Offensive Rankings of Ravens Regular season opponents: POINTS

[RobertWeathers]

Why would we put Yates on the ground ?

Ravens WANTED him to throw the Ball.. I counted 6 easy picks (Ray dropped Reed dropped one and Pollard dropped one)

If you believe Pagano is going to go contain against Brady you are nuts.

Check the last playoff game for a preview of the pass rush game plan.

The book on defending this Pats team and slowing down Brady is getting pressure by rushing 4-5 most of the time with a emphasis on pressure mostly up the middle with occasional blitzing and focusing the coverage in the middle of the field. Mixing zone and press coverage.

Things have changed a bit and the Pats have adjusted to that approach.

They are now sending AH and Gronk between the hashes and the sidelines either in the flat or 8-10 yards out. They did not do that much vs the NYJ in last year's playoff game. They shred zones as they have learned where to sit in the spots and are a matchup problem on man to man.

BAL needs to jam them with LBs at the LoC and have DBs over the top.

Your secondary with Webb should be able to match up well with Branch and Williams or Smith with their size shadow Hernandez.

It'll be all about how BAL does in man-to-man coverage. That is BALs game.

 

[BSR]

I'll be honest and say that RealityCheck has a point here. I'm not sure that Points Scored is the best measure of a 'quality win'. After all, the Ravens beating 8 playoff teams does sound like quality to me.

How did that work out for the Patriots last year? They beat every playoff team they faced, including both eventual superbowl representatives.

But I think that misses the OPs point. He wasn't trying to say anything about quality wins. Just pointing out that the Baltimore D hasn't faced an offense such as this.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

I'll be honest and say that RealityCheck has a point here. I'm not sure that Points Scored is the best measure of a 'quality win'. After all, the Ravens beating 8 playoff teams does sound like quality to me.

Actually...... It's not though.

First off. it's only 6 teams (Cincy x2, Pitts x2, SF and Houston). but I digress

Take one of the teams they beat twice (which is 33% of the number of "Playoff teams" they beat) - Cincinnati.

Now Kudo's to the Bungels for not sucking like they always do. But they are now really all that good of a team despite the 9-7 record. In fact, the Bengals 9 wins were against;

Cleveland (4-12) - twice
Indy (2-14)
Buffalo (6-10)
Jax (5-11)
Seattle (7-9)
Tennesee (9-7)
St. Louis (2-14)
Arizona (8-8)

Not ONE of those teams that Cincinnati beat could remotely be considered and good team (even the ones hovering around .500). Those teams pretty much all suck.

Hell, look at Pittsburgh...... Say what you want about them being "banged up", beating the Patriots, and being 12-4, but lets face it....... As the Broncos clearly showed, the Steelers were NOT the same team they were before. Their 12-4 season was comprised of the same teams Cincy beat, plus New England (who played their worst game of the year), Kansas City (7-9), plus Cincy themselves.

Not exactly the toughest schedule for them either on their way to 12-4. So for 2/3rds of the "teams" where Batimore beat a co-called "winning Teams", the teams they beat go winning records based on a chessy schedule. The only quality team that those teams beat was New England once by Pittsburgh.

You could do the same on the NE Schedule too...... Basically, the majority of their wins came against teams with 7-8 wins (Jets, Miami, Dallas, Philly, etc....). But if you look at their opponents opponents (Jets, Miami for example). their wins and losses came from other 8-8 teams.

Is it really an impressive win to beat the Bengals twice because they are 9-7 after beating up on a bunch of crappy 2-5 win teams? Or is it less impressive somehow to beat the 8-8 Jets twice, who had to slug it out with other 8-8 teams all year?

Are the Bengals really any better then the Jets, or Miami, or Dallas? No, not really.

How bout San Fran? Baltimore beat them and they are part of the "Baltimore beat 6 playoff teams" conversation. Sure, they sure looked like the real deal the other day, but if you look close at their schedule 10 of their 13-3 records came against team under 500. 7 were against teams with 5 or less wins. Were they really an "elite team" because they got to beat up Seattle(x2), St. Louis(x2), Cleveland and Tampa Bay? We'll see.

Point is you can do this all day long. It's really a silly argument to hang your hat on as to if this team will loss or win.

Baltimore beat up a bunch of "playoff" teams who happened to have easy schedule that allowed them to have winning records.

New England beat up a bunch of teams that had 8-8 slugfest seasons against other .500 teams.

Pretty much evens out in the wash.

 

[BobMarley]

Granted.

The Pats haven't been tested by many good defenses and the Ravens haven't been tested by many good offenses.

Ravens are 8-0 at home and 4-4 on the road.

Which is why I think this game is going to be a complete nail biter, and exciting to watch.

