ESPN Boston: Raving about the Ravens

[SVN]

The Baltimore Ravens present plenty of challenges for the New England Patriots - ESPN Boston

 

[emoney_33]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

I will be shocked if the Patriots don't win comfortably.

The New England Patriots are 5-0 lifetime against the Baltimore Ravens and beat them in Week 4 at Foxborough, but rest assured, the Patriots won't be looking past Baltimore when the teams clash in an AFC wild-card battle Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

You can rest assured that the Patriots won't be looking past ANYONE in the playoffs at any point in time that BB is the coach.

 

[H8R]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

I will be shocked if the Patriots don't win comfortably.

I suppose we will know the outcome at around 4 p.m. on sunday...

 

[emoney_33]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

I suppose we will know the outcome at around 4 p.m. on sunday...

yes we will. And being a fan, it's not entirely unusual for me being "shocked"

I surely won't be as confident come game time
Can't wait for some playoff football!

 

[Sicilian]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

I will be shocked if the Patriots don't win comfortably.

That may be a bit of a stretch. Without Welker our passing attack will be limited, and Baltimore is a pound the ball/defense style team. A low scoring tight game is probably more likely than a comfortable win for either team.

 

[H8R]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

That may be a bit of a stretch. Without Welker our passing attack will be limited, and Baltimore is a pound the ball/defense style team. A low scoring tight game is probably more likely than a comfortable win for either team.

I second this but Cam sometimes overthinks his game plan and tries to be something we dont have the horses to be.... A consistant, effective, pass-orriented team.

 

[patriots pam]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

During his WEEI segment yesterday, BB said he had been pretty sure they'd be up against the Ravens for the 1st round. I recall he said he was "playing the percentages" that the Ravens and Jets would win their respective games, and therefore had already begun preparing for the Ravens as the 1st PO opponent - he had begun preparing, had already "watched all their games", etc. Combine that with playing at home, and having an undefeated record both at home this season and against the Ravens even at their best in previous years, and I'm feeling pretty good about this one. Not great, but pretty darn good.

EDIT: Linky to the BB interview.

 

[Patspsycho]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

During his WEEI segment yesterday, BB said he had been pretty sure they'd be up against the Ravens for the 1st round. I recall he said he was "playing the percentages" that the Ravens and Jets would win their respective games, and had already begun preparing for the Ravens as the 1st PO opponent. Therefore, he already had begun preparing, had "watched all their games", etc. Combine that with playing at home, and having an undefeated record both at home this season and against the Ravens even at their best in previous years, and I'm feeling pretty good about this one. Not great, but pretty darn good.

We have never lost in Foxboro in January.

 

[SVN]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

I second this but Cam sometimes overthinks his game plan and tries to be something we dont have the horses to be.... A consistant, effective, pass-orriented team.

iam quite sure the ravens will come out throwing the ball trying to exploit our secondary insteadof running the ball at least initially. Cam cameron like to throw the ball. We won that charger games in the playoff thanks to him not handing off to LDT during the potential game tying FG drive after he had got 6 yards running the ball on first down.
If the ravens get the lead then we might see ray rice more IMO.
Bottom line,this game is on the offense as always...playing from ahead will help our D.

 

[bakes781]

Ray Rice = Ravens offense

Stop him and you'll pretty much shut them down. Defensively they're still solid against the run, but against the pass they are very susceptible. Ed Reed is banged up and outside of Ngata they lack a serious pass rush.

 

[H8R]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

iam quite sure the ravens will come out throwing the ball trying to exploit our secondary insteadof running the ball at least initially. Cam cameron like to throw the ball. We won that charger games in the playoff thanks to him not handing off to LDT during the potential game tying FG drive after he had got 6 yards running the ball on first down.
If the ravens get the lead then we might see ray rice more IMO.
Bottom line,this game is on the offense as always...playing from ahead will help our D.

There will be plenty of Rice being served, problem is he is most of the offense... LOL. It's a really simple task to beat the Ravens offense .. Bracket Mason, the whole game and put a spy on Rice. it really all comes down to the battle within the trenches. Which team has the better offensive and defensive line. I will say though, it was encouraging to see Willis run with anger and purpose v.s. the Raiders. Maybe he becomes more of a factor.

 

[H8R]

Ray Rice = Ravens offense

Stop him and you'll pretty much shut them down. Defensively they're still solid against the run, but against the pass they are very susceptible. Ed Reed is banged up and outside of Ngata they lack a serious pass rush.

Ray Rice certainly is most of our offense, no doubt.

