Ravens vs Lions

This week the Ravens are coming off a tough loss to the Greey Bay Packers. The team looked very unmotivated and the Ravens now stand at 6-6. The Ravens are one game out of the 6th and final wild card playoff spot, and they HAVE to win out to even have a chance at the playoffs.

I think the Ravens can make it if they manage to beat the Steelers in a few weeks. But the Ravens get the luxury of playing the Lions next followed by the Bears. Both games are at home and the final home games of the season.

This sunday the Lions come to town and I expect this game to be a blowout. Joe Flacco is coming off arguably the worst game of his career and I expect him to bounce back this week with close to 300 yards passing.

Ravens 31
Lions 17

Ravens vs Packers

The Ravens are coming off a huge win against the Steelers last week, which i am still pretty ecstatic about. The Ravens are now in the drivers seat of their future playoff hopes. Pretty much if the Ravens win out then they will make the playoffs.

This week the Ravens head up to Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. The Ravens have won ever prime time game this year so i hope they continue the trend.

The Packers are now statistically the best defensive team in the NFL right now, but I dont think they've played a team with the physicality of the Ravens. THe Ravens have never won up in Lambeau, even though they've only played there twice.

Cold weather will be a factor, but the last time these two teams played, the Ravens killed the Packers 49-3 with 7 degree weather in baltimore. I was at that game and it was absolutely freezing. It was the most lopsided defeat in Packer history.

I think the Ravens have found some momentum on defense finally and the corners have been playing lights out. Except Foxworth.

This game will probably come down to the wire and i expect the Ravens to surprise some people and come out with a win.

Ravens 27
Packers 21

Ravens Vs. Steelers

The Ravens are coming off a gut wrenching loss to Indianapolis. This game was such a disappointment. The Ravens had every opportunity to win this game and couldn't. From the missed field goal, to Flacco's interception, to not being able to put the ball in the end zone on the 1 yard line, this game was practically handed to the Ravens, and they didn't take it.

If there was one game I wanted the Ravens to win this year, it was definitely that one against Indy. But now, with equally as much anticipation for this weeks game, I need the Ravens to put a beat down on our arch rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers beat the Ravens 3 times last year, each time in very close and controversial fashion. This is a must win game for the Ravens. If we lose this week, our season is over. Pittsburgh is also in a desperation situation.

The Ravens sit at 5-5 and the Steelers are at 6-4. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger suffered a head injury last week and is questionable for this weeks game in Baltimore. If he's not able to play the Steelers will be forced to play their 3rd string QB Dennis Dixon. Their 2nd string QB Charlie Batch was injured last week as well.

This could very well work in the Ravens favor, but personally I'd rather have Roethlisberger play so we can say we beat them with their star QB.

Flacco has to improve from last years performance against Pittsburgh, where each game against them he progressively got worse. He has been very good this year, but hasn't faced a defense quite like the Steelers.

Well I've waited for this game for a long time, and so has my girlfriend who is a huge Steeler fan. This game should definitely be a nail biter, but I see the Ravens pulling this out at home in front of a national audience. Let's just hope the Ravens fans can keep the Steeler fans out of M&T Bank Stadium.

Ravens: 17
Steelers: 13

Ravens vs. Indy

After an interesting performance put out by the ravens last week against Cleveland, the ravens go from playing the worst team in football to the best team. The Indianapolis kolts come to town with a 9-0 record. The last time we played Indy they killed the Ravens 34-3.

Now I refuse to acknowledge the indianapolis team as the "colts" because the real Colts belonged to Baltimore. My dad grew up a diehard colts fan and facing Indy always gets my blood boiling. If there is one game I want the ravens to win this year it's this one.

Peyton manning has always had a field day against the ravens and this year looks to be the same. Our secondary is plain awful and he'll probably rack up a lot of yards. I really hope coach John harbaugh can give the team a talk about how important this game is to the fans. I want the ravens to have the same emotion as the fans.

