Greg Calarco
Staff Writer
This
Sunday night, September 23, the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots
will clash at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. There is much at
stake for these two AFC heavyweights, as the loser of this contest will drop to
a mediocre 1-2 record. That makes this game a must-win for both teams, as each
squad knows the importance of obtaining home-field advantage for those all-important
playoff games in January.
The
Patriots have gotten the better of their rival in previous years, winning three
of the last four matchups. The most recent game between these two adversaries
was last January in the AFC Championship Game with a trip to Super Bowl XLVI on
the line. The Patriots squeaked out a win at Gillette Stadium, 23-20, as Ravens
kicker, Billy Cundiff, missed a potential game-tying field goal with just seconds
left. The Ravens only victory in the last four matchups was in the 2009 playoffs
when they defeated the Patriots 33-14 after jumping out to an early 24-0 first
quarter lead. Unlike the last four meetings, Baltimore will finally have home-field
advantage in this monumental clash of Super Bowl contenders.
Sunday
night will test the resiliency of each team after both suffered bad losses to
lesser opposition last week. The Arizona Cardinals overpowered New England in
Foxborough, 20-18, as Patriot kicker, Stephen Gostkowski, sent a field goal
wide left in the waning seconds. Meanwhile, the Ravens suffered a heartbreaking
one-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. After the game, a few Ravens’
players, including Ray Lewis and Joe Flacco, commented on the job done by the
replacement officials and showed their frustration. “Guys are giving everything they've got all
across the league. But these are calls, with the regular refs, if they were
here, we know the way the calls would be made,” said Lewis after the loss.
A
key matchup to look for will be the chess match between offensive genius and
Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, and Lewis, the defensive leader of the Ravens.
Brady is an expert at disguising formations and play calls and could give the
Ravens defense fits. However, Lewis, a 16-year veteran, has seen many of
Brady’s tricks throughout the years and won’t allow his unit to be fooled so
easily. There will be a myriad of pre-snap action at the line for sure and
audibles aplenty.
Neither the Ravens nor Patriots can
afford a second straight loss. Panic will surely creep its way into the mood of
the losing squad and fans. Sparks will be flying on Sunday night at M&T
Bank Stadium. By night’s end, the Ravens will take this hard-fought battle,
24-21.
