Ravens show their tenacity in beating the Broncos
By Terry Swayne
WOW! Saturday’s game was the best NFL football game that I have ever seen…period! It was like watching two heavyweight fighters standing in the center of the ring, going at it, toe-to-toe. Blow after blow, each one trying to knock the other out. You knew that one mistake was going to decide it. Ultimately, it was Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos who made it and the Baltimore Ravens capitalized and got a tremendous victory. This game easily is already an all-time NFL classic and it was the best win in the history of the Baltimore Ravens…bar none!
The Ravens were 9.5 point underdogs entering this game, and after the game, Ray Lewis said it best…. “No one gave us a chance.” Everyone outside of Baltimore assumed the Broncos were “automatically going to the AFC title game….but that’s why they play the game. It was an emotional roller coaster ride. We were down 7 points after kick-off, then we were up 7….then tied again at half time. Then another return by Denver put us down again…but this team never wavered… In fact, the Ravens played hard and never gave up. They showed unmatched heart, determination, and stamina in beating the #1 seed in the AFC.
Three home teams won this week….the only visitor to win was the Ravens. They are again listed as 9.5 point underdogs as they travel to New England to face the Patriots. Make no mistake about it…this will be another hard fought game. The Ravens will have to play close to “perfect football” to win it. The revamped offensive line has played awesomely these last two weeks. The line has protected Joe Flacco well, and he has responded, by finding the open target down field. If they can fix the Special Teams issues that plagued them last week, it should be another great game.
This marks the third time in five years that the Baltimore Ravens have been to the AFC Championship game. It’s time for the Ravens to take that next step. All of the sports “gurus” will again pick the hometown favorite Patriots over the Ravens, but that’s what the Ravens thrive off of. The Ravens feel disrespected and they are playing the “underdog card” to the max. This team just beat the #1 seed in the AFC, a team that had won 11 in a row. Now they face the #2 seed and they are still 9.5 point underdogs? That doesn’t seem right, but keep disrespecting these “never say die” Ravens and see what happens.
Ray Lewis is the heart and soul of this team. He ‘wills’ his team to victory more so then any other player that I have ever seen play the game. He’s part preacher, part teacher, part warrior, and the best football player that I have ever seen. This Ravens team wants nothing more than to give Ray Lewis one last shot at a Super Bowl championship. Let’s hope and pray that we can see Ray Lewis play just TWO more times before he calls it a career!