**** you mean, Nice Try. i grew up going to Pats games back when Foxoboro was bleacher seats
"by nearly every metric" was hyperbole but if you look at things objectively, I think that Baltimore has a strong case to make. they had the 3rd ranked defense in the league and beat every playoff team they played, every single time. i know we're all enamored of offense this year, but i don't think the "defense wins championships" maxim just went out the window this year. they played in a much harder division than the Patriots did this year and had a harder schedule. the fact of the matter is, the broncos were a horrible team this year and even though we're all happy we finally won a playoff game, it came against a .500 team with a below average quarterback. Flacco didn't play well yesterday but Houston's defense was not a joke. the pats struggle with good defenses, we've seen it a few times over the last few years.
im not saying baltimore is going to win, but anyone making plans for the SB are out of their skull. this is going to be a fight....it always is with these two teams even back to 07 when they almost ended the undefeated season. are you that much of a homer you can't acknowledge that Baltimore is a good team that got the 2 seed in a harder path and is in the AFCCG for a reason?
Just a few responses to this:
1) Right off the bat you admit to not being able to back up your "metrics" claim. True, Baltimore has a highly ranked defense, but they also benefited from playing some rather pedestrian offenses in their own division. Furthermore, they also had the luxury of drawing those high-powered offensive juggernauts in the NFC West. Perchance these factors skewed their defensive stats? And let's not forget that they were thoroughly beaten by Seattle, and also lost to some bad teams on the road (e.g. Jacksonville?)
Which brings me to my next point:
2) You are not the only one to write off the beatdown of Denver as merely a win against a bad team. Have you forgotten the Wild Card game a week from this past Sunday so quickly?
Granted, Pittsburgh had some injuries, but Troy, those pass rushing linebackers, and the corners still lined up across from the Denver offensive players. You know those guys? The ones who comprised the
number one defense in the league? Well, they were torched by Tebow downfield, and the Denver offensive line absolutely shut down the pass rush. I suppose this is conveniently overlooked if the myth about New England's abysmal defense must endure. I mean, the New England
31st ranked defense allowed 10 points, yielded roughly 250 total yards, picked up 5 sacks, forced a fumble, and forced about 14 plays for negative yards (although it seemed like much more than that).
Bottom line though is that yes, Baltimore is a good team who has earned the right to play in this game. They have solid players in all three phases of the game. However, their weakness is their secondary, and their strength just happens to be countered with a strength of New England's. I found it concerning for Baltimore that they did not get much pressure on Yates. The New England offensive line is arguably as good as Houston's, and Brady is inarguably a better quarterback than Yates, with better skill position talent in the passing game than Houston.
I really think the New England defense will play a crucial role this Sunday. If they can play close to or at the level they displayed Saturday against Denver and keep the clock-killing offense out of the Baltimore repertoire, then it gives Brady and Co. plenty of opportunities to bombard the Baltimore defense into submission. Keep in mind that as a defense with older players, Baltimore will want to avoid being "no huddled" throughout the game, as other posters here have alluded to. The more opportunities the New England offense gets, the better chance Brady finds that one front/look he can exploit ad infinitum, and Baltimore will be out of luck henceforth.
Although there is no guarantee that this scenario unfolds, if it does, and New England gets up by 10 or more points during the game, I doubt the Baltimore offense can not only close the gap but, assuming they do, outscore New England from that point forward to the end of the game.
