every season, and this time they came away with a thrilling 23-20 victory from a brilliant game-winning drive by Joe Flacco capped off by a 26 yard touchdown strike to Torrey Smith in the right corner of the end zone with 8 seconds left on the clock. The Ravens swept the Steelers for the first time in Joe Flacco's career, and they suddenly proved themselves the best team in the division.
Since 2011, the Ravens have twice split their games with the Steelers, but the Steelers no longer appear to simply have the Ravens' number. Ben Roethlisberger has put up absolutely atrocious numbers against the Ravens during that time, and when the Steelers have won in the last two seasons it has been because of major defensive plays or critical errors by the Ravens rather than miraculous plays by the Super Bowl-winning Steelers quarterback. The last time the Ravens blew the Steelers out in early September they ended up edging the Steelers in Week 9. I see little reason why that won't happen again. The Steelers are simply inconsistent this season. They appear to be getting a monumental amount of credit for narrowly holding on to beat a Texans team that did everything it could to give the Steelers the game through an embarrassing collection of calamitous turnovers and then beating a Colts team in Pittsburgh that lacked its best possession receiver (Reggie Wayne) and its best defensive back (Vontae Davis). Beating a crippled dome team outside of their dome is not an indication that a team is on some sort of hot streak. With that said, the Steelers have found a way to win their last two games against two solid teams, and they've done so with a poorly staffed defense.
The Ravens, like the Colts, will be missing their best defensive back when they play the Steelers on Sunday. Unlike the Colts, however, the Ravens are NOT a dome team, and they will NOT be missing their best possession wide receiver. The Ravens offense, in fact, will only be missing a rookie slot receiver with a no more than half a dozen catches this season. The ravens, unlike the Colts, have a more diverse array of weapons to whom Joe Flacco can spread the ball. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that those weapons already proved they can move the ball quite well on this Steelers defense. The Colts defense lacked any significant pass rush against a fairly poor Steelers offensive line, and the Ravens already showed that they can put serious pressure on Ben in Week 2.
It must also be noted that the first time the Ravens faced Ben Roethlisberger, they were thinner and less experienced at the safety position, and they didn't have Lardarius Webb on the field. Webb is no longer as good as Jimmy Smith, but he has plenty of experience against the Steelers, and he is getting back to form with each passing week. Hopefully Will Hill has also progressed in his digestion of the Ravens defensive schemes so as to spend more time on the field this week and for the rest of the season. He was the third ranked safety in the league last season according to Pro Football Focus, and I don't know how much more rookie mistakes the Ravens can put up with from Terrence Brooks and a sophomore Matt Elam.
There's probably not much I can say to convince people that the Ravens will beat the Steelers on Sunday. I must, however, remind my readers that the last time the Ravens narrowly lost to the Bengals they immediately demolished and humiliated the Steelers on national television. There is a real shot that the Ravens lose this game, but they are simply the more complete team. The Steelers might have better offensive numbers in certain categories, but the Ravens have scored more points this season overall and they the second best defense in the league in regards to points allowed per game. The Steelers gave up 34 points last week in a hurry to a team without its future hall of fame receiver The Ravens might not put up 34 points--but then again maybe they will...
Let's get to the picks!
WEEK 9 NFL PREDICTIONS
BUCCANEERS AT BROWNS- I know the Browns got beat down by the Jaguars, but they'll still better at home than the Buccaneers are anywhere. BROWNS 24-13
CARDINALS AT COWBOYS- So Romo has a broken back. I gotta give this one to the Cardinals. CARDINALS 31-28
EAGLES AT TEXANS- The Texans defense has arguably the best defensive player of the last three seasons...and they still suck. EAGLES 38-20
JETS AT CHIEFS- Have the Jets done ANYTHING to suggest they can win a football game??? CHIEFS 28-17
JAGUARS AT BENGALS- The Bengals don't need a healthy team to beat the Jaguars. BENGALS 42-10
CHARGERS AT DOLPHINS- The Chargers have had maaaaybe one quality win and even that wasn't nearly as quality as many thought at the time. The Dolphins have the 3rd ranked pass defense in the league. DOLPHINS 28-24
REDSKINS AT VIKINGS- The Redskins defense impressed me last week. DeAngelo Hall's injury is puzzling, but the Vikings are horrible. REDSKINS 21-20
RAMS AT 49ERS- The Rams don't strike me as a great road team. 49ERS 30-21
BRONCOS AT PATRIOTS- The Patriots pass defense is absolutely sensational though their run defense is lacking. There will be a high of 40 degrees and a low of 27 degrees in Foxboro on Sunday with a chance of a wintery mix....yeah I doubt this will be Pey Pey's day. PATRIOTS 33-28
RAIDERS AT SEAHAWKS- SEAHAWKS 35-7
RAVENS AT STEELERS- The Ravens are the more complete team and will stop the run and rush the passer much better than the other opponents that the Steelers have faced. The Steelers defense has trouble stopping this Ravens offense. The fact that this game is in Pittsburgh shouldn't mean too much. RAVENS 31-23
COLTS AT GIANTS- There's not a lot the Giants have shown this season to suggest they can go toe to toe with a team such as the Colts. COLTS 28-14
IT'S RAVENS-STEELERS TIME!!!!
