Patriots - Ravens, Who Gets The Razor's Edge?

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Patriots - Ravens, Who Gets The Razor's Edge?
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The Ravens will target the middle of the field, in the AFCCG Flacco was 8 for 8 for 80 yards and a touchdown targeting the short/medium range pass in the middle of the field....

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Some views from Baltimore:


Ravens have enjoyed a stretch of good luck, but shouldn't rely on it - baltimoresun.com

There was nothing particularly magical about the Thanksgiving victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the fact that Ben Roethlisberger came up short on a last-minute two-point conversion would feed this narrative when the Ravens staged their amazing triple-comeback against the Minnesota Vikings and staved off the Detroit Lions on Monday night with Justin Tucker's 61-yard field goal.

Though the odds against two teams scoring five touchdowns in 125 seconds are astronomical and the likelihood of one of those teams coming from behind in the final minute the next week on the longest NFL field goal ever kicked indoors is too small to measure, that is only proof that the Ravens were good enough to still be standing when fate decided to smile upon them.

It's fair to point to the character of the team to explain why a gimpy Joe Flacco was able to make a key throw under tremendous pressure on the final drive and Tucker could keep his leg from turning to rubber with his team's playoff hopes hanging in the balance, but a lot of other things had to fall in place over the past three weeks that are not subject to institutional control.
No one can discount the toughness the Ravens have shown during the second half of this season. No one can say they don't deserve to be where they are in the playoff picture right now — for better or worse.

They need to recognize, however, that good fortune has smiled very brightly upon them and it is something that cannot be taken for granted. The only thing that is certain about good luck is that it will eventually run out.

Faith is not a gameplan. The Ravens had no reason to think they could beat the Lions on the road without scoring a touchdown and they should not fool themselves into thinking they can get deep into the playoffs by finding new and different ways to survive late in the fourth quarter.​

Five stats that stand out as the Baltimore Ravens prepare to face the New England Patriots - baltimoresun.com

The other stats in this column were:
- Four -- kickers who have made a go-ahead field goal from 60-plus yards in the final minute of a game.
- Four -- pressures allowed to the Lions' Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.
- Three -- Calvin Johnson catches allowed by Jimmy Smith.
- Nine -- Ravens games decided by three points or fewer.

Zero -- total tackles for Terrell Suggs against the Lions.
Suggs has been quiet as a pass rusher in recent weeks -- he hasn't recorded a sack since Week 9 -- but he had still made an impact as a run defender before the win over the Lions. In that game, he could not set the edge on Lions running back Reggie Bush’s first-quarter touchdown and he didn’t record a single tackle throughout the game. It was the first time since a win over the Houston Texans in October 2011 that Suggs did not bring a ballcarrier down. Suggs also had just two quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus, and no quarterback hits. Those two pressures were tied for his lowest total of the season to date.​

Baltimore Ravens will have to worry about New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman - baltimoresun.com

Based on this column and the one above, it will be interesting to see what Baltimore's game plan on pass coverage is; specifically, what will Jimmy Smith's assignment be?

On Monday, the Ravens had to try to shut down Megatron. This weekend, they must deal with Minitron.

Julian Edelman might not have the athleticism and imposing stature of Calvin Johnson or an intimidating nickname, but over the past few weeks, Edelman has been one of the NFL’s most productive wide receivers.

Since Week 12, Edelman has been targeted 51 times by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. He caught 37 of those passes for 414 yards and four touchdowns. Brady threw his way a whopping 19 times in last week’s loss to the Miami Dolphins and Edelman had 13 catches for 139 yards and a score.

So Edelman will present a challenge for the Ravens defense on Sunday, but needless to say, it will be a much different one than Monday night’s 18-16 win over the Detroit Lions.
Johnson is a 6-foot-5 freak who is capable of running past or leaping over cornerbacks to make big plays down the field. Cornerback Jimmy Smith and the Ravens contained him -- it helped that he dropped a couple of passes -- as he finished with six catches for 98 yards and no touchdowns.

But while Johnson usually lines up as an outside receiver, Edelman, whom Brady recently dubbed “Minitron,” and fellow pint-sized wide-out Danny Amendola do most of their damage as slot receivers. That means Corey Graham and Lardarius Webb will have to be on their game Sunday.

Edelman and Amendola might not be as productive as Wes Welker was in his time in New England, but it's been close.​

NFL Week 16 picks from The Baltimore Sun for Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots - baltimoresun.com

Five Baltimore writers pick the Ravens to win, while two take the Patriots.


Terrell Suggs taking quiet, measured approach to Patriots this week - baltimoresun.com

Suggs' understated and reluctant sessions with the media have been season-long occurrences for a player who used to fill reporter's notebooks and willingly provide bulletin board material for the opposition. However, his relative silence on the field has been a much more recent trend.

After getting nine sacks over his first eight games and emerging as an early NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate, the veteran rush linebacker has gone six straight games without a sack. That's his longest stretch without a quarterback takedown since 2006.

Suggs, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and the franchise's second all-time leading tackler, takes pride in being an all-around linebacker but in four of his past five games, he has two tackles or fewer. In the Ravens' 18-16 victory over the Detroit Lions on Monday, Suggs played 47 of 65 defensive snaps and he didn't register a single tackle or quarterback hit. It was just the second time since his rookie season in 2003 where he didn't have so much as a tackle in a game.

His failure to set the edge on the Lions' first drive factored heavily in Reggie Bush's 14-yard touchdown run and was the latest example of teams taking advantage of Suggs crashing inside against the run.​

What they're saying about the Baltimore Ravens - baltimoresun.com

For a Ravens team that plays an exceptional number of close games (they've played 24 games decided by three points or less in the last two years), Tucker is an incredibly valuable asset.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh bluffed, the Detroit Lions didn't call him on it, and the decision may have cost them the game.​

Patriots coach Bill Belichick praises Ravens TE Dennis Pitta - baltimoresun.com

When the Ravens beat the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game in January, tight end Dennis Pitta played a prominent role.

Pitta caught five passes for 55 yards, including a 5-yard catch from quarterback Joe Flacco for a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter during a 28-13 victory at Gillette Stadium.

In four career games against the Patriots, Pitta has frequently been a factor, with 15 receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns. He had five receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown in the 2011 AFC title game.

Now that Pitta is entering his third game since being activated from the injured reserve-designated to return list, accounting for him Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium is on the mind of Patriots coach Bill Belichick.​

Ex-Terps DL Joe Vellano, now a starter for Patriots, earns praise from Bill Belichick - baltimoresun.com



Ravens vs. Patriots in the NFL playoffs [Pictures] - Photo Galleries