Baltimore Ravens Perspective

Baltimore Ravens

Players To Watch:

WR Anquan Boldin - Boldin is really the key to the Ravens passing offense. He is such a talent because he can stretch the defense by going deep or be just as effective going over the middle and making catches in traffic. QB Joe Flacco should target his best receiver early and get him involved, when Boldin is playing well the Ravens are a very tough team to stop.

LB Ray Lewis - The leader of the Raven's seems to always come up with big plays. In the first round playoff game against the Chiefs, Lewis had a some what quiet first half but came out big as usual in the second half and had a forced fumble and sack. I believe that motivational speeches and such are overrated, unless they are coming from a guy like Lewis, he gets everyone on the defense ready to go.

S Ed Reed- When the Ravens and Steelers match up everyone knows its going to be a close low scoring game. A guy like Reed can change the whole out come of a close game on one play. He had 8 interceptions this year in only 10 games. The difference between him and a lot of other guys is when he gets picks the ball off he is looking to score (and usually lateral the ball). A pick 6 in a game like this could end up winning/costing your team the game so if Ben Roethlisberger is smart he will try and keep the ball away from number 20.

Key Matchup – RB Ray Rice vs Steelers linebackers – This should be a really good match-up its is strength vs strength for both teams. In his two games against the Steelers this year Rice has been shutdown early. Rice is really what makes the Ravens offense go so they need to find a way to get him involved. I think Rice is most dangerous catching the ball so even if the he can't run against the stout Steelers defense look for him to have some big time catches and YAC.

Why the Ravens Will Win – Honestly with these two teams the only thing that is guaranteed is that there are going to be a lot of big hits (probably some flags and fines stemming from those hits), quarterback ratings will be ugly, and it will usually come down to a field goal. I think the Ravens will win this game because they are actually the better team on defense. Ray Lewis has compared this team to the 2000-01 team that won the super bowl, which is pretty lofty praise because the 00-01 defense was unbelievable. I think the Ravens can win the defensive match-up today and win the game.

Prediction- Ravens 17 Steelers 10

Playoff Preview: Baltimore Ravens

Offensive MVP: RB Ray Rice and WR Anquan Boldin

The Ravens offense has been inconsistent this year, but when they are playing well it usually means Boldin and Rice are having good games. Rice has really become a workhorse for the Ravens, he was responsible for over 34% of the Ravens offense this year rushing for 1200 yards and adding 556 yards on 63 receptions. Boldin may have had a down year personally, but he really opened up the Ravens offense for other players. Boldin lead the team with 64 receptions 837 yards and 7 TDs. He had a slow second half but he is too much of a playmaker to continue his rut into the playoffs.

Defensive MVP: Too Many to Choose From

Who do you give it to here? You could go with Ray Lewis who seems to be ageless, he leads the team in tackles and is the ultimate motivator. Ed Reed missed six games due to injury then comes back and does not miss a beat and ends up leading he NFL in interceptions with 8. Haloti Ngata had 63 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a 6'4" 350 lbs. lineman. He is an absolute beast and has to be in the top 3 for best defensive lineman in the NFL. Terrell Suggs continues to be a terror off the edge leading the team with 11 sacks. You really can't go wrong picking anyone of these guys.

Best Win: Week 15 - Against the New Orleans Saints

The former Super Bowl Champion Saints came into this game on a 6 game winning streak and they looked like they were back to their old form. In this game the Ravens showed how good of a team they can be when they play well. They ran the ball, were efficient in the passing game, and made big stops against a great offense when they needed them. When the Ravens are playing well in all three phases of the game, there is no team better in the NFL.

Rookie Grade: D+

The Ravens already had a lot of depth so it was a long shot for any rookie to get a lot of early playing time. There top pick, LB Sergio Kindle, who I thought was going to be a very good player, never saw the field after suffering an off the field injury. DT Terrance Cody played sparingly but has been a disappointment thus far. Tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta are stuck behind Todd Heap but could end up being good players. The fifth round pick WR David Reed may be there best pick he has been a big help on special teams.

How Can They Make It To The Super Bowl: Ray Rice and Defensive Turnovers

Rice is the key to the Ravens offense. Last year Ray Rice and the Ravens went into Foxborough and dominated the Patriots and Tom Brady (who has all sorts of records while playing at home) like few teams have done in the past 10 years. Rice was able to rush for 159 yards on 22 carries and the defense caused four turnovers. The best stat about that game is that they won despite Flacco passing for only 34 yards with an interception. With Flacco playing better and having new weapons, the Ravens just need Rice to step it up for the playoff run and the defense to change the momentum of games with their big turnovers.

Playoff Preview: New York Jets

Offensive MVP: WR Santonio Holmes

After missing the first four games of the season, Holmes was amazingly able to come back and fit into a new offense with the Jets. Holmes gave QB Mark Sanchez an instant security blanket, a guy he could rely on in big situations. The former Steeler has always had flair for the dramatic, and has been absolutely clutch this year, helping the Jets win three close games in a row in dramatic fashion. Holmes cooled off a bit at the end of the season, and everyone will remember the big drop he had against Miami, but expect the former Super Bowl MVP to have a big playoff run.

Defensive MVP: LB David Harris

No player has really stuck out this year, and a strong case can be made that S Jim Leonard was their defensive MVP before he went down with a season ending injury in week 12. The best player this year is probably the most unsung hero on the Jets defense. Harris is a consistent player that leads the team in tackles with 99 to go along with 3 sacks and a forced fumble.

Best Win: Week 15 at Pittsburgh

After being blown out by the Patriots 45-3, and then losing a close match-up against the Dolphins, many thought the Jets may have an epic collapse and miss the playoffs. Coming out and beating a very good Steelers team in a hostile environmental was a huge win. They showed a lot of toughness and character in this game. Their team could have easily made excuses and come out and played flat. Instead they rallied and showed those two losses were more of an aberration. If the Jets can beat the Colts in the first round of the playoffs, they will most likely end up facing the Steelers again and they know they can match-up with them even on the road.

Rookie Grade: D-

The Jets only had 4 draft picks but none of them had an impact this year. The Jets expected big things from first round pick CB Kyle Wilson but after starting the first two games, he basically disappeared and has not really had much impact this year. Second round pick G Vlad Ducasse had a chance to start at guard where the Jets were very weak, but was not able to win a starting position. RB Joe McKnight, who the Jets kept over RB Danny Woodhead, has been disappointing and did not really see the field until the end of the season. Overall, a underwhelming rookie class.

How Can They Make It To The Super Bowl: Mark Sanchez

Quarterbacks like Rex Grossman, Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson have shown that you don't necessarily need to be a star quarterback to lead your team to the super bowl. The Jets need Sanchez to be smart with the football and manage the game. The Jets have a lot of talented players around him that can make plays on their own, but when Sanchez has a bad game like he did against the Patriots and Dolphins in week 13 and 14, he gives his team no chance to win. The Jets have struggled with extra time off (lost first game of season, game after bye week, and long lead up to the Patriots game), and considering most of their starters sat out last game, it will be interesting to see if the trend continues.