Quote the Ravens…Blog

WILD CARD WEEKEND

Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. meeting between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots will be the second meeting between the two squads this season.

In Week 4, at Gillette Stadium, Baltimore had a chance to beat the Patriots, but fell short when Mark Clayton dropped a pass inside the 10-yard-line and Willis McGahee was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 run.

Failing to convert the two fourth downs in the fourth quarter did the Ravens in. Here are the position by position breakdowns for this game. BALTIMORE

BALTIMORE D-LINE vs. NEW ENGLAND O-LINE

The Patriots offensive line has done a commendable job protecting one of the league’s most prolific passers, giving up just 16 sacks on the season. Until Tom Brady was sacked in the fourth quarter against Houston last weekend, he hadn’t been dropped since Week 12 against New Orleans.

While the hogs in front of him have kept him upright for the majority of this season, Brady has been battered when he has taken shots. He has at least three broken ribs, a sore shoulder and a fractured ring finger on his throwing hand.

No unit sacked Brady more times than the Ravens did in their Week 4 matchup. Trevor Pryce, Terrell Suggs and Jarret Johnson all sacked Brady once. If any of these pass rushers can get a solid hit on Brady early, with sore ribs and a gimpy finger, Brady’s comfort level will certainly decrease.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Ravens defensive tackle Kelly Gregg has been a monster along the Birds’ defensive front over the past three weeks. Gregg has tallied 13 tackles, 2 for lost yardage and three sacks.

We’ve got to go with the numbers here, and the New England line’s track record of protecting its quarterback and Brady’s quick release will make it tough for the Ravens to get pressure on him.

ADVANTAGE: NEW ENGLAND

BALTIMORE LINEBACKERS vs. NEW ENGLAND RUNNING BACKS

The Patriots have run 1,058 total offensive plays this season. Just 44 percent of those have been runs.

It’s no secret that the Pats don’t have a home run threat running back. Lawrence Maroney has handled the bulk of the team’s carries (194) and has rushed for 757 yards and nine touchdowns. Maroney used last week to try to rest a knee injury and his status is uncertain for Sunday.

New England has a large stable of tailbacks behind Maroney. Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and Fred Taylor all have 60 or more carries behind Maroney, but Faulk did not play last week either.

The Ravens are third in the league in total defense, having allowed just 93.3 rushing yards per game. A large part of that success can be attributed to Ray Lewis. Still one of the top linebackers in the league at age 34, Lewis leads the Ravens with 134 tackles, seven of those coming for a loss.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Sunday’s game will be Baltimore LB Jarret Johnson’s 98th straight game. That is the longest current streak among active Ravens. Johnson has proved his worth as a versatile player this season. His six sacks leads the team. Johnson also has 50 tackles, one forced fumble, four passes broken up and two interceptions.

Add a healthy Terrell Suggs into the mix and the Ravens’ experience and physical prowess should be enough to stuff the New England rushing attack.

ADVANTAGE: BALTIMORE

Tomorrow we’ll examine the advantages the Ravens wideouts could have against the New England secondary and how the squads’ special teams match up.

–TJ