That’s the caption on my Ravens PSL Owner Card. Relentless. That’s what the Ravens have been since that dispiriting loss to the Seahawks 3 weeks ago. With solid wins over 2 good teams and one retched one, the Ravens are rolling and it looks like Cam Cameron has finally found the winning offensive formula. It’s very simple, really: Give Ray Rice 20 touches per game, minimum. Run him. Throw to him. Every game.
For the Ravens, the road to the 2011 playoffs is now crystal clear. Win and you’re in. Win every game and you’ll probably have home field advantage throughout the post season. Be Relentless. Let’s do some Studs and Duds.
DUDS:
v The Kicking Game. The only one cause for worry at this point. Billy Cundiff can’t miss the chip shot field goals in the playoffs like he did in the Browns game. He’s perfect at home, but barely over 50-50 on the road. This makes it all the more important that the Ravens play at home in January.
STUDS:
v The Defense. The defense has been nothing but stellar over the past 3 weeks, even giving Andy Dalton of the Bengals his justifiable due for his play on November 20th. Multiple sacks, stuffing the run game, and playing (almost) mistake-free pass defense has positioned this unit as the dominant defense in the league.
v Special Teams: This unit has improved markedly in the past 3 games, culminating in Lardarius Webb’s exciting punt return in the Browns game. Returns and coverage play have improved and, now that Zibby is handling kickoffs, the fumbling has stopped.
v Life after Ray: If nothing else, the past 3 games have shown that there just might life after Ray Lewis. Dannell Ellerbe and Jameel McClain have performed admirably in Ray’s absence and the defense continues to play at Super Bowl caliber. While in no way do I want to diminish Lewis’s on-the-field accomplishments, his continued play at a high level, not to mention his unquestioned leadership and heart, the Ravens have shown they can survive – and thrive – when #52 finally hangs them up.
v Stock Up
Green Bay: There is no Bear Market this year for the Pack.
Ravens: Finally over their road game recession and headed for the post season.
Patriots: Patsy schedule will let them cruise into January.
New Orleans: I wouldn’t want to play the Saints in the Superdome any time soon.
Denver: Late season win streak is carrying them into the playoffs.
v Stock Down
Buffalo: An early season bull market as turned bearish.
Detroit: Suh’s on and off the field conduct is just one of the maturity issues with this team.
Philadelphia: This is overused, but the prospects for the Dream Team have turned nightmarish.
Redskins: With the loss of two starters to recreational drug suspensions, a miserable year is just getting worse.
Browns: It doesn’t matter who’s the G.M. manager and head coach, the Clowns remain consistently bad. Reminds me of the Orioles.
Colts: Peyton Manning for MVP. Think about it.
v Tebowmania: I have no personal opinion, one way or the other, on Tim Tebow other than his skills as an NFL quarterback. Is he pretty? No. But like it or not, the Broncos are 6-1 when Big # 15 starts (given his anti-Tebow comments all year, ESPN’s Merril Hoge must be choking on that fat necktie of his). That said, the Broncos are winning for two reasons: an awesome defense and a weak schedule. I’m waiting for the first smart defensive coordinator to figure out the Broncos run option. Who remembers the Wildcat? They may make the playoffs in the weak AFC West, but they won’t last long.
v No Schedule Change: Speaking of things Tebow, the Ravens-Chargers Sunday night game on NBC on December 18th will not be flexed to a 4 PM start in favor of the Broncos-Patriots (aka Brady vs. Tebow) matchup. Word has it that Pats owner Bob Kraft personally intervened along with CBS to keep the game on the Big Eye. Something smells here. CBS had the opportunity earlier to block the move and didn’t exercise it. I’m fine with more national exposure for the Ravens, but it’s the nation’s loss and another indication just how much influence certain owners have in the NFL’s Park Avenue offices.
This Week
The Indianapolis Colts come to town this weekend for their third visit since the playoff implosion of January 2007. You’ll remember that one……the Ravens go 13-3 for the 2006 season, earn a first round bye to host a playoff game against the detested Colts, then proceed to lay an extra large egg in losing to Indy 15-6. We beat Peyton Manning up, held him to quarterback rating of 30, and still lost, thanks mostly to the atrocious play of the late Steve McNair. We stunk that day.
Did I mention I still have the stench of that game in my mouth? And the Ravens have lost 8 straight games against the Colts since 2002, many by routs. The stench continues….
But ah, as we fast forward to December 2011, we see how things have changed. The Colts have a very real chance of going winless and the Ravens, if they win out, are assured of earning no lower than a 2nd seed for the AFC playoffs. In spite of some bad drafts, injuries, and underperforming veterans, the Colts always were a force to be reckoned with when # 18 was under center. So it’s true – the Colts are a one-trick pony with Peyton Manning.
Well, the spread for the Colts game is an amazing -16.5 Ravens, one of the largest plus margins for the Ravens I’ve seen in a long time. The Purple and Black got their let-down monkey off their backs last week in Cleveland, and there’s no way the Ravens will allow an obviously inferior team to beat them at home with so much at stake. Will they cover and win by more than 17 points? Aye, there’s the rub. The Colts are ranked 29th in offense, and defensively are 30th against the run and 22nd against the pass, so there’s opportunities for Ray, Joe, T-Sizzle, and all the gang. But really, who cares? All I want is for the Ravens to pound another opponent into the M&T Bank carpet. Just be 10-3 by 4 PM.
I don’t think we’ll be disappointed.
Ravens 31 Colts 9
Note: All stats courtesy of NFL.com, and Advanced Football Stats.com Additional content from ProFootballTalk.
