Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots: Keys To Victory

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The Baltimore Ravens have not been given the time of day by media this week. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think they already lost. In actuality, the Ravens have a very good chance of leaving New England with a victory and a plane booked Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI. Below are my keys to victory for the Ravens…

1. Start Fast

In the 2009 Wildcard victory over the Patriots, the Ravens led 24-0 at the end of the 1st quarter. The Patriots gameplan quickly changed and the lead was too much to overcome. For the Ravens to win today, they must deliver the first blow as they did two years ago. Forcing the other team to become one dimensional is the ultimate key to victory in any game and it’s no different today. Make the Patriots offense force things and take advantage.

2. Dial Up the Pressure

Tom Brady can not be stopped, only slowed down. The formula to slow him down is simple to plan yet hard to execute. The Patriots have an incredible offensive line that allows Brady to stand flat footed in the pocket at times. If he’s able to step up, he rarely makes mistakes and will tear your team apart. T-Sizzle, Haloti Ngata, Paul Kruger, Corey Redding, and Arthur Jones must put on their game faces today and win the one on one matchups. Sacking the quarterback is not a necessity but pressuring him is. Forcing Brady to make bad decisions and look over his shoulder is the only way the Ravens can slow down this offense.

3. Score in the Red Zone

The Patriots defense is bad pretty much everywhere but the red zone, a place where the Ravens offense has struggled at times. They failed to score on the one yard line last week against the Texans and haven’t done a great job of capitalizing on good field position this season. Field goals won’t cut it today as the Ravens must go blow for blow against the Pats. Whether the ball is in Flacco’s hand or Rice’s, the offensive line must execute and help put 6 points on the board.

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