Week 3: Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
Sunday October 4, 2009 1:05 PM
Line: Ravens +3

Take no quarter.

That was the message passed down by the Ravens coaching staff last week in preparing for the Cleveland Browns. Do not look past any opponent, and prepare for each challenge as if it were no different than any other. The Ravens took this lesson to heart, and Sunday’s contest was never in doubt. The Ravens came out fast and strong and absolutely decimated the Browns. But that’s what good team are supposed to do against inferior competition. They are not supposed to lose. They are not supposed to struggle. They are simply supposed to come out and put the game away early. I don’t know about our constant readers’ opinion on the subject, but it was a welcome sight to see Troy Smith trotting out to the field last Sunday.

This Sunday the Ravens must reassume the mantel of the road warrior. The New England Patriots should serve as the first real test for the increasingly confident Baltimore squad. The Patriots have been struggling to find their footing as of late, but make no question about it, they are one of the best teams, if not THE best team currently playing in the NFL. Tom Brady has demonstrated a great deal of rust, if you fail to account for him he will make you pay over and over and over.

With that in mind let’s take a look at this week’s matchup.

Keys to the Game:

Attack Attack Attack!

The Jets beat the Patriots by constantly attacking on both sides of the ball. They got in Tom Brady’s face on defense and attacked the field on offense. It was a sound and well managed game plan on all fronts. That is the best and only way to take down this Patriots team. They are balanced, they are smart and they will beat you. You have to take them completely out of the game and rob them of an opportunity to win. For the Ravens to win this weekend they must follow this plan and get after it. Greg Mattison must step up the pressure, just as Cam cameron must dial up the throws down the field.
Get In Brady’s Face

It is damn difficult to sack Tom Brady. He’s elusive, he’s crafty, and well, it may sound like beating a long expired horse, but he’s smart. You get anywhere near him and he’s gonna throw the ball away. The key to taking him down is to get in his face and make him throw the ball away, or better yet, hurry his decision making and maybe, just maybe, throw an interception. He is the key to the win. Get to him, make him erratic and the Ravens will win.

Hammer the Ball

It’s looking like Vincent Wilfork may not suit up tomorrow. If that’s the case, then the Ravens must run the ball down the throats of New England. Wilfork is the anchor of the Patriots defensive line and if he’s down, the already shaky Defense may have a tough time containing the Ravens. Additionally, the longer the Ravens have the ball the less time Tom Brady is on the field. Which brings me to my next point.

Possess the Ball

If Tom Brady is not on the field, then he has no opportunity to score, and thus no opportunity to win. Everyone this week has been going on and on about how the Ravens must look to the Jets game plan on how to beat the Patriots. I respectfully disagree. You want to know how to beat the Pats? Look at how the Miami Dolphins lost to the Colts. They had the right idea from moment one, it just didn’t work because the Fins couldn’t fully execute.

The Fins kept Peyton Manning off the field, and limited him to only 13 minutes of total possession time. That was absolutely brilliant. If the Fins had an offense capable of scoring in the red zone, they’d have won that game handily, but unfortunately they simply couldn’t get the job done. If the Ravens match the Fins strategy of limiting the Patriots’ time of possession, the game could get real ugly real quick.

Ravens Gab Predictions:

Jonathon Scruggs

The Pats are a damn good team, and they don’t often lose at home. This will be the ultimate early season test for the Ravens. If the Birds can limit Tom Brady’s time of possession then I have every confidence that they can win this game, however, I’m just not sure that the Ravens can pull it off. The line right now is +3, and that means Vegas odds makers consider this game a bonafide toss up. Home teams always get 3 points no matter what the game. In the end I just don’t know that the Ravens can win going into one of the worst possible environments to play.

Patriots 24 — Ravens 21 (OT)

Matt Jergensen

This is one of the most intriguing match-ups of the week.

Ravens 24  Patriots 21

Gene Winner

The Ravens face another difficult challenge on the road and will have to continue playing at a high level to win. Cam Cameron may pull out a few more innovative plays along with running the ball to keep New England’s offense off the field. The Ravens defense will be facing a top notch offense and popular thought would have it a close game with the Patriots winning. On the other hand, look for the Ravens defense to step up and help seal the victory. Ravens Win!

Ravens 25 – Patriots 16