My prediction To this game will be my most biased yet because I hate Indy. In the end, johnny unitas will always be considered the greatest qb of all time. Because of this the ravens win a close one.

Ravens: 19(unitas)
Indy: 18(manning)

Monday Night Football

Well the Ravens lost last week to Cincinnati and our chances at winning the division are getting slimmer each week. This seems to be the typical story with the Ravens: Never play to their potential. The Bengals flat out, out played the Ravens again, and now we have to get back on track against Cleveland this week.

This weeks game will be on Monday Night Football which for most teams is great, but the Ravens are 0-5 on their last 5 MNF's. The last time they won was in December of 2005 when they put a whooping on the Packers. I was at that game too. The Cleveland Browns are pretty much a franchise in disarray. They can't do anything right. In the Ravens last match up with the Browns, Brady Quinn threw for only 34 yards and an interception and was eventually benched. Then Derek Anderson came in and threw 3 interceptions. The Ravens won easily by the score of 34-3

I think the Ravens will come out strong early and this game will be over before half time. Ray Rice and Joe Flacco will each have big games. Hopefully we get to see some of our rookie CB Ladarius Webb take the field. He's a beast

Final score:
Ravens 27
Browns 3

Defense shines

So this past Sunday the ravens pulled out all the stops as both the defense and offense shined. The defense looked like the defense of old as they were blitzing and causing pressure. This was the most complete game by the team this year. They held the broncos to under 200 yards of total offense and kept star wide receiver Brandon Marshall subdued.

Joe Flacco and Ray Rice are becoming stars in this league. This offense is for real. The broncos were ranked number one in total defense up to this point and they got ran over by this ravens offense. I've been very impressed with the way flacco has been able stay calm under pressure. The broncos had a very strong pass rush and flacco avoided pressure with ease all day.

So this week we play the bengals again for a chance at redemption. The bengals beat us in Baltimore a few weeks ago. If the ravens can play like they did last Sunday I don't see any way the bengals can stop us. First place is on the line and I expect the ravens to step up to the challenge.

Ravens 27
Bengals 17

Week 8: Ravens vs. Broncos

Well its finally time for another game after the Ravens just finished their BYE week. This week the undefeated Denver Broncos come into town. The Ravens have their backs up against the wall and are losers of 3 straight games. Historically, the Ravens have always responded well under pressure and especially the week after a BYE. The Ravens are 7-2 in the last nine years after a BYE.

The Denver Broncos are definitely one of the biggest surprises this NFL season. After getting a new head coach and trading their franchise quarterback away, no one expected them to finish with more than 5 wins. They are now 6-0.

The Ravens this week have been focusing on improving their secondary, and rookie Ladarius Webb has been taking snaps with the first team this week. It'll be good to see some fresh players in our secondary because it is just plain awful this year.

I look to see the Ravens playing with a lot of fire and passion, as well as the fans rooting on their team hard. The last time the Broncos came into Baltimore and won was 1983 against the old Colts.

My prediction is Ravens 27 Broncos 17

A Much Needed Bye Week

So after starting the season off at a strong 3-0 and number one in many power rankings, the Ravens have fallen off course a little bit and are now losers of their past 3 games.

The first game was a real nail biter up in New England, where depending on whether or not Mark Clayton drops that final pass or not, the Ravens were in prime position to score the winning touchdown with time winding down. The offense let us down.

The second was a heart breaking loss to Cincinnati at home. Carson Palmer led an 80 yard game winning drive, and Ray Lewis committed an inexcusable personal foul. The defense failed us this time.

Then last week at Minnesota going up against a very strong and undefeated Vikings team, the Ravens offense rallied back to overcome a deficit and put us in position to win. After a very hard fought game, and a chance for new kicker Steve Hauschka to prove himself, Hauschka misses a 40 yard field goal to win the game. This time is was the special teams that let us down. A real gut wrenching loss.

Each loss in the past 3 weeks have been very similar in that they've come only within the last 30 seconds of the game, but also very different because each loss can be credited to a single unit of the team.

