Rob Long: Ravens At Patriots Prediction
The Baltimore Ravens travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots... again. This has become somewhat of a post-season rivalry for the two teams. The Patriots seem to have the Ravens number in the regular season but Tom Brady and company have had a difficult time figuring out Joe Flacco and the Ravens.
The two teams last met in the post-season in January, 2013 for the AFC Championship. The Ravens dominated the second half of that game proving to be the more physical team. The Ravens went on to win the ultimate prize two weeks later and now find themselves right back here two years later.
This time a trip to the AFC Championship game is on the line and after a frustrating regular season the Ravens find themselves right back in the thick of things.
This week, after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road, Flacco has become the darling quarterback of the playoffs. It's almost as if the rest of the country instantly read his resume and realized what he's accomplished over the past three trips to the post-season. That resume is pretty impressive.
The Ravens were able to get to Ben Roethlisberger in the AFC Wild-Card game and cover for a bad secondary. Tom Brady isn't as mobile as Ben and gets rid of the ball quicker. The Pats offensive line has given up only 21 sacks in the regular season due to a combination of Brady's quick release and protection. The Ravens will have to provide pressure up the middle to disrupt Tom Brady's rhythm and get in his head.
Meanwhile, offensively, the Ravens will have to effectively run the football to control the clock along with make plays down field in the passing game. It'll be tough against that tough New England secondary.
Patriots 30 Ravens 26
Fear not Ravens fans, I thought they would lose to the Steelers as well.
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