NFL Playoff Scenarios: Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have played their way back in to the playoffs with two dominant victories over the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. Now they have to beat their archrival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, even if the Ravens beat Pittsburgh, it does not guarantee them a playoff spot, at least not yet.

 

If Baltimore wants to make it simple and clinch the playoffs, all they have to do is defeat Pittsburgh Sunday and defeat the Raiders in Oakland on Jan. 3. The Ravens will go 10-6 if this happens, and most likely clinch the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.

 

There are a few ways that the Ravens can clinch a playoff with a win on Sunday. The first way for the Ravens to clinch with a win is with losses or ties by Jacksonville and the Jets on Sunday. Of course these two teams could very easily lose this weekend. The Jacksonville Jaguars take on the New England Patriots and the New York Jets must face the Indianapolis Colts. For both teams, that’s no easy task.

 

A second way Baltimore clinches with a win is if Jacksonville and Denver lose or tie. Again, the Broncos have a tough game with the surging Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia.

 

Another way for Baltimore to clinch with a win is a Miami loss or tie against Houston, and losses or ties by Denver and the Jets. None of the AFC contenders have easy games this week.

 

If the Ravens tie this weekend, they can still clinch a playoff berth, but it gets more complex. For Baltimore to clinch the playoffs with a tie this weekend, Jacksonville and New York must lose, while Tennessee must lose or tie, and Houston and Miami have to tie each other. This is the most unlikely of all the scenarios for a wild card berth.

 

A very unlikely scenario for Baltimore is the one where they win the AFC North. For this to happen the Ravens have to win out against Pittsburgh and Oakland while the Cincinnati Bengals lose out. The Bengals, of course, swept the Ravens so they hold the head to head tiebreaker, so if the teams both finish with the same record Cincinnati gets the nod. However, if Cincinnati loses to Kansas City and the New York Jets they will fall to 9-7 and hand the Ravens the AFC North.

 

As for the team finishing down the stretch, I predict two wins. Beating Pittsburgh is always tough for the Ravens, but they’ve swept the Steelers before and can do it again. Oakland is very much an enigma. The Raiders have upset Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Denver, but have also looked awful at times this year. If Baltimore beats Pittsburgh, and I think they will, they will beat Oakland to assure themselves of a playoff berth.

 

If the Ravens win out and get the fifth seed, they will most likely get to see Cincinnati for a third time. The Bengals totally dominated the Ravens the second time the two teams squared off, but a lot has changed since that game. Baltimore’s secondary, although thin, has tightened up and the Bengals receiving corps has thinned out with the loss of Chris Henry.

 

Of course Cincinnati could still get the three seed, in which case the Ravens would get the New England Patriots. The Patriots are another the Ravens faced earlier this season. A lot of people in Baltimore believe the Ravens would won that game had it not been for a few bad calls by the referees. If there’s a rematch between these two that will be a fun game to watch.

 

The best-case scenario for the Ravens is to win out and get the AFC’s fifth seed. I’d like to see them take on Cincinnati for a third time. That game would be a hard-hitting, physical game that will be close to the end.

 

The worst-case scenario for Baltimore is to lose out, go 8-8 and finish out of the playoffs. If the Ravens finish 8-8 it would be a huge disappointment to the fan base, but also to a team that went all the way to the AFC Championship game last season. However, if they do go 8-8 it would be understandable because of all of the injuries to the secondary Baltimore has suffered this season.

 

For now, the team, and its fans, will ride it and see what happens Sunday against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Baltimore Ravens To Have Formidible Passing Attack In Week 2

The performance that I want to focus on from Week One is the passing game. Joe Flacco was very accurate completing 26 of 43 passes.

 

All this means to me is that Flacco has continued his growth in to his sophomore NFL season. He also had his best day as a pro throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

 

What made Flacco’s performance even more impressive was his ability to spread the ball around. Flacco hit seven different receivers for his completions and three different receivers for his touchdowns. The game proved that the Ravens could, in fact, win the game with an air attack.

 

I believe the real story with the Ravens passing game was the wide receivers. All during training camp and exhibition games the wide receiving corps was much maligned. Mark Clayton, who had a hamstring injury for the entire preseason, came up very big for the Ravens Sunday against Kansas City.

 

Clayton averaged 15.4 yards per catch in his performance which led the Ravens receivers. Clayton’s 31-yard reception down the middle of the field was a huge contribution to the offense and proved to be the winning score in the game.

 

Another encouraging sign for Baltimore was the re-emergence of Todd Heap. Heap has struggled for the last two seasons and seemed to disappear in the offense last season.

 

Heap also scored a touchdown and caught five balls in the Ravens 38-24 win. His 74 yards were over the middle of the field. The middle of the field is where the Ravens lacked production in the passing game last season.

 

Derrick Mason seemed to fill his role beautifully as the possession receiver in the offense. Kelley Washington assisted as well with that role in the slot. The backs also served their purpose by receiving passes in check down situations for Flacco.

 

As impressive as the passing game was Sunday, the game plan needs to change for San Diego in Week Two. The Ravens, as I said, have now proved that Flacco can win the game for them if they need him to, but that’s not their identity.

