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.