AFC Championship Preview

In the AFC Conference Championship game we have the top two teams in the conference, the #1 seed New England Patriots will host the #2 seed Baltimore Ravens in what promises to be an epic game.

Patriots Offense vs. Ravens Defense: This is the matchup that will decide the day. The Patriots are led by arguably the best QB in the league, Tom Brady. Brady has been dominating this season racking up 5,235 yards and 39 touchdowns. Last week versus the Broncos, Brady threw 6 touchdowns. 5 in the first half. But to compare the Broncos' defense to the Ravens is not fair. The Ravens are third in total defense (288.9 yards per game) and in scoring defense (16.6). The Ravens also have ballhawking safety Ed Reed and a fierce linebacker corps led by Ray Lewis (95 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles) and Terrell Suggs (14 sacks, 7 forced fumbles). The Ravens also have big nose tackle Haloti Ngata (5 sacks, 64 tackles). Baltimore will have to stop the Patriots dual threat of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski who have 24 touchdowns combined. Another thing to watch is Patriots running back Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis (who has not fumbled all season) and his success on the ground.
Edge: Even

Ravens Offense vs. Patriots Defense: The Ravens will run the ball. They know it, the Patriots know it, I know it, you know it, and they're going to do it well. Ray Rice (1,364 yards, 12 TDs)  is perhaps the best back in the league and he has carried games for the Ravens before and will be a huge part in determining if the Ravens can put up enough points to win. Expect him to have success against the Patriots' 17th ranked rush defense. Now comes the question of Joe Flacco. Flacco has had a decent season (3,610 yards, 20 touchdowns) and has the talent to win games for the Ravens. But with increasing pressure both from the media and his own teammates, can he block it all out and still play good solid football and lead the Ravens to the Super Bowl? I think he can thanks to the Patriots atrocious pass defense (31st in the leauge) and the fact that he is a great playoff quarterback (4 wins on the road in the playoffs: tied for an NFL record).
Advantage: Ravens Offense

Special Teams:Both teams have solid kickers. The Patriots Stephen Gostkowski has better range and I give the edge to him in terms of field goals. Both teams punters average 46.5 yards per kick. The Ravens have a slight edge in the return game, but this category is very even.
Advantage: Even




Prediction: It's an instant classic and both teams have big plays that swing the momentum back and forth all game. But at the end of the day I think it's the Ravens 30-27