The Ravens are looking to rebound from a devastating loss last week to the Giants. Their playoff hopes are still alive, but the outcome of this Sunday’s game against the 5-4-1 Eagles could determine whether those playoff hopes remain realistic.

The Eagles, like the Ravens, have had many ups and downs this season. And of course, let’s not forget where John Harbaugh established himself as a premier special teams coach.

Here are two key match-ups to keep an eye on as the Eagles come to town.

Eagles Offense vs. Ravens Defense

RB Brian Westbrook vs. Ravens Front Seven

It’s not often the Ravens worry about an opponent’s running game. Over the last 30 games, nearly two full seasons, the Ravens defense has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher. The pride this unit takes in its ability to stop the run is almost mythical at this point.

But last week things changed. The Ravens may not have allowed a 100-yard rusher against the Giants, but they almost allowed two. Giants starter Brandon Jacobs left the game at the half, having already totaled more than 70 yards. And in the second half, the Ravens gave up more than 90 yards to third-stringer Ahmad Bradshaw. And that doesn’t include the 41 yards they allowed to Derrick Ward. The trio of New York running backs steamrolled the Ravens - almost literally at points, putting lineman and linebackers on the ground on every play.

And that pounding is certainly changing the way we look at games upcoming. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to Week Two in this 2008 NFL season… er… I mean… Week 10.

The Ravens head to Houston this week to take on the Texans in the game rescheduled from Week Two,  postponed after Hurricane Ike barreled into southeast Texas and damaged the Texans’ Reliant Stadium. The schedule changes brings together two teams in very different situations than eight weeks ago.

Early in the season, the Texans had high hopes. They were supposed to breakout and perhaps even challenge the elite of the AFC South - if not for a playoff position than at least for some standing in the division. Meanwhile, the Ravens were entering this year as a rebuilding process behind a rookie coach, rookie quarterback and aging defensive unit.

How things have changed.

Entering Week 10, the Ravens are now fighting for an AFC North division title and a playoff spot. Their five wins already equals their total from last season. The Texans have been on a rollercoaster of their own, though. Following an ugly 0-4 start,  the Texans had won three straight until last week’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

As we head into the weekend, here are two key match-ups to keep an eye on as the Ravens and Texans finally get to square off.

Texans Offense vs. Ravens Defense

WR Andre Johnson vs. Ravens Secondary

There are two undeniable facts here. First, that Andre Johnson is proving to be a beast and having a career year in 2008. Second, that the Ravens secondary continues to be the defense’s greatest weakness.

Such a combination - great receiver against weakened defensive backs - seems to always spell trouble for a team that relies heavily on the success of its defense.

Let’s start with Andre Johnson. Johnson entered the 2008 season as a good wide receiver, bordering on greatness, but oft limited by his own team’s ineptitude. Last season, Johnson truly broke out in an injury-shortened season. In just nine games he had more than 850 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. This year, Johnson has continued to the trend from last season. Already in just eight games he has 60 receptions, more than 800 yards, and three touchdowns.

And as if the Ravens needed more trouble from receivers, it’s worth noting that Johnson does his absolute best work at home in Reliant Stadium.  In four home games this season, Johnson has led the Texans to a 3-1 record by averaging more than 10 receptions and 148 yards per game. 148 yards in eight home games alone is enough to give Johnson an 1100-yard season. Read the rest of this entry »

The midway point of the season is upon us as the Ravens enter their eighth game of the season against the Browns - the first divisional rematch of the season for either team in 2008. Oh, how things have changed since that game win Week Three in Baltimore.

The Ravens enter at 4-3, riding their second two-game win streak of the season, and feeling good again. Not only are they winning, but the offense has shown signs of life against two weaker opponents.

Meanwhile, the Browns enter at 3-4, have won three of four games, including beating the defending champion New York Giants. The Browns reversed that 0-3 pretty quickly and confidence is running high in Cleveland these days. The big question is can the Browns keep up and truly return to the playoff-caliber team we saw last season?