 

San Diego did have a poor pass defense last season, but that could change this season. Baltimore will have a good passing game this season, but the run is what will open it up for them. To be successful in their game against the Chargers, Baltimore must run the ball to open up their now potent passing game.

 

I see a very good passing attack in Week Two with Flacco spreading the ball around to all of his receivers again. The Chargers game could feature less passing and more of a ball control offense for the Ravens. Flacco will again be accurate and could throw for two more touchdowns.

 

If the Ravens throw the ball 30 times or less, and Flacco is as accurate as he was in Week One, expect a good offensive showing against a very talented Chargers team.

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Expectations Are High For 2009-2010 Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are going in to the second season of a revamped attitude away from the Brian Billick style of doing things and more toward the John Harbaugh way.

There are very few players on the roster that can feel they are threatened for a roster spot and competition, but most are in the defensive backfield, receiving corps, and backup running back.

In the defensive backfield, I think the starters are questioned. Fabian Washington and free-agent acquisition Domonique Foxworth should start, while the nickel-back battle will take place between third-round pick Lardarius Webb and free-agent signee Chris Carr.

Also, Frank Walker should be backing up a cornerback spot. That leaves a whole host of players to fight for two spots on special teams and defense.

Veterans Evan Oglesby and Derrick Martin have been on the Ravens in years past, but are in a battle with K.J. Gerard for the last couple roster spots. Martin and Oglesby should have the leg up on Gerard because they’ve been in the NFL for four other years and are pretty solid players, but Gerard has been competing.

I think the veterans will win as the NFL is more of a mental grind than a physical grind.

The starters at receiver are also set with Derrick Mason and former first-round pick Mark Clayton, who is currently nursing a partially torn hamstring. Demetrius Williams should be penciled in for the third wide receiver in the equation leaving a spot for fourth and fifth options. Marcus Smith is now out of contention in the competition after tearing his ACL in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Redskins. I’m looking for Kelley Washington and Justin Harper to cement their spots on the roster and Yamon Figurs to earn a place on special teams.

For third string running back Jalen Parmele is in competition with Cedric Peerman and Matt Lawrence. Parmele and Peerman will squeeze out Lawrence.

I think the player with the absolute highest expectations on the Ravens’ squad will be Tavares Gooden. Gooden has the onus of replacing Bart Scott and helping Ray Lewis in the middle of the field. I think the expectations will be high for him because he was a third-round pick that Lewis has taken under his wing the last two seasons.

Also, Joe Flacco in his second season will be looking to build on an improbable rookie year. Flacco will be in total control of the offense putting expectations on him to turn the Ravens in to a more balanced team than they have been in years. I think Cam Cameron will cut Flacco loose this season and his numbers will be Pro Bowl-caliber.

On the coaching staff, Harbaugh must prove that his way is the right way to go. Even though Baltimore had successes last season, there may still people around the league that have their doubts about Harbaugh’s approach. Cameron is trying to rebuild his resume to earn another head coaching position some day and Greg Mattison is looking to show he was the proper choice to be named defensive coordinator of the Ravens after the departure of Rex Ryan.

Players that have less to prove are the obvious ones. Lewis, Mason and Ed Reed all are accomplished pros that have been to the Pro Bowl and playoffs several times. New addition Matt Birk also has very little to prove, but he should help the Ravens young offensive line develop at a more rapid pace.

There’s no question Baltimore exceeded expectations winning 11 games in 2008 which will make the 2009 season interesting. In my opinion, the expectation is for the Ravens to repeat the feat of winning at least 10 games this season. Last season, I believe, expectations were quite low.

Season two for Harbaugh’s plan would be considered a failure if Baltimore doesn’t make the playoffs and possibly win the AFC North because of last year’s successes. With an easier schedule, I’m looking for the Ravens to meet, or even exceed expectations and win 10 to 12 games.

For the first few games of the season, pressure will be squarely on Mattison to prove he can carry on the tradition of excellent defensive coordinators with exceptional defensive schemes. Willis McGahee is fighting for his starter’s job with Ray Rice and must prove he is in game shape and can handle 30 carries on game day.

The 2009-2010 Ravens will be a fun team to watch, hopefully, with a lot of players and coaches having a lot to prove to fans, ownership and other teams around the league.

CBS: What I Would Ask Ed Reed

1. You are considered one of the best ballhawks in football, how were you able to develop such playmaking skill aside from flat out talent?

2. How would you describe your relationship with Ray Lewis?

3. As Ray has gotten older and you’ve honed your skills, have you taken over some of the defensive leadership from him?

4. What was your reaction when you were drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2002?

5. What would it mean to you if you went down in NFL history as the best safety ever?

6. When you set the NFL record for yardage on a return, were you thinking touchdown the whole time, or did the field just open up where you could make a play?

7. You’ve already won the Defensive Player of the Year and come close to a Super Bowl ring, so would you rather be a Hall of Famer or win a Super Bowl ring?

8. How would a Super Bowl ring compare to the National Championship ring you helped the University of Miami win in 2001?

9. What will life be like for Ed Reed after football?

10. What is your favorite part of doing charity work?

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