Unless Baltimore comes out flat like against Jacksonville and San Diego. Which would make Baltimore a sad city.

 

[mgcolby]

This. It's funny how everybody is willing to just brush aside the Giants' regular season and call them "hot" and "unbeatable" based on the past couple of games, but all the other teams are treated as if they're the same as opening day.

The story of the 2011-12 Patriots defense: Belichick decided that given the non-existent offseason and shortened camp, he was going to install a pretty simple 4-3 to start the year, making it easier to find and integrate new players fast. Andre Carter was a key cog in that up front. He planned to add more into the mix, including more 3-4 looks, as the season progressed.

But then Spikes, Fletcher & Chung were all injured. Good luck going to a 3-4 with 2 of your top ILBs out of commission. And the defensive backfield was reduced to in-season tryouts of street FAs, career special teamers and even fill-ins from the offensive roster.

Now cut to the end of the season. Spikes, Fletcher & Chung are all back. Brandon Deaderick, a classic 3-4 DE who started the season on PUP, is back up to speed. The backfield rotation has stabilized to a set of players who actually belong in the NFL. And Andre Carter, the mainstay DE of the 4-3, is lost to injury. Suddenly, the Patriots' personnel is suited to their traditional 2-gap 3-4...just as they meet a Denver offense deeply vulnerable to a 2-gap 3-4. Kismet.

Can we expect this new D to dominate an actual NFL offense the way they dominated Denver? Of course not. But can we base our expectations of them on the earlier 4-3 where players like Tracy White, Matthew Slater, Sergio Brown, Antwan Moulden, Gary Guyton & Nate Jones were routinely starters? Of course not.

IOW, this is a whole new defense. Different personnel, different schemes. Throw the stats out the window.

If I weren't married you would have a stalker!

 

[mgcolby]

Actually...... It's not though.

First off. it's only 6 teams (Cincy x2, Pitts x2, SF and Houston). but I digress

Take one of the teams they beat twice (which is 33% of the number of "Playoff teams" they beat) - Cincinnati.

Now Kudo's to the Bungels for not sucking like they always do. But they are now really all that good of a team despite the 9-7 record. In fact, the Bengals 9 wins were against;

Cleveland (4-12) - twice
Indy (2-14)
Buffalo (6-10)
Jax (5-11)
Seattle (7-9)
Tennesee (9-7)
St. Louis (2-14)
Arizona (8-8)

Not ONE of those teams that Cincinnati beat could remotely be considered and good team (even the ones hovering around .500). Those teams pretty much all suck.

Hell, look at Pittsburgh...... Say what you want about them being "banged up", beating the Patriots, and being 12-4, but lets face it....... As the Broncos clearly showed, the Steelers were NOT the same team they were before. Their 12-4 season was comprised of the same teams Cincy beat, plus New England (who played their worst game of the year), Kansas City (7-9), plus Cincy themselves.

Not exactly the toughest schedule for them either on their way to 12-4. So for 2/3rds of the "teams" where Batimore beat a co-called "winning Teams", the teams they beat go winning records based on a chessy schedule. The only quality team that those teams beat was New England once by Pittsburgh.

You could do the same on the NE Schedule too...... Basically, the majority of their wins came against teams with 7-8 wins (Jets, Miami, Dallas, Philly, etc....). But if you look at their opponents opponents (Jets, Miami for example). their wins and losses came from other 8-8 teams.

Is it really an impressive win to beat the Bengals twice because they are 9-7 after beating up on a bunch of crappy 2-5 win teams? Or is it less impressive somehow to beat the 8-8 Jets twice, who had to slug it out with other 8-8 teams all year?

Are the Bengals really any better then the Jets, or Miami, or Dallas? No, not really.

How bout San Fran? Baltimore beat them and they are part of the "Baltimore beat 6 playoff teams" conversation. Sure, they sure looked like the real deal the other day, but if you look close at their schedule 10 of their 13-3 records came against team under 500. 7 were against teams with 5 or less wins. Were they really an "elite team" because they got to beat up Seattle(x2), St. Louis(x2), Cleveland and Tampa Bay? We'll see.

Point is you can do this all day long. It's really a silly argument to hang your hat on as to if this team will loss or win.

Baltimore beat up a bunch of "playoff" teams who happened to have easy schedule that allowed them to have winning records.

New England beat up a bunch of teams that had 8-8 slugfest seasons against other .500 teams.

Pretty much evens out in the wash.

Every year you can look at the division with the most 8+ win teams in it and pretty much be guaranteed that they played at least one, if not the two worst divisions in football. Look at the NFC South last year. AFC East in 2008 etc... Its like clock work.