Have you actually watched a Ravens game and concentrated on Haloti? Ngata is a run stopper, not a pass rusher. He is not a Shawn Rogers or Haynesworth type line man. I wish we could get him to rush the passer better. Even as bad as the secondary has played I'll credit them for stepping it up BIG since the bye week.

 

[BradyMossWelker]

It will be easy.
Wilkork and Warren playing, Ray Rice ain't going anywhere, and if he makes it once or twice, Guyton and Mayo will take care of business.
They have no recievers besides derrick mason, and he isn't a superstar, and flacco is weak.
Our offense will take care of business.
Double Ngata with koppen and neal, mankins with kelly gregg, and matt light on terrel suggs, brady throwing a lot because that caroners are just awful, and Ed Reed is injuried.
We'll win it.

 

[Jimke]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

We have never lost in Foxboro in January.

This team is bad enough to end that record.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Re: ESPN Boston:Raving about the Ravens

It's the Gary Guyton game. He'll draw the Ray Rice coverage assignment, as well as the ILB start, so he'll be the key to containing Rice's all-round game. If Warren and Wilfork are back the run game gets a boost, let's hope Mayo and Guyton are playing more downhill Sunday.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I think we can count on the Ravens playing with a lot of emotion, especially at the beginning of the game. They left Foxboro angry and it seemed to have a carryover effect on much of their season, as they came in 3--0 but then lost four of five beginning with the L at Gillette and didn't put together back to back wins again until Weeks 14 and 15.

I think it's going to be a very tough game and that a victory for the Pats will be a function of the offense adapting to the loss of Welker and putting up a lot of points right up to its final possession, because, as much as I'd like to wish otherwise, we just can't rely on the D to hold a lead in the Fourth Quarter.

 

[Kid~Brady]

i agree with bakes781. As long as we can hold rice and get the offense going we are sure to win this game, we do have the highest odds for any game this weekend lol.

Opening odds:

Jets at Bengals -4
over/under 36
Bengals -3 +100

Eagles at Cowboys -4.5
over/under 45.5
Cowboys -4 -110

Ravens at Patriots -6.5
over/under 42
Patriots -4 -110

Packers at Cardinals -3
over/under 48.5
Cardinals -2.5 -110

 

[supafly]

i agree with bakes781. As long as we can hold rice and get the offense going we are sure to win this game, we do have the highest odds for any game this weekend lol.

Opening odds:

Jets at Bengals -4
over/under 36
Bengals -3 +100

Eagles at Cowboys -4.5
over/under 45.5
Cowboys -4 -110

Ravens at Patriots -6.5
over/under 42
Patriots -4 -110

Packers at Cardinals -3
over/under 48.5
Cardinals -2.5 -110

LOL! Where are you getting your information from?

Oddsmakers have dubbed this game as even, with the usual 3 to 3 1/2 pt homefield advantage being given to the Patriots.

If you click on covers.com, it will show you all of the sportsbooks and casinos that have the game lined. Some are 3 pts, while many are 3 1/2.

If it did open at -6 1/2, it went down quickly, like within the first hour or two. With our defense giving up 21 pts in the 4th quarter, and the Welker injury, I can't see how anyone would give the Ravens that many pts.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

i agree with bakes781. As long as we can hold rice and get the offense going we are sure to win this game, we do have the highest odds for any game this weekend lol.

Opening odds:

Jets at Bengals -4
over/under 36
Bengals -3 +100

Eagles at Cowboys -4.5
over/under 45.5
Cowboys -4 -110

Ravens at Patriots -6.5
over/under 42
Patriots -4 -110

Packers at Cardinals -3
over/under 48.5
Cardinals -2.5 -110

where'd you get the 6.5? out of a cracker jack box? the spread opened at 4 and i think it's going down

http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml

 

[mgcolby]

I think we can count on the Ravens playing with a lot of emotion, especially at the beginning of the game. They left Foxboro angry and it seemed to have a carryover effect on much of their season, as they came in 3--0 but then lost four of five beginning with the L at Gillette and didn't put together back to back wins again until Weeks 14 and 15.

I think it's going to be a very tough game and that a victory for the Pats will be a function of the offense adapting to the loss of Welker and putting up a lot of points right up to its final possession, because, as much as I'd like to wish otherwise, we just can't rely on the D to hold a lead in the Fourth Quarter.

That 3-0 start and the potent offense was a grand illusion. They played against some terrible defenses, to include San Diego's at the time - which hasn't gotten a whole lot better.