As the Ravens take a closer step into the playoffs, the Ravens are really shooting towards the first round bye. Why? After the beating they handed to the Steelers, the Ravens had only a few days to prepare for the Bengals on TNF. The Ravens team consist of players who are nearing the downfall of their career. In other words, they are starting to slow down. It showed during the game. The defense looked tired and the offense didn't look together. But when they had the long break, Billick gave the players 5 days off. Though he may have been criticized for a decision like that but I doubt they will now. The Ravens sure looked fresh during the Kansas City game. They kept Larry Johnson away from the end zone. And he rushed for 120 yards on the ground. If you took away the 47 yard run he broke for, he would have ran for about 87 yards on 22 attempts. And another message the Ravens are trying to say. Though the Chargers may be "the best" team in the league. The Ravens feed off of that. They don't want to be in the middle of the attension. They have gladly taken the underdog role throughout the season and still came up on top. If you look at the Chargers record, they have only lost to two teams, the Ravens and the Chiefs at Arrowhead. The last time I checked, the Ravens defeated them at Kansas City in December. And they haven't lost there since Marvin Harrison was a rookie, pretty long huh? But the last time they met, in week 4, they have completely changed since. The defeat they were handed resulted in the death of "Martyball." They started playing to win rather than protect the lead. The Ravens changed too. Brian Billick has to fire Jim Fassel and took the offense into his own hands and I doubt anyone would wanna argue with the results that were given back. So for that, I'm all for seeing a rematch of these two teams in Qualcomm or not. If at Qualcomm, I'd try to get some tickets to the game and bring along my McNair jersey, sideline cap, and try to find something purple to wear, meaning shoes and pants. And like always, I would welcome the Ravens being the underdog in that game. And the Ravens have sent a message to the league and it says,"Hey NFL, remember us? Yeah, us, the Ravens. Well uh, in case you haven't noticed, we are 10-3 and um... We still have a chance at the Super Bowl too." It may take the next three weeks for it to be sent but we are trying to keep our mind straight so we're okay. During the three weeks, the Ravens have a chance to take the #2 seed and possibly the #1 seed. The Ravens play the Browns, Steelers, and Bills. The Chargers play the Chiefs, Seahawks, and Cardinals. If the Ravens can try to match their record, meaning the Chargers either lose to Kansas City or Seattle and the Ravens win three straight, we automatically move up becaue of tiebreaker rules. We have the head-to-head win against them. I know Indianapolis will be going down one since they seem to be losing it. Before I end this post, I want you know that: Fact: Ravens are 45-1 under Brian Billick when they get a 13-point lead. Fact: They allow a league-low 170 points heading into week 15. Fact: They allow a league-low 15.2 first downs allowed per game.
A Ravens/Chargers re-match will be a good game. A win is a win, but that first matchup was one ugly game. The Chargers committed 10 penalties, an interception and missed a field goal in that game.. The Ravens threw two picks AND lost two fumbles, yet still found a way to win. Bring on the rematch!
Ravens certainly have improved offensively since Billick took over the play calling. They would benefit greatly to have a bye in the playoffs.
I don't know why I get a feeling that the Ravens and Colts are going to slip up. Something tells my the Bengals play the Chargers in the AFC Championship this year. Just a hunch but the smart money is on Ravens vs. Chargers in AFC Title game.
A rematch would be SWEET! The AFC's number #1 ranked offense versus the #1 ranked defense? I'm getting semi hard just thinking about it......
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BoltPride)</div><div class='quotemain'>A rematch would be SWEET! The AFC's number #1 ranked offense versus the #1 ranked defense? I'm getting semi hard just thinking about it......</div> TMI! :reallysick: Anything can happen & while I'll be pulling for my Pats of course. I wouldn't mind seeing Marty get his SB ring.
