AFC Title Game Prediction

AFC Championship Game: Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots   3:00 PM ET

On the surface, this game looks like unstoppable offense versus an immovable defense, but it’s not.  It’s an inspired defensive group, trying to avoid another postseason collapse versus Tom Brady and a gelling defense that are still itching to get Super Bowl redemption.   This game has potential to be another classic matchup between the two; who knows, this may be one that is played over and over on NFL Films for years to come. 

In their only postseason meeting in 2009, the Ravens had Tom Brady’s number.  Baltimore intercepted him 3 times and limited him to 154 yards passing.  Although turning the league’s best playoff quarterback against his own team is an incredible feat, it doesn’t lower my confidence in Brady at all.  If I had to put my trust in any athlete to overcome a past performance, I would go with Brady.  I know that in last week’s predictions, I was raving quite a bit over how much of a lock he is in the playoffs.  As silly as I was being, I wasn’t really exaggerating – he really is that good.  Any goon can look at his career statistics and tell you that he has the numbers of a Hall of Famer, but the real magic of Brady lies in watching him navigate the pocket, calling an audible at the line of scrimmage, deliver one pinpoint throw after another (always keeping his eyes downfield), and doing all of this while making opposing fans feel like they are dumb teenagers in a slasher movie.  This man has been knocked down before, but nobody has managed to keep him down.

As dangerous as Tom Brady may be to Baltimore’s defense, the other matchup may very well be the one that defines this game.  Ray Rice is the most important piece of the Raven’s offensive puzzle and -- without him getting a majority of the touches – they have shown inconsistency when they have to rely heavier on Joe Flacco to throw them to victory.  This has not been a problem for most of the year, as the 13-3 Ravens have had little trouble establishing Rice all season.  However, people seem to forget about the Bill Belichick’s brilliant play calling and his ability to take away a team’s biggest offensive threat.  Although the Pats have struggled throughout most of the regular season, in their recent games, they have found ways to slow their opponents down enough to the point where they cannot keep up with Brady’s – and Josh McDaniels’ – offense.  This bend-but-don’t-break philosophy has once again proven itself to work, as long as it is paired with a potent offense.  Besides, if Belichick is able to slow down the Baltimore running game to the point where Flacco is forced to air it out, this one could be over early.

Prediction – NE: 31 BAL 17

Feel free to comment below and follow me at @TheBearorsDen on twitter as well as The Bearor's Den on Facebook.