Take the Bucs from last season, the Bengals are this years Bucs. The Bucs last year beat up on a weak NFC West, beat the two ****bag teams in the AFC North, drew the Redskins as an at large game for a win, and upset the Saints for their only divisional win that didn't include the lowly Panthers.

Its cyclical and Every year that is where the "surprise team(s)" come from. Next year look for a team that isn't expected to do much, that has a solid defense, and some young playmakers at QB and WR that is in a division that is playing what is expected to be the worst division in football and that will most likely be your surprise 9-10 win team competing for a wildcard. And the top one or two teams in that division will have an artificially inflated record. See 2010 Falcons.

 

[TheComeback]

BAL needs to jam them with LBs at the LoC and have DBs over the top.

This is the third person I've heard say that this week.

It's not going to be that easy. The Pats aren't going to line up Hernandez anywhere near the Ravens' linebackers. He'll be in the slot, outside, or coming out of the backfield, if they have any brains, which they do. They'll also put him in motion. They can do all of those things with Gronkowski, as well.

I expect the Ravens to slow us down. How much depends entirely on Baltimore's pass rush vs Patriots offensive line. Their rush has been less than stellar over the last few weeks. Doesn't mean they can't come out in this game, though.

 

[RobertWeathers]

This is the third person I've heard say that this week.

It's not going to be that easy. The Pats aren't going to line up Hernandez anywhere near the Ravens' linebackers. He'll be in the slot, outside, or coming out of the backfield, if they have any brains, which they do. They'll also put him in motion. They can do all of those things with Gronkowski, as well.

I expect the Ravens to slow us down. How much depends entirely on Baltimore's pass rush vs Patriots offensive line. Their rush has been less than stellar over the last few weeks. Doesn't mean they can't come out in this game, though.

Agree but giving Gronk and AH a free release w/o getting hit/disrupted guarantees their loss. But hitting them and disrupting their timing they have a puncher's chance.

It's all they've got as while their DBs are decent, they can't stay with them for 40 passing plays.

 

[TheComeback]

Agree but giving Gronk and AH a free release w/o getting hit/disrupted guarantees their loss. But hitting them and disrupting their timing they have a puncher's chance.

It's all they've got as while their DBs are decent, they can't stay with them for 40 passing plays.

Yeah, I agree. It's their best chance to beat us, along with getting the pass rush going, obviously.

It just irritates me a bit because Mangini made it sound so easy a few days ago. Then again everything he says irritates me.

 

[Matt Hooper]

You guys are over thinking this. It's a pretty good offense vs a pretty good defense. Both teams usually play each other fairly close. It should be a pretty good game. Ravens are coming off of a slobber knocker while the pays are coming off of a cakewalk.

I don't get all of the threads where everyone talks down the opposition. Does that make them feel better or less apprehensive about the upcoming game?

 

[Double TE]

You guys are over thinking this. It's a pretty good offense vs a pretty good defense. Both teams usually play each other fairly close. It should be a pretty good game. Ravens are coming off of a slobber knocker while the pays are coming off of a cakewalk.

I don't get all of the threads where everyone talks down the opposition. Does that make them feel better or less apprehensive about the upcoming game?

Its self reassurance!! I really enjoyed last week's game. Nail biters are for the birds, LOL.

 

[PatsFan24]

Pitt....22
Tenn....21...L
SL.......32
NYJ.....13
Hous...10
Jack....29...L
Ariz.....24
Pitt.....22
Seat....23 L
Cinn....18
SF......11
Cleve...30
Indy.....28
SD......5....L
Cleve...30
Cinn....18

Cake walk regular season

They talked about this on Sirius today. I think too much focus is on rankings. The fact is they won and swept a tough AFC north that had two wild card teams. We know how good the players are on D. There is really no need to question how good they are on D.

 

[Double TE]

Wow St. Louis stinks!!!

 

[DaBruinz]

hmm.. maybe we should ask the Giants or Pittsburgh.. oh right.. your offense is peaking.. and our defense is stagnant..

The Patriots might struggle to score 20+ points.. if the Ravens execute that is..

Problem is the Patriots might score 30 and still lose, with the defense they have..

(Boldin, Evans, Smith, Pitta, ****son, Ray Rice, Leach) is no joke against a bottom half defense.

Its tough sledding.

Y'all better hope you can get to Flacco with a 4 man rush

You know. That is what the Broncos fans said about the Pats defense.

Here are some fun facts for you:

The Pats have not allowed an opposing QB to throw for 300 yards in their last 5 games and 8 of their last 10.

The Pats have 16 sacks in their last 4 games while the Ravens have 4.

The Ravens didn't have a scoring driving longer than 34 yards against the Texans..

