Ravens face tough foes in last four games
By Terry Swayne
The Baltimore Ravens will face some stiff competition during the last four games of the 2012 NFL season. After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, the Ravens have very little room for error as they try to lock-up the AFC North division title. The Ravens could have clinched the title with a win, but instead of dashing the hopes of the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens loss now makes things a little more complicated.
The Ravens must win two of their remaining four games to ensure no worse than a tie for the division title, but that won’t be easy. Injuries to Terrell Suggs (biceps), Ray Lewis (triceps), and Dannell Ellerbe (foot) have left the linebacking corp very thin; and that doesn’t bode well facing the likes of Robert Griffen, Andy Dalton, and the Manning brothers these next four weeks.
The Redskins are up next and they are riding high after beating the New York Giants this past Monday night. Robert Griffen III has lived up to the ‘hype’ and is an elite scrambling-style quarterback. The Ravens defensive will have to try to keep him contained and not allow Griffen to leave the pocket. That will be a tall order with all the injuries to the defensive.
The Ravens offense needs to put in a solid effort for all four quarters. They looked good in the first half but played very poorly in the second half. The offensive line needs to give Joe Flacco more protection, and Cam Cameron needs to get Ray Rice more involved in the offense. The fourth quarter of Sunday’s game was brutal, as Flacco had no time to set up and Rice wasn’t even a factor.
The good news is that Baltimore has a two game lead and still controls their own destiny in their quest to win the AFC North. Hopefully we get a little help along the way from teams playing the Steelers and the Bengals down the stretch. So, bring on the Redskins and let’s hope for a complete game from the Ravens this week.