The other day I was asked who I thought would be the teams battling to win the next Lombardi in Super Bowl 51. In the NFC I think it comes down to 3 teams: the Cardinals, Seahawks and Panthers. I settled on the Seahawks.
In the AFC I don’t have a clue. Not one team, not even three teams could be considered favorites. Each has their flaws and again in 2016, the team that gets hot at the right time, like the Ravens did in 2000 and 2012 will take the Silver Betty.
Could the AFC representative be the Ravens?
Maybe.
But they have many questions to answer. The coaching staff and the front office believes they’ve addressed the questions but did they provide the answers. We begin to find out on Sunday at 1PM at The Bank.
Press play for my Bold Prediction…
I’m sure that when casual observers across the country give consideration to the Ravens v. Bills, they will expect a defensive struggle. And why not? That’s the legacy of the Ravens and the Bills’ head coach Rex Ryan.
Sunday such thoughts will prove to be WAY off the mark.
The Ravens secondary struggled in 2015 and so far, until they prove otherwise, there’s no substantive reason to conclude Leslie Frazier‘s unit WILL be better. Consequently the Ravens will not be able to resist the temptation to get after Tyrod Taylor with blitz packages — and they’ll get burned by the former Raven’s mobility.
On the other hand, a Rex Ryan-led team is expected to play great defense and get after the quarterback with Organized Chaos. Instead, it’ll just be chaos for the visitors. Last year the Bills defense was ranked 19th and finished 31st in sacks. Without Marcell Dareus, Manny Lawson, Shaq Lawson and Reggie Ragland, that’s not likely to improve anytime soon.
Look for a big offensive afternoon from both teams as the two combine for over 800 yards in offense. When the fireworks are over and the smoke settles, the Ravens, on the heels of a 300+ yard, 3-TD effort from Joe Flacco, emerge with a thrilling 34-27 “W.”
Let the games begin!
