Predict AFC Championship Game: Ravens @ Patriots

[veritas]

I have no idea what will happen but I expect it'll be one of these two scenarios:

1. Ravens play pedal to the metal. They harrass Brady all day. On offense, we sustain drives and play aggressively, getting TD's instead of FG's. Cam actually pulls a few new plays off his menu. Ravens 27 Pats 23.

2. Ravens can't get to Brady just as they couldn't get to Yates. Cam calls his usual vanilla game on offense and we can't score enough. Pats 38 Ravens 20.

[Ravenswintitle]

Pats cannot stop the Ravens run game and it will chew up clock. Sure they'll score, but it won't be enough

Ravens 31
Pats 28

[SteelFaninBMore]

Biggest question mark to me is the Ravens pass rush. I'm not worried about the offense - as everyone has pointed out, big difference between 2nd best defense and worst defense in the league. But 0 sacks on Yates - Houston has a very good o-line, and so does New England. That has to change this week. If Brady is walking off the field on Sunday with a clean jersey, I'm certain he's carrying a Lamar Hunt trophy with him.

That said, Suggs has had good outings against the Pats in the past, and I think this will be the same. Defensive player of the year steps up in a big way. Otherwise a close back and forth game, and Flacco leads a game winning TD drive at the end....only question then is whether the media will dismiss it as a terrible defense, or elevate him to that next tier of QBs.

Ravens 33
Pats 31

[FearTheRaven]

Predicted a 20-9 win last week.

This week I have Ravens 34-24.

The Ravens will either win outright or lose by double digits. I don't see this game any other way.

[JMUpurkfool]

I have no idea. Literally, not even one small inkling. Our corners minimize the damage of Welker and Branch while Pollard/Reed team up with the LBs to contain Gronk. We are going to have to get our hands on all of the receivers at the snap to disrupt the timing and Suggs needs to have a big game.

If we win the turnover battle, we will win the game. If it's even, we lose a close game at the end.

Ravens 31
Pats 27

[Sec545]

The Ravens average 24 pts./gm. Because we're playing a bad defense I'll give us another td and say we score 31 pts.

New England averages 32 pts./gm. Because they're playing a good defense they'll get one less td and score 25 pts.

Simple analysis but all it means is that we need to hold to form on offense and defense and we can win this game by a td. How we do it is up for discussion but being 1 td better than the norm is not an impossible task.

I have complete confidence in asking a defense that gives up 16 pts./gm. to hold the Patriots to 25 pts. For me the the x factor is asking the offense to score 31 against a defense that gives up 290 yds passing/gm and 120 yds rushing/gm. If Flacco and Rice get those kind of numbers I think the offense gets their 31.

[Americanmade2012]

27-13 ravens

[EdReed4HOF]

Ravens 30
Pats 27

Billy Cundiff hits a 45 yard FG as time expires.

[Corvus Corax]

The last four meetings:

2007 Patriots 27-24 (pre-Harbaugh, at home)
2009 Patriots 27-21 (road)
2010 Ravens 33-14 (road, playoff)
2010 Patriots 23-20 (road, OT)

Combined scoring:

Ravens 98
Patriots 91

Averaging:

Ravens 24.50
Patriots 22.75

Result:

BAL 24
NE 23

"Numbers don't lie." (Pythagoras)

[Section 502 Raven]

ravens 27
patriots 21

reason: i'm a ravens fan/homer.

[pslholder96]

For most of us the confidence factor is not there simply because this is a "what have you done for me lately" league and we all know the ravens didn't play their best football. Rarely do you see two consecutive weeks of bad football. If we get back to ravens football (re-establising Ray Rice, winning the turnover battle, sound defense) we will win

Ravens 27
NE 20

[tailgater]

The defense gives up yards, but tightens up in the red zone.

Pats 28
Ravens 24

The Ravens average 24 pts./gm. Because we're playing a bad defense I'll give us another td and say we score 31 pts.

New England averages 32 pts./gm. Because they're playing a good defense they'll get one less td and score 25 pts.

Simple analysis but all it means is that we need to hold to form on offense and defense and we can win this game by a td. How we do it is up for discussion but being 1 td better than the norm is not an impossible task.

I have complete confidence in asking a defense that gives up 16 pts./gm. to hold the Patriots to 25 pts. For me the the x factor is asking the offense to score 31 against a defense that gives up 290 yds passing/gm and 120 yds rushing/gm. If Flacco and Rice get those kind of numbers I think the offense gets their 31.

[redmike34]

Something's gotta give. Brady passed for 39 touchdowns this year (though if I'm doing the math right, only 16 of those were in home games). He added SIX against a very suspect Denver defense. The Ravens allowed only 11 passing touchdowns all year, and by defensive passer rating were the best passing defense in football. Of those 11 allowed, only five were on the road. Additionally, the Ravens never gave up more than one passing TD in a game this year.

I honestly think the Ravens secondary against Pats receivers is a win for us. I don't really know how well we match up against the Hernandez/Gronkowski duo. Our D-line against their O-line? The Pats gave up a total of 23 sacks in home games this year, in other words averaging almost three per game. I see us being able to pressure Brady.

The Pats gave up an average of 19.25 ppg at home this year. However, that's skewed by only giving up 3 to the Chiefs and the offensive luminary known as Tyler Palko. They gave up 21 to the Jets, 24 to the Colts and Dolphins... think we can do better than that.

Bottom line--I think Brady does pretty well, but not well enough. Ravens 30, Pats 24.

[PurpleApocalypse37]

Ravens 52 Patriots 16

[micadrz400]

Ravens 42
The Brady's 28

[Uli2001]

The Ravens average 24 pts./gm. Because we're playing a bad defense I'll give us another td and say we score 31 pts.

New England averages 32 pts./gm. Because they're playing a good defense they'll get one less td and score 25 pts.

Simple analysis but all it means is that we need to hold to form on offense and defense and we can win this game by a td. How we do it is up for discussion but being 1 td better than the norm is not an impossible task.

I have complete confidence in asking a defense that gives up 16 pts./gm. to hold the Patriots to 25 pts. For me the the x factor is asking the offense to score 31 against a defense that gives up 290 yds passing/gm and 120 yds rushing/gm. If Flacco and Rice get those kind of numbers I think the offense gets their 31.

A game like this is all about intangibles. It's about who the team of destiny is. Stats go out the window. Just remember the 2000 playoffs. If this is the Ravens year once again they will win it. If not, they won't. In any case, it's looking to me like it will be hard for anyone to beat either the Giants or San Francisco in SB, both are looking like the team of destiny right now. But this could change this Sunday.

[knots]

even though they committed no turnovers, the Pats hung a whopping 17 points on the steelers....

patriots give up 24 a game, the ravens 16....

ravens 23 patriots 14......patriots aren't unbeatable, even when they protect the football...

[RavensRule2]

Ravens win, that is all that matters. Who do the pats have to back up brady? Have a feeling we will be seeing this person.

Counting on the starting QB to be knocked out is wishful thinking.

[RavensRule2]

Ravens 52 Patriots 16

When was the last time the Ravens put up 50 on Anyone?

[alienrace]

2. Ravens can't get to Brady just as they couldn't get to Yates.

That was by design. They only brought more than 4 rushers once or twice the entire game. The plan was to drop into coverage and make Yates throw it. Which he did, six times to our defenders.