Ravens vs Saints. What will happen when the Saints march in?

Be glad the Ravens can still get in the playoffs with an 11-5 record because the likelihood of them winning tomorrow afternoon appears to be somewhat slim. Sunday at 1:00pm, the (9-4) Ravens will host the (10-3) New Orleans Saints in a late season game with big playoff implications.

Quarterback Drew Brees is arguably the best in his position right now and is headed to the Pro Bowl for a. He has thrown 28 touchdowns this season, has a passer rating on 93.6, and effectively orchestrates the number three offense in the league on a weekly basis. The matchup he must be concerned with lies at the opposing free safety position. Ed Reed, who started his season in week 7, had four interceptions in his first four games but since week 11 has yet to grab another. Offenses are beginning to avoid Reed, hence the increase in passing yards allowed by the Ravens as of late.

As of now, the Ravens have no dependable running game. Ray Rice and Willis Mcgahee have failed season expectations and are getting first downs rather infrequently (76 this season), forcing Joe Flacco pick up the slack.

Despite Flacco's fairly consistent play, he has been under constant pressure as of late because pass protection has been horrendous, making him the fourth most sacked quarterback in the league this season. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans disturbed Flacco in the pocket with the safety blitz. The Saints, with Roman Harper, are fully capable of doing the same.

The return of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas will only make the Saints rushing attack more potent. Chris Ivory has done a good job of running aggressively between the tackles. The combination of these three backs will create a manageable challenge for the Ravens defense.

Roman Harper, Malcolm Jenkins and Jonathan Vilma have all forced turnovers from their respective positions all season long and must be monitored individually when Baltimore's offense is on the field.

Let's be practical for a moment. The Ravens' biggest struggles play into the hands of the Saints. Their secondary is struggling to covering for an entire game, Rice and Mcgahee is aren't finding rhythm in the run game and the offensive line is easily manipulated. I predict the Saints to create more big plays in the form of interceptions, forced fumbles and touchdown passes and to disable the Ravens ability to combat. The Ravens will leave the field with five losses on the season and a much tighter playoff race to compete in.