So now the Ravens are sitting at 3-3 in the Bye week with a lot of work to be done. Especially in our secondary. They cant cover anybody. The undefeated Denver Broncos come into town on Sunday and this will be a real test for them.

I honestly believe the Ravens get their act together this Sunday and put up an impressive victory at home and reminds everyone to not forget about the Ravens. We were at 3-3 this time last year as well so it's too early to panic now. Just take it one game at a time.

Ravens vs. Bengals Recap

RAVENS 14, BENGALS 17

Well to put it simply I'm stunned. I really thought the Ravens would be too physical for the Bengals to stand a chance, but the Bengals came out to play.

The Bengals might have had more in the intangibles because of the recent loss of their defensive coordinators wife.

The offense looked very out of sync. Derick Mason had zero catches which is ridiculous. Willis Mcgahee had only 2 total carries. It just seems like the Ravens lost touch with what they do best: smash mouth football. They need to find a way to regain their 3-headed monster running game.

Our defense did not play like a Ravens defense. They allowed a 100 yard rusher, the secondary continues to look depleted, and we're not getting any pressure on the quarterback. They really need to get back into their physical play if they want to be an elite team. The defense is still the cornerstone of this franchise.

The main factor in the Ravens loss Sunday were the penalties. Once again our game came down to penalties, but this time I think the Ravens weren't smart at all about. Ray Lewis' hit on Chad Ochocinco was out of character of him especially with the game on the line. The Bengals drove 80 yards to win the game. 30 of those yards came off of 3 defensive penalties.

Overall I am shocked and hope the Ravens can find their stride and oull out a tough win in Minnesota next week.

ORIOLES 2009 RECAP

Well the Orioles 2009 season has finally ended. It really ended back in July though. Once again the Orioles failed to finish with a winning record and the annual post all-star break skid was in full force. We say our ace Jeremy Guthrie have the most losses (15) in the league, as well as give up the most home runs (35). A positive though is that he finished with 200 innings pitched for the first time in his career.

Although pretty much everything went wrong in 2009, there was still a lot of success for out young players. Top prospect Matt Wieters made his MLB debut back in May and finished the season with over a 291. batting average and double digit home runs. I look for him to have a huge year next year.

Also our top pitching prospects Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz made their debuts and showed that brighter days are ahead for the Orioles pitching staff. If this pitching staff lives up to their potential then we'll have a good chance to contend. Rookie Brad Bergesen was the biggest surprise on the pitching surprise. It's too bad he got injured back in July to finish hes season early. He'll probably be the ace for next years staff.

Adam Jones' 2nd year was a huge success except for his season ending injury. Also rookie Nolan Reimold was a pleasant surprise and was in the running for rookie of the year for a while until he got injured.
The always reliable Brian Roberts had another huge year with over 50 doubles for the 3rd consecutive year. And Nick Markakis once again proved that he's a gold glove caliber right fielder with power.
Oh and farewell Melvin Mora. Baltimore will miss you greatly :'(

Overall, this was a very painful season to watch, despite the new uniforms and young talent. I'm really hoping our young talent gives us an opportunity to contend next year. I love the Orioles.

RAVENS vs. PATRIOTS

I have a feeling this weeks game is going to be one for the ages. The Ravens have never beat the Patriots in their short history but this year seems like everything is going the Ravens way. I'd like to say I'm really confident in a Ravens win this week, but Tom Brady at home is very hard to beat. If this game isn't a blowout by the Patriots from Tom Brady picking apart our secondary, then they'll probably win a close game. If the Ravens can pull out the upset here, they will establish themselves as the best team in football.
The Ravens gotta be hoping that Tom Brady isn't on his game this week. He's looked good, but he doesn't look as comfortable with his offense yet as he has earlier. I think a lot of it has to do with last seasons injury.
I was looking up old articles and video of the classic 2007 battle between the 2 teams, and it still hurts. This video I found mentions that game a little but gives you a good idea how Sundays game is going to play out. It also gives a VERY interesting stat comparing Joe Flacco and Tim Brady's 2nd years. They're very similar. Also ESPN has a good preview of the game found here.
Overall I think the Patriots will pull this one out, but the Ravens could definitely surprise the nation with an upset victory. GO RAVENS!