The Pats ranked 15th in the league in points allowed at 21.4 during the regular season.

The Ravens ranked 3rd at 16.6 points allowed.

The Pats defense is healthy. Which they weren't when they played against the Steelers. And the Steelers were the only team to hold them under 20 points all year.

The Pats are averaging 37.3 points per game over their last 9 games.

 

[Double TE]

You know. That is what the Broncos fans said about the Pats defense.

Here are some fun facts for you:

The Pats have not allowed an opposing QB to throw for 300 yards in their last 5 games and 8 of their last 10.

The Pats have 16 sacks in their last 4 games while the Ravens have 4.

The Ravens didn't have a scoring driving longer than 34 yards against the Texans..

The Pats ranked 15th in the league in points allowed at 21.4 during the regular season.

The Ravens ranked 3rd at 16.6 points allowed.

The Pats defense is healthy. Which they weren't when they played against the Steelers. And the Steelers were the only team to hold them under 20 points all year.

The Pats are averaging 37.3 points per game over their last 9 games.[/QUOTE]

THAT!

 

[DarMan]

hmm.. maybe we should ask the Giants or Pittsburgh.. oh right.. your offense is peaking.. and our defense is stagnant..

The Patriots might struggle to score 20+ points.. if the Ravens execute that is..

Problem is the Patriots might score 30 and still lose, with the defense they have..

(Boldin, Evans, Smith, Pitta, ****son, Ray Rice, Leach) is no joke against a bottom half defense.

Its tough sledding.

Y'all better hope you can get to Flacco with a 4 man rush

Pita, ****son...seriously? I'll take Gronk and Hernandez

 

[Double TE]

Pita, ****son...seriously? I'll take Gronk and Hernandez

There is a stretch...I'd take them over any TE duo in NFL HISTORY!!!

 

[DaBruinz]

Spin it how you wish.

I feel confident taking the Ravens league leading 68.8 QB avg rating against into the AFC Championship game in Foxborough against Tom Brady.

Your team faced 3 good QBs all year. Rivers, Schaub, Roethlingsberger.

You faced:
Colt McCoy, TJ Yates, Seneca Wallace, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Hasselbeck, Tavarias Jackson, Blaine Gabbert, Andy Dalton, Alex Smith, Dan Orlovsky.

Of course your QB rating is going to look great.

I suspect as has obtained in the past TB will end up in the low 80's against the Ravens and nowhere near 35 points as he struggles against the #1 Ranked pass defense (by QB rating) in the league.

In the past, Brady hasn't had the weapons he has now. Gronkowski, Hernandez, Welker, BJGE, Ridley, Woodhead, Branch. You're team hasn't faced an offense as dynamic as the Pats. Sorry to burst your bubble.

The Ravens defense is not an illusion boys and girls.. sorry to burst your bubbles.

It is as much an illusion as your high powered offense.

No one said your defense was an illusion. It was said that they are as great as you're proclaiming them to be.

And, sorry, but the Pats offense is better than advertised.

What should be of concern:

Brady cannot score if he is not on the field.

Is your defense and its 5th worst 43% 3rd Down rate up to the task ?

I think not.

Not against (Rice, Boldin, Smith, Evans, Pitta, ****son)
and the 7th ranked Baltimore 3rd down conversion (42%) rate

Pitta and ****son are not in the same category of TEs as Gronkowski and Hernandez. Welker is one of the best receivers your defense will have faced this year. With the best QB they will have faced this year.

You ignore that Brady and the Pats offense averaged 24.9 1st downs per game. And their 3rd down conversion % was 45.9%. Good for 2nd in the league.

Strength against Weakness.. whoop there it is.

Brady cannot pass when he is on the bench.

II suggest you go and look at the Pats games this year. The Pats deferred in most of them. So Brady started off on the bench. And look what happened. The Pats ended up scoring anyways.

 

[DaBruinz]

Except us. He has been downright mediocre against us over our last four meetings. Might want to recheck your "history".

History lesson. Pats are 6-1 against the Ravens all-time.

 

[Triumph]

<The path to this season's playoffs wasn't an easy one for Flacco, who finished 15th in QBR for a reason. He played 12 games against defenses ranked in the top 10, throwing 14 touchdowns and six interceptions in those games.

There's no such excuse when it comes to taking on the Patriots' defense. New England ranked 31st in yards allowed in the regular season and gave up the most passing yards in the AFC.>

I'm confident...

Ed Reed isnt.

Reed criticizes Flacco for his play against the Texans - baltimoresun.com

I cannot blame him. He knows that this could be the last shot at reaching the SB for him and Ray Ray and hes fearful Flacco will screw things up.