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
On September 11, 2011, the Ravens demolished the Steelers 35-7, and they did so buy out-performing Big Ben and company in every phase of the game. Steelers fans that I spoke to at the time said things like "just wait until the Ravens come to Pittsburgh." Well the Ravens went to Pittsburgh that season as they do every season, and this time they came away with a thrilling 23-20 victory from a brilliant game-winning drive by Joe Flacco capped off by a 26 yard touchdown strike to Torrey Smith in the right corner of the end zone with 8 seconds left on the clock. The Ravens swept the Steelers for the first time in Joe Flacco's career, and they suddenly proved themselves the best team in the division.
Since 2011, the Ravens have twice split their games with the Steelers, but the Steelers no longer appear to simply have the Ravens' number. Ben Roethlisberger has put up absolutely atrocious numbers against the Ravens during that time, and when the Steelers have won in the last two seasons it has been because of major defensive plays or critical errors by the Ravens rather than miraculous plays by the Super Bowl-winning Steelers quarterback. The last time the Ravens blew the Steelers out in early September they ended up edging the Steelers in Week 9. I see little reason why that won't happen again. The Steelers are simply inconsistent this season. They appear to be getting a monumental amount of credit for narrowly holding on to beat a Texans team that did everything it could to give the Steelers the game through an embarrassing collection of calamitous turnovers and then beating a Colts team in Pittsburgh that lacked its best possession receiver (Reggie Wayne) and its best defensive back (Vontae Davis). Beating a crippled dome team outside of their dome is not an indication that a team is on some sort of hot streak. With that said, the Steelers have found a way to win their last two games against two solid teams, and they've done so with a poorly staffed defense.
The Ravens, like the Colts, will be missing their best defensive back when they play the Steelers on Sunday. Unlike the Colts, however, the Ravens are NOT a dome team, and they will NOT be missing their best possession wide receiver. The Ravens offense, in fact, will only be missing a rookie slot receiver with a no more than half a dozen catches this season. The ravens, unlike the Colts, have a more diverse array of weapons to whom Joe Flacco can spread the ball. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that those weapons already proved they can move the ball quite well on this Steelers defense. The Colts defense lacked any significant pass rush against a fairly poor Steelers offensive line, and the Ravens already showed that they can put serious pressure on Ben in Week 2.
It must also be noted that the first time the Ravens faced Ben Roethlisberger, they were thinner and less experienced at the safety position, and they didn't have Lardarius Webb on the field. Webb is no longer as good as Jimmy Smith, but he has plenty of experience against the Steelers, and he is getting back to form with each passing week. Hopefully Will Hill has also progressed in his digestion of the Ravens defensive schemes so as to spend more time on the field this week and for the rest of the season. He was the third ranked safety in the league last season according to Pro Football Focus, and I don't know how much more rookie mistakes the Ravens can put up with from Terrence Brooks and a sophomore Matt Elam.
There's probably not much I can say to convince people that the Ravens will beat the Steelers on Sunday. I must, however, remind my readers that the last time the Ravens narrowly lost to the Bengals they immediately demolished and humiliated the Steelers on national television. There is a real shot that the Ravens lose this game, but they are simply the more complete team. The Steelers might have better offensive numbers in certain categories, but the Ravens have scored more points this season overall and they the second best defense in the league in regards to points allowed per game. The Steelers gave up 34 points last week in a hurry to a team without its future hall of fame receiver The Ravens might not put up 34 points--but then again maybe they will...
Let's get to the picks!
WEEK 9 NFL PREDICTIONS
BUCCANEERS AT BROWNS- I know the Browns got beat down by the Jaguars, but they'll still better at home than the Buccaneers are anywhere. BROWNS 24-13
CARDINALS AT COWBOYS- So Romo has a broken back. I gotta give this one to the Cardinals. CARDINALS 31-28
EAGLES AT TEXANS- The Texans defense has arguably the best defensive player of the last three seasons...and they still suck. EAGLES 38-20
JETS AT CHIEFS- Have the Jets done ANYTHING to suggest they can win a football game??? CHIEFS 28-17
JAGUARS AT BENGALS- The Bengals don't need a healthy team to beat the Jaguars. BENGALS 42-10
CHARGERS AT DOLPHINS- The Chargers have had maaaaybe one quality win and even that wasn't nearly as quality as many thought at the time. The Dolphins have the 3rd ranked pass defense in the league. DOLPHINS 28-24
REDSKINS AT VIKINGS- The Redskins defense impressed me last week. DeAngelo Hall's injury is puzzling, but the Vikings are horrible. REDSKINS 21-20
RAMS AT 49ERS- The Rams don't strike me as a great road team. 49ERS 30-21
BRONCOS AT PATRIOTS- The Patriots pass defense is absolutely sensational though their run defense is lacking. There will be a high of 40 degrees and a low of 27 degrees in Foxboro on Sunday with a chance of a wintery mix....yeah I doubt this will be Pey Pey's day. PATRIOTS 33-28
RAIDERS AT SEAHAWKS- SEAHAWKS 35-7
RAVENS AT STEELERS- The Ravens are the more complete team and will stop the run and rush the passer much better than the other opponents that the Steelers have faced. The Steelers defense has trouble stopping this Ravens offense. The fact that this game is in Pittsburgh shouldn't mean too much. RAVENS 31-23
COLTS AT GIANTS- There's not a lot the Giants have shown this season to suggest they can go toe to toe with a team such as the Colts. COLTS 28-14
IT'S RAVENS-STEELERS TIME!!!!
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
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