Saturday at 8:15 is showtime. The Ravens are once again on the road. This time they are traveling to Indianapolis to take on the number 1 seeded Colts. I know this is a little cliche but history always seems to repeat itself eventually. The question will be is this that time?
The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers entered a very similar situation to that of the 2009 Baltimore Ravens. They were this 6th seed and came in riding a good defense, an offense with a second year quarterback and a good running game. They looked across the field and saw the 2005 Colts who had a great quarterback in Peyton Manning who was surrounded with good recieving talent at the tight end and wide reciever positions. The Colts' defense was not revered as a good defense at the time but they got the job done when they had too.
Well enough strolling down memory lane. Today we have a Baltimore Ravens team with a second year quarterback with playoff experience and a good run game. The Ravens' defense has been improving all year long. They faced the Colts earlier this year and played pretty solid defense. In that game the Ravens' offense was the unit that could not score to put their opponent away. They had trouble scoring in the redzone.
On Saturday, I expect the Ravens to run the ball down the field and score in the redzone when they get there. This may sound like I am saying the Ravens will pound the Colts defense but that is not the case. The Colts pass rush will have an effect on how often the Ravens pass and how well they do so. Freeney and Mathis (both Pro Bowlers) may have a decent day versus this Ravens offensive line that has struggled to protect Flacco in the past couple week.
The key to a Ravens win will be momentum. If they start off as fast as they did in New England, they should be able to play with and keep a lead, shut the crowd up and leave the field with a win. If they allow Manning and the offense to far ahead, they can kiss the game goodbye.
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