The season comes down to the Baltimore Ravens (8-7) having to beat the Bengals in Cincinnati on Sunday to have any chance of qualifying for the 6th seed wild-card spot in the playoffs— and even with that, they will need some help from either a Miami loss or a San Diego loss. Miami plays the dispirited Jets, and San Diego plays the Chiefs who have already clinched a playoff spot and are likely to rest their regulars— so good luck with that.
Actually, there is another far-fetched scenario where a bunch of teams lose their games and Baltimore could sneak into the dance with an 8-8 record…but it's so far out there I won't waste your valuable time with it.
The team gets the day off for Christmas so I'll wait until Thursday to seriously start previewing the Bengals game.
What has to be bothering John Harbaugh and his coaching staff right now is how physically beaten the Ravens were last Sunday by the Patriots. Pushed back on the point of attack on offense, manhandled on defense, the Ravens looked like they are getting worse and weaker as this season goes on. Their typical late-season push in physicality has fizzled. Something is missing, at least at this point going into the Bengals game.
It's one thing to lose a game where you have been out-finessed by your opponent. But contrary to what I expected, the Patriots didn't rely on finesse or scheme to beat the Ravens this time around. They just took it right to the Ravens and outplayed them physically.
At times it looked like the Ravens offensive line is just a patchwork mess. Knowing that Joe Flacco was in effect playing on one leg, Baltimore's O-Line had to step up, not just in pass-pro but also in carving out some kind of running game to get the pressure off Flacco.
Based on tape I saw from last Sunday, the Ravens' tackles (Monroe and Oher) will not be re-signed by the Ravens in 2014. These guys have regressed. They're not playing well.
Bill Belichick must have spotted something he knew he could exploit in the Ravens' defensive line, too. He switched down from a predominantly pass-oriented offense to a mostly running attack as the game went on.
Belichick knew what they had to do to beat the defending champion Ravens. They had to out-physical them.
“I know no one ever calls our team physical, but I think if you ask the guys that line up across from us, we’re never scared to get after it,” offensive lineman Logan Mankins said. “We want to run it. We want to hit you in pass protection. That’s just the way we play. We’re going to cut you, whatever it takes.”
If anyone was doubting it before Sunday’s game, they shouldn’t be now. The Patriots ran the ball 34 times and had 26 pass attempts, and it’s not often the pendulum swings so dramatically in that direction. In the previous four games, Brady had thrown the ball 50, 41, 52 and 55 times.
But the Patriots had success with some zone runs, stretching the Ravens’ defense, and running backs LeGarrette Blount and Stevan Ridley hit the cut with authority while the revamped offensive line with Mankins at left tackle and undrafted rookie Josh Kline of Kent State, making his first career start at left guard, paved the way.
The Patriots prioritized being stronger at the line of scrimmage by using more packages with multiple tight ends, or a tight end/fullback combination, compared to their three-receiver groupings. While they took some shots down the field in the passing game, they were more calculated and situational.
As for the defense, the undermanned unit that lost another key contributor when safety Devin McCourty likely sustained a concussion in the third quarter, also played physical, but the real key was getting back to its turnover-producing ways. Rookie cornerback Logan Ryan had two interceptions and also a fourth-down pass breakup as the Patriots took advantage of a less-than-100 percent Joe Flacco, who didn’t have his regular zip on passes due to a left knee that wouldn't let him plant to throw.
“We got the turnovers and that was the big thing for us,” said defensive end Rob Ninkovich, who also had a fourth-down stop. “We didn’t have the turnovers in the last three or four weeks. We knew Flacco wouldn’t be as mobile as he was in the past.”
And as for all the experts, well, the Patriots had earned the right to gloat a bit. Whether it was observers declaring the Patriots a finesse team or picking them to lose to the Ravens, players made it clear they are aware of public perception.
“The experts, I know, they always have all the answers,” Mankins said. “They really had them when they picked the winner of this game. When they don’t mention us as physical, I always say, ‘Go ask the guy that lines up across from me if we’re physical.’”
The answer was decisive from the Ravens, as linebacker Terrell Suggs already was trying to forget what had unfolded. “Burn the tape,” he said. “It’s not even worth looking at.”
The Ravens were embarrassed. They looked old, slow and sloppy. That's how you look when you are outplayed physically.
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