AFC Championship: Why Baltimore Ravens will dominate New England Patriots – NFL Feature Part 2
Experience is one of the positives that favour the Baltimore Ravens for a win over the New England Patriots in the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game, this Sunday, January 22, 2012.
It is not the first time that the Ravens are playing the Patriots in New England. They already had been there before. Most significant to note is that they had come out as winners.
Unfortunately, that had been their only win in the one to six (1-6) record they hold against the Patriots.
Raven’s coach, John Harbaugh has already spoken of their experience of playing at New England. He has backed his side to bank on their past experience and aim for a must win this weekend.
Obviously, there is no alternative to the experience.
With the number of veterans in their side and an on-hand experience of the road game, the Ravens can make their task of reaching the Super Bowl event easier by staging a win over the Patriots.
Yet another point that highlights the Ravens' experience is their games against the teams of higher statures this season.
These teams include the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots.
The Ravens have beaten the Steelers twice in the regular season. They then overpowered the 49ers in their road game convincingly.
They have faced off one of the best offences and successfully defended many of the best quarterbacks.
Even New England Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady recognises this fact.
He, in his recent comments, has spoken highly of Ravens' defence and especially seemed wary of their veterans such as Lewis, Suggs and Reed. All of them are among the top rated defence players in the league.
Facing the attack of the Patriots will not be something of a surprise for them. As earlier noted that all of them have come up with their ambitions to live up to their reputation and meeting the challenge successfully.
Apparently, the Ravens are among the few sides that are less prone to injuries. None of their notable player are out due to any injury.
They managed to play their last game against the Houston Texans safely and securely.
It was only safety, Ed Reed, who had a little injury scare. The player had reported rolling over his ankle but luckily, the x-ray results were negative and he is expected to join the squad in the practice this week, definite for the weekend game.
Maintaining a healthy and fit squad had been a challenge for many sides in the league, this season.
Ravens have met this challenge successfully, so far, and it makes them the side with best players available at the right time.
Away from the injury worries, the Ravens are unlikely to be distracted in their focