The Baltimore Ravens handed Tom Brady and the New England Patriots a thrashing loss last Sunday to open second-day action of Wild Card Weekend. While that game, and three others were being played, four teams that had demonstrated they were the best all year based on regular season records have been at home resting injuries and preparing game plans for the four teams that won last week; two at home and two on the road.
Baltimore will be playing their fourth straight game in an opponent’s home stadium when the meet the Colts on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Baltimore has won the past two weeks, at Oakland and New England, since losing the first game on this road trek at Heinz Field against the Pittsburgh Steelers. How much of a factor will the travel schedule weigh on the Ravens chances against the AFC Top Seed Indianapolis Colts?
The controversy of first-year head coach Jim Caldwell best inspiring his team by benching Manning and other key starters in surrendering a home lead to the New York Jets and a 15th consecutive win, has been a hot topic on Indianapolis talk radio. While a win over the Jets would have left only a road triumph at Buffalo left to complete a perfect season, Caldwell took the more cautious route of resting Manning to assure his availability for the playoffs.
No one knows if he would have gambled by playing Manning the final two games the Colts would have enter the playoffs on a 16 game winning streak, but Caldwell does know one thing, he has a healthy Peyton Manning entering the postseason. Manning is healthy and ready for another playoff run; Caldwell got what he wanted, and yet many of the Colts fans are still upset that their date with perfection was cast away like extra baggage.
Perhaps a Super Bowl win would erase that sting.
In the 1988 national debate between vice presidential candidates Lloyd Bentson and Dan Quayle, Bentson stopped Quayle’s attempt to ascend himself to the status of John Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, with the words, “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.” The gap between Dan Quayle and Jack Kennedy was a lot closer than the one between Peyton Manning and Curtis Painter.
Over the past two Indianapolis games, the coaches have asked the 24-year old rookie quarterback out of Purdue to just hold the lead versus New York and manage the game against the Buffalo Bills.
How hid Mr. Painter respond?
He fumbled the lead and the New York Jets into a touchdown on his first series, and ended the undefeated campaign a little more than an hour later. Against the Bills, Painter contributed mightily to a 30-7 Buffalo win.
If the Colts are going to win, it is going to be because of Peyton Manning, and his supporting cast needs to make sure he is upright for the action. Towards that objective, Manning has been sacked only 13 times this season, the fewest of not only the remaining eight teams with Super Bowl aspiration, but all 31 other NFL teams. The Ravens counter with an average stat in quarterback sacks, getting to the opposing signal caller 32 times in the regular season, but Baltimore added three to that total last week in downing Brady and the Patriots.
Perhaps the Ravens are going to be a little more focused on getting after the quarterback in the postseason; after all, among their three sacks against Brady last week was the first ever in the postseason career of Ray Lewis. The man that led the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in 2000 with arguably the best defense in the history of the game, and winner of 8 of his dozen playoff games, had never sacked an opposing quarterback until he threw Tom Brady down behind the line of scrimmage after bursting through a gapping hole in the middle of the Patriots offensive line last Sunday.
Without pressure on Manning, it can be assumed that two weeks to prepare since their last game, and a month to focus on this week’s home contest against an opponent playing their fourth straight road game, are factors that appear to favor Indianapolis.
But, last week the Ravens dominated Bill Belichick’s team to pick up their franchises' first ever win over New England, and now they have an opportunity to settle another score with a team that has tormented them in recent years. The Ravens last beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in Week 12 of 2001, with the Colts beating Baltimore in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and earlier this year, 17-15, at M&T Bank Stadium. The 2006 season win for the Colts was a playoff game played in Baltimore in the Divisional Playoff Round. The Ravens, who had earned home field advantage and an opening playoff week bye that year, were favored by four-points at home before losing to the Colts, 15-6, before Indianapolis went on to win Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears.
Last week, in leading Baltimore to a win over the Patriots, Quarterback Joe Flacco attempted only ten passes; half of them were caught, four by his team and one by the Patriots. Flacco registered a Quarterback Rating lower than the temperature in Green Bay … even lower than the two Quarterback Ratings posted by Painter against the Jets and Bills, 11.2 and 15.1 respectively. Flacco’s QB Rating against the Patriots was only 10.0, but unlike Painter, Flacco ran his run oriented offense efficiently while keeping control of the game in the Ravens favor from their opening down 83-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice.
The Quarterback Rating system would figure Peyton Manning in the midst of his Most Valuable Player season would be a clear choice over a second-year signal caller with a rating last week below Manning’s backup.
Of course, a game is not won or lost by the quarterback alone … although the Colts wish it was.
Qoxhi Picks: Baltimore Ravens (+6½) over Indianapolis Colts
