The rain made for a sloppy game on the part of the Ravens defense on Saturday night. Frank Gore looked like he was 10 years younger at times as he rumbled and dove acrobatically for the Colts' lone touchdown of the game. Broken tackles and a pair of dropped interceptions turned what could have been a defensively dominant outing into a one-score game with only a few minutes left in the 4th quarter.
I'm hesitant to characterize the Ravens' offensive performance as disappointing because they moved the ball all evening with relative ease. It's regrettable that 3 of their drives ended in field goals, but it's possible that they might have been more aggressive in the redzone if they weren't facing a team that lost 9 of its last 10 games. It was encouraging to see Flacco distribute the ball to virtually all of his available receiving weapons, and it was even MORE encouraging to see them make rather spectacular grabs in driving rain. Getting use of Michael Campanaro, Maxx Williams, Danny Woodhead, Chris Moore, and even Breshad Perriman means that teams can simply key in on Mike Wallace to stifle the Ravens' passing attack.
I'd like to think that a shaky performance in sloppy weather was simply due to the weather, because the Ravens defensive line looked atrocious, and the offensive line struggled horribly to open up running lanes for Alex Collins. It's possible that Chuck Pagano had enough schematic familiarity with the Ravens offense to give his ragtag crew a defensive blueprint for stopping the run. Let's hope that the physical struggles up front were simply an aberration and not indicative of what the Ravens will accomplish in the trenches in the weeks to come. My 34-0 score prediction was unquestionably way off, but a win is a win and the Ravens have a high likelihood of reaching the playoffs with a 5-seed. The Ravens certainly aren't the first playoff-bound team that the Colts played closely as of late. The Colts took the Bills into overtime in the snow in Buffalo, they lose by 4 points to the Titans, and they took the Steelers right down to the wire in a 20-17 loss. Their 3-12 record may not indicate it, but the Colts are definitely capable of giving a quality team a scare.
Sunday and Monday offer the opportunity to pay attention to some key games that concern the Ravens in the AFC playoff race. The Titans play the Rams, and if the Titans lose to the Rams this week and the Jaguars next week, they will likely miss the playoffs entirely and the Ravens clinch a playoff berth even if they drop their final game at home next week against the Bengals. The Bills are also still in wildcard contention, but they face the Patriots today in Foxborough. The Pats soundly humiliated the Bills 23-3 in Buffalo weeks ago, and it's highly likely that the outcome won't tremendously different in New England today. If the Bills lose to the Dolphins in Miami next week, the Ravens also clinch the final wildcard spot even they don't beat the Bengals. Let's hope it doesn't come to that because the 6-seed is not what the Ravens want.
It appears as though whichever team finishes with the 6-seed will have to travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars defense in the wildcard round. I have no doubt the Ravens would put together a more competitive performance against the Jaguars in a second meeting, but the Jags have arguably the best corner tandem in the NFL, and their defensive line is fierce--let them be another team's problem in the first round.
Another major advantage of securing the 5th seed over the 6th seed is that the Ravens would likely face the Steelers in the second round of the playoffs if they manage to beat the Chiefs first. John Harbaugh and his guys know full well that they're capable of going into Pittsburgh and putting on a show after just barely losing 39-38 a few weeks ago. The big advantage this time around is that Antonio Brown would be coming off of a rather significant calf tear. Without Antonio Brown, the Steelers are an entirely different team. They do still have a nice group of receivers with Martavis Bryant, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Eli Rogers, but Brown is the one piece that is capable of putting a figurative dagger in the heart of the Ravens defense. Without Antonio Brown, it's difficult to imagine the Steelers even coming close to beating the Ravens in their last meeting. It is, thus, vitally important that the Ravens secure the 5-seed to put them on a tract to face the Chiefs and Steelers instead of the Jaguars and Patriots.
WEEK 16 NFL PICKS
BROWNS AT BEARS- The Bears SHOULD be able to put this one away in the end. The Browns are simply too careless with the football. BEARS 24-17
LIONS AT BENGALS- For the last two weeks the Bengals have appeared too decimated by injuries and crushed by the news that their head coach is going to leave at the end of the season. LIONS 31-10
RAMS AT TITANS- Mariota simply isn't healthy enough to lead his team to victory against the Rams in their current condition. RAMS 34-20
DOLPHINS AT CHIEFS- You never know what you're going to get with Dolphins as Jay Cutler is capable of putting up a great game but also capable of looking lost and concussed without incurring a major head injury. If this game were in Miami I would give the Fins a great shot, but the Chiefs seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. Don't let two consecutive games against divisional rivals fool you, though; the Chiefs still aren't a great team. This one will be close. CHIEFS 23-20
BILLS AT PATRIOTS- The animosity aimed at Rob Gronkowski could very well lead to players blatantly trying to injure him today, but there's little reason to believe the Bills can win in Foxborough--no matter how angry they might be.
FALCONS AT SAINTS- The Falcons could supplant the Saints as NFC South division leader with a win in New Orleans. They found a way to stifle the vaunted Saints offense weeks ago in Atlanta, but the dirty birds get a fairly sizeable defensive edge from playing at home, and being on the road will tip the scales in favor of the Saints. The Saints are 6-1 at home this season. This should still be a great game. SAINTS 31-28
CHARGERS AT JETS- The Chargers are incredibly banged up, but they SHOULD still have enough to beat the Jets. The Jets will not have Muhammad Wilkerson playing, and Philip Rivers will move methodically down the field at the right times. Wouldn't surprise me to see the Jets make a game of this though. CHARGERS 28-23
BRONCOS AT REDSKINS- This is a totally irrelevant game, but I'm going out on a limp and saying the Broncos continue their recent upswing in production with Osweiler at QB. BRONCOS 26-17
BUCCANEERS AT PANTHERS- The Bucs are the biggest disappointment in the league this season given the talent they have. PANTHERS 33-20
JAGUARS AT 49ERS- This game is no longer a slam dunk, but defense travels well, and I can't imagine the 49ers will be able to move the ball with the Jaguars corners and pass rushers clamping down. JAGUARS 27-21
SEAHAWKS AT COWBOYS- The Seahawks defense is simply too decimated to stop the Cowboys with Ezekiel Elliot back. The boys will control the line of scrimmage and the clock. Russell Wilson will give a heroic effort, but they won't be able to stop the Cowboys from scoring on nearly every drive. COWBOYS 30-28
GIANTS AT CARDINALS- Eh, who knows, who cares, right? Just kidding--kind of. CARDINALS 17-14
STEELERS AT TEXANS- Antonio Brown's absence won't be enough to turn the Steelers into a team that would lose to Houston at this point in the year. Big Ben still has enough weapons and enough protection from Clowney with one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. STEELERS 24-7
RAIDERS AT EAGLES- The Raiders have little defense to speak of this season, and that won't bode well for them in a cross-country trip to face the team with the best record in the NFL. Without Carson Wentz, I no longer believe the Eagles have a great shot at winning the Super Bowl or even getting there, but I do believe they'll easily dispose of the disappointing Raiders. EAGLES 38-21
MERRY CHRISTMAS, FOOTBALL FANS!
THIS TRULY IS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!!
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
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