As we look at this Week Nine match-up, here are two key player-to-player battles to keep an eye on…

Ravens Defense vs. Browns Offense

LB Terrell Suggs vs. QB Derek Anderson

The Ravens defense must not have liked getting embarassed by the Colts three weeks ago in Indianapolis. Since then, against two weaker offensive opponents, the Ravens defense has found its fire again, and the Dolphins and Raiders were the victims of all their built up rage.

Fronting the charge for this defense in both games, though, was not Super-Raven Ray Lewis. Instead, it was Lewis’ younger, pass-rushing protege Terrell Suggs that was really on top of his game and giving the defense its life.  Over the course of the season, Suggs has shown his strength not only as a Pro Bowl caliber player, but as a legitimate defensive leader. Read the rest of this entry »

The Raiders might be the worst 2-4 team in the NFL in recent memory. Offensively and defensively, the team lacks consistency. In their losses, they tend to look as bad as anyone in the league. In their most recent win, they somehow slid past the Jets despite allowing more than 400 yards of total offense and more than 200 yards rushing. The team’s strongest unit is probably their special teams, anchored by (former 1st round draft pick…) kicker Sebastian Janikowski. Punter Shane Lechler isn’t too shabby either, averaging nearly 50 yards per kick and putting 14 inside the opponents 20 so far this year.

But that might be where praise for the Raiders stops… they have struggled on both offense and defense in a number of respects and are still trying to establish their identity as a unit.

Come Sunday, here are two match-ups that will be critcal in either team’s success.

Ravens’ Offense vs. Raiders’ Defense

QB Joe Flacco vs. Oakland’s Secondary

The Raiders defense is far from the league’s strongest. They allow 136 yards per game rushing and more than 220 per game passing. Those numbers rank 24th and 22nd in the league respectively, leaving the Raiders at 26th overall.

That said, the unit still does its fair share in protecting against the pass. The Raiders are in the league’s top 10 in both interceptions (7) and sacks (16). They have also allowed just 8 passing touchdowns so far this season.

Now, none of these numbers are jumping off the page at you, I know. The Raiders, with Rob Ryan (brother of Raven’s Rex) at the helm of the defense, are still just plain average. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to be a major factor in this game. The secondary is more than capable as a unit, especially in the hands of DeAngelo Hall and Gibril Wilson. Both are known for being prone to mental lapses, but both have the ability to change games when they need to. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a challenging three weeks for the Ravens, facing three solid teams - all with playoff expectations - and losing all three in difficult fashion. Each game has provided the Ravens with different challenges and new problems for not getting the ‘W,’ but none more so than the Indianapolis loss last week. The Ravens self-destructed against the Colts and lost just about every match-up.

Things will have to be very different in Miami for the Ravens to win against the Dolphins. Luckily, however, the Dolphins are a very different team from the Colts.

Here are two key match-ups to watch heading into Sunday.

Dolphins’ Offense vs. Ravens’ Defense

Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano vs. Ravens’ Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan

Who’s tricks are trickier? Read the rest of this entry »

Following two devastating losses in consecutive weeks - in two games the Ravens certainly feel like they should have won - things get no easier as the team hits the road for five of its next six games. The first of these games is against the Colts, and no reference to where they used to play or how Baltimore fans feel about the game is necessary.

Lucky for the Ravens, the Colts might be one of the weaker teams they face in this dreaded six game stretch. At 2-2, the Colts have underperformed so far this season and were only able to squeak out a win against Houston last week thanks to an astonishing 21-point surge in the final four minutes of the game. Once able to score at will against opponents, the Colts’ offense appear to be missing something this year. All the weapons are there, but the functionality is not. Similarly, a strong defense from past seasons is struggling this year to contain the run.

Heading into Sunday, here are two key match-ups to keep an eye on … Read the rest of this entry »