WEEK 2 Recap

Well a very hard fought battle with the Chargers last Sunday. This game solidifies to the rest of the NFL that the Ravens are a force to be reckoned with. The Ravens have proved that they can go anywhere and win. Some promising things came out of Sundays win, but also our defense was exploited in the passing game. Phillip Rivers of the Chargers throw for over 430 passing yards. This concerns me and if the Ravens have any wish of going deep in the playoffs this year, they'll have to step up their secondary play.
Although the Ravens gave up a lot of big plays, the Defense was spectacular in the Red Zone. This is why we won the game. The Chargers drove down field but couldn't score touchdowns. Just field goals. Even though Rivers shined in the passing game, he still threw 2 interceptions. Ray Lewis was the real player of the game racking up 12 tackles including the game winner behind the line of scrimmage on 4th down. Definitely one of the greatest plays of Ray Lewis' hall of fame career.

WEEK 2

So the Ravens so far are pretty injury free and look to be in good health for the upcoming game in San Diego. Chargers linebacker and former University of Maryland star Shaun Merriman was talking saying he's 100% ready.
I like the Ravens chances in this game because the Chargers are coming off a short week and they got pretty beat up against Oakland last week. But the Chargers are not a team to look past. They can rack up 300 passing yards on any team. Let's hope our secondary can step it up this week. My prediction is 24-21 Ravens. This will be a very physical game.

WEEK 1. vs Kansas City

Today's game was great. The Ravens offense looked good for the most part. The running game came out very strong and Joe Flacco's passing was very strong . I got a little nervous when the Chiefs kept the score close but I never had a doubt about us winning. I thought Joe Flacco looked like he slowed down a bit in the second half but he came through when it mattered. The defense was spectacular. The defense allowed under 200 offensive yards and 50 of those was on one pass. Other than that the defense dominated. Next week will give me a better idea of what kind of team we'll be this year. San Diego will be very tough.

53 man roster

I was happy to see the backups come out and shine against Atlanta last week. Happier to see us go 4-0 in the preseason. The 53 man roster is set and I was kind of surprised by some moves. I was disappointed to see Justin Harper really fall in the preseason. He had such a good camp and we need a WR of his kind. This year is going to be a special one. Week 1 is just days away.
I'm really excited for Thursdays game between the Steelers and Titans. Two of the top teams in the AFC battling it out early should give some good perspective on how we'll fair.

Ravens Vs. Falcons

Tonight marks the final game of the pre-season and although our starters won't be out there long at all, I'm still excited to see Joe Flacco vs Matt Ryan. We'll see who takes the heat better: Joe Cool or Matty Ice. What I'll really be looking for is if WR Justin Harper can step up and give the Ravens some security at WR, as well as the kicking competition between Steve Hauschka and Graham Gano. Tonight could determine if Matt Stover gets a phone call anytime soon. Overall I think the Ravens win this game and go into the regular season with a 4-0 preseason record for the first time since the 2000 super bowl team.
Then again...the Lions were 4-0 in preseason last year too... :/
Go Ravens!

Ravens vs Panthers

Tonight's the third pre-season game and we'll be seeing a lot of the starters. What I'm looking for is how Michael Oher will handle Julias Peppers, how our secondary will deal with WR Steve Smith, and of course how our own unproven WR's can step up. My prediction tonight is 24-17 Ravens. Expect big numbers from Ray Rice! GO RAVENS!



Expect a lot of this tonight!

My first blog

Welcome to Brendan's Blog! In this blog I will be discussing all things Baltimore sports related because I am a Baltimore sports maniac! Being from Baltimore it's only natural for me. In the future you can look forward to regular posts concerning the upcoming Ravens season as well as the painful end to another dismal Orioles baseball season :( GO RAVENS!! GO ORIOLES!!!


BOH KNOWS BALTIMORE SPORTS