Next week's game - Playoff implications (Merged Threads)

[GOTA]

Once we missed out on the bye where we got seated became unimportant. This team has to get on a roll and beat whoever is there. It shouldn't matter who it is. The Giants were double digit underdogs going into Green Bay last year. If you really are a Super Bowl team the matchup is unimportant. You find a way to win

[bacchys]

It's always better to win than to lose. Trying to pick your opponent doesn't work.

You can ask Marvin Lewis the Bungles, who decided to pick the Jets a few years ago. Lost to them in back-to-back weeks.

[chicagoravensfan]

I'd much rather play the Colts with their league worst defense than the Bengals which are tops in sacks. If the Chiefs put up 500+ yards of offense with Brady Quinn at QB I like our chances there.

Dream scenario, though, would be to win next week with Denver winning and Houston and New England both losing. Get the 3 seed while Houston slips to 2. Get by the Bengals and then play the Texans (best matchup of the top 3 teams) in round 2. If New England then wins at Denver we are hosting the AFC championship.

[Beerracuda]

Doesn't really matter. If our goal is to win the Super Bowl, then you eventually have to beat a team like Denver, Houston, New England, Atlanta, Green Bay, San Francisco, or even Seattle.

As people have pointed out many times already, after being booted from the playoffs for 4 straight years, anything less than a Super Bowl Championship is unacceptable.

[HoustonRaven]

I say rest everyone, make it a defacto bye week and focus on the home playoff game.

We can move up to the three seed but I don't see the benefit for us. In fact, I'd much rather face the Colts and their suspect D line.

[elland]

I say rest everyone, make it a defacto bye week and focus on the home playoff game.

We can move up to the three seed but I don't see the benefit for us. In fact, I'd much rather face the Colts and their suspect D line.

Our offense need to play this game, at least for the first 3 Q.

Defense.. Agreed we desperately need to get healthy. So if we need to rest players like Ed, Pollard, McClelland, Ellerbe, Suggs, Ngata and Ray then do so.

Oh and give Pierce this game, just like we did when McGahee beat Raiders a couple of seasons ago.

[HoustonRaven]

Our offense need to play this game, at least for the first 3 Q.

Defense.. Agreed we desperately need to get healthy. So if we need to rest players like Ed, Pollard, McClelland, Ellerbe, Suggs, Ngata and Ray then do so.

I was being too general and meant hurt players. You're right though. Give the offense a few reps than sit them.

But I say even if they have a minor injury, keep them rested.

[Boulderraven]

Bottom line if you are the 3 seed you have a much better chance of getting 2 home games than a 4 seed. If you cant beat the Bengals AT HOME in the playoffs or the Colts you dont deserve to move on. Denver in week 2 doesnt scare me that much, Ravens had new OC and Flacco made to huge mistakes in the first half or that could of been a tight game. Manning is a playoff choker for the most part in his career.

[Carey]

I agree, would rather face Indy then go to a Houston team that while very good has shown themselves to be limited offensively. If the Houston is able to stay in 2 and 5's and 3rd and 3 and 2's they can stay in their comfort zone but if we can buckle down, run some run blitzes, etc. and force them into 2nd and longs and 3rd and longs i think their effectiveness goes way down. I think if we avoid turnovers we could also beat Denver as well. Really it comes down to us, if we execute offensively and figure out a way to contain the run as much as we can i think we can beat anybody.

[akashicrecorder]

The most important thing is to win, especially coming off that three game slide. Win, win, win.

That doesn't mean keep the starters in the whole game regardless of the score, or don't rest injured guys who could really benefit from a week off. But don't rest somebody who isn't going to get better or isn't hurt just to rest them or avoid injury. We've had one good game in all three phases in the last month. This is no time to start thinking about anything but winning.

I think you play all your non-injured starters, especially on offense. Especially with a new offensive coordinator, they will need all the reps they can get before the playoffs. And this will be Caldwell's first road game calling plays.
I think you have to play this game to win on the offense, or at least score and keep fine tuning the playcalling. But obviously anyone who's too banged up on defense to go at least a half should sit. Maybe you sit Suggs out of this one just to give that arm a little more healing time. Ngata looks like he's almost 100%, Ellerbe played today and looked good. So we may be able to rest some defensive folks.

[bmw600]

Just remember, as the 4th seed we could play either the 1st or 2nd seeds in the divisional round if we win the first game. We would play the 2nd seed if the 6 seed knocked off the 3rd seed. The lowest remaining seed would play the #1 seed, so we'd end up in Denver regardless (if seeds stay where they are now).

[GaRaven]

The other issue here is what will Marvin do with the Bengals. He may rest everyone as well, so if by some weird occurrence the Dolphins upset the Pats...who knows where we will be.

[akashicrecorder]

I have no strong feelings on this.

Both Houston and Denver not only beat us, but creamed us. Both games would be away. We need to focus on continuing to win. This is the one time if any that the team really, REALLY needs to buy in to the "one game at a time" concept.

[middleriverterp]

With the division clinched and a slight chance to improve our slot in the playoffs do the Ravens rest their starters and concede the Bengals game or do they play to win?

[Beerracuda]

Ok, I think we should try to win this game and go for the #3 seed, as unlikely as it may be. Glenn Clark of WNST wrote an article today which made me rethink my position:

By virtue of their 33-14 win over the New York Giants Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens clinched the AFC North title and a home playoff game. They are guaranteed to play on Wild Card weekend of the NFL Playoffs, but they are not yet locked into the four seed. The Ravens could still clinch the three seed in the AFC Playoffs with a win over the Bengals and a New England Patriots loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The difference in the third seed and fourth seed isn’t necessarily significant, but it has the potential to be. Getting the third seed could be the difference in whether the Ravens are able to host the AFC Championship Game.

It seems like an unlikely scenario, but it’s not impossible. Should the Ravens and Patriots end up as the third and fourth seeds but each win their first two playoff games, they would meet in the AFC title game. If the Pats are the three seed and the Ravens the four, the Pats would host the game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. I vaguely remember such a game happening there before.

But if the Ravens were to finish as the three seed and the Patriots the fourth seed, the game would then be played in the friendly confines of M&T Bank Stadium, the place where the Baltimore Ravens have won 15 of their last 17 games (including playoffs).

Which scenario would you prefer?

I got this question Sunday night. “This seems so unlikely. When was the last time something like this even happened?”

The person who asked was right. It IS an unlikely scenario. But if the Ravens are to return to the AFC Championship Game at all, they will HAVE to knock off one of the top two seeds. The Pats would then only need to win a game either in Houston or Denver, neither of which seems like an impossible scenario.

And if you’ll allow your memory to serve you right, you’ll be reminded that the Ravens were a second half collapse away from having this scenario play out in January 2011. The New York Jets stunned the Patriots in Foxborough, so had the Ravens avoided blowing a fourteen point halftime lead to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, they would have hosted the AFC Championship Game as a five seed.

Some people argued to me “Glenn, I think the road is easier as a four seed because I’d rather play Indianapolis and Houston than Cincinnati and Denver.”

I have absolutely no idea why there is a sudden fear of the Cincinnati Bengals amongst Ravens fans. The difference between the Bengals and Colts is minimal at best. Bengals QB Andy Dalton has thrown for three touchdowns and five interceptions over the course of the last three weeks, is 0-3 in his career against the Ravens and thus far in his NFL career has not defeated a team that has clinched a postseason berth (although that could change next week if the Washington Redskins or New York Giants get in).

The Houston argument is more compelling. Despite the fact that the Ravens suffered a 43-13 shellacking earlier this season in Houston, it’s easy to understand why fans would believe that task more likely to be accomplished than a Ravens win in Denver. What’s forgotten in this scenario is that the Texans have not yet clinched the top seed in the AFC. They will need to do something they’ve never done in franchise history-win in Indianapolis-next Sunday in order to nail down the top spot, and RB Arian Foster’s availability could be an issue after he left Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings with an irregular heartbeat.

Should the Texans lose (as well as the Patriots) and the Broncos win, the Broncos would be the one seed and the Texans would be the two seed. Which scenario is better for the Ravens at that point?

The NFL did the Ravens no favors in scheduling, as their tilt with the Bengals will kick off at 1pm Sunday, while the Patriots won’t kick off until some three hours later. The Ravens will not have the benefit of knowing what the Patriots are doing to decide if there’s a point where they want to pull their starters.

Instead, they’ll simply have to channel former NFL coach Herm Edwards and “play to win the game.”

That doesn’t mean they should go crazy.

The Ravens are smart enough to know that the Patriots are unlikely to lose to the Dolphins and will most likely open the postseason by hosting the Colts in a playoff game for the second time in franchise history. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try.

As Harbaugh said, merging the two considerations is very plausible.

It would make total sense for the Ravens to consider giving oft-injured DT Haloti Ngata another week off (he rested for the team’s blowout win over the Oakland Raiders in November) and even LB Terrell Suggs (who has played the last two weeks after suffering a torn biceps tendon) the day off. Harbaugh also confirmed LB Ray Lewis wouldn’t be a consideration to return from Injured Reserve until the postseason. It wouldn’t be stunning to see S Bernard Pollard miss a third straight game either, and if WR Anquan Boldin’s shoulder is of significant concern it would be understandable to see him miss the finale as well.

But there is absolutely no reason for the Ravens to spend Sunday’s game with Tyrod Taylor handing the ball off to Anthony Allen all afternoon while Joe Flacco and Ray Rice watch in sweats. It’s one thing to be prudent. It’s quite another to just plain give up.

With something to play for still, there’s no reason the Ravens should do the latter. Judging by John Harbaugh’s comments, I’ll assume they won’t.

[lowrider]

The best way for the Ravens to advance in the playoffs is to get as many players as healthy as they can. For them to do that, they need to rest any injured players next week. If they win that game with back-ups then fine, but they should rest a bunch of players against Cincy.

I am squarely in this camp. To get to the big dance you're gonna have to beat at least 2 very good football teams. I say get as many healthy as possible and give the starters some rest.The odds of getting that second home game is not in our favor.

[RavenScallywag]

How's this for parity...

The Patriots could lose next week along with a Ravens win, and be the #4 seed.
OTOH, If the Pats win, couple with Houston and Denver losses, they would be the #1 seed.

[camdenyard]

I say rest everyone, make it a defacto bye week and focus on the home playoff game.

We can move up to the three seed but I don't see the benefit for us. In fact, I'd much rather face the Colts and their suspect D line.

I agree. Rest everyone that needs it or could benefit from it. I'm concerning myself with the 1st round game, not where we might go after that.

[saintmatthew]

I say rest everyone, make it a defacto bye week and focus on the home playoff game.

We can move up to the three seed but I don't see the benefit for us. In fact, I'd much rather face the Colts and their suspect D line.

I can see the necessity of resting Ngata, Suggs and Pollard but we can't rest too many players as they're already milking the depth players for all they're worth.

[Ravenswintitle]

The WNST article is correct if Miami beats New England this weekend (who knows, BB could rest players). But otherwise I don't think it is a big deal either way.