Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Can the Ravens get back on the winning track?

The Ravens welcome the undefeated Denver Broncos into Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium this upcoming Sunday. This is going to be a tough game, showing the Ravens if they deserve to be back in the discussion of one of the top teams in the AFC, and the NFL for that matter.

As has been the case all season, the Ravens secondary is going to be the focal point of the other team. The Broncos have some extremely talented wide receivers with the trio of Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokely, and Eddie Royal, as well as tight end Tony Scheffler. The Broncos also have some familiar names at running back, such as Correll Buckhalter, Knowshon Moreno, and LaMont Jordan, but if I were the Ravens defense, I would be more worried about their talented receiver core. Can the Ravens secondary contain these receivers, or should we expect the same kind of defensive performance that the Ravens put up against the Vikings, the Bengals, and the Patriots?

And as for the Ravens offense, we have quite a test ahead of us on this side of the ball as well. The Broncos defense is number one in the NFL in points allowed, only surrendering 11 points per game, and the number two defense overall in the NFL in total yards allowed. Hopefully the Ravens offensive line can push back the Denver defensive line, allowing for some early success on the ground so that Joe Flacco can have less pressure on him in the pocket. If the Ravens can control the ball early, then they can allow our defense to rest, and keep the Broncos' high-powered offense off the field as well. The Ravens need to balance their attack by utilizing Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and even Le'Ron McClain, our long lost fullback. By changing the pace at running back, hopefully we can keep the Broncos defense off balance.

This is going to be a tough game on both sides of the ball. I feel that the winner is going to be the team that does well in special teams and defense. If the Ravens can maintain good field position and at least finish drives with field goals instead of punts, then we should be in good shape. Otherwise, if we give someone like Eddie Royal a good chance at a return, he could burn our special teams, coming up with a big return that could send the Ravens packing with their fourth straight loss. Let's hope this doesn't happen. The Ravens have had two week to prepare for this game. Let's see what our coaching staff's game plan is this upcoming Sunday.



Brandon Marshall is the Broncos Pro Bowl wide receiver. Can the Ravens secondary stop him, or at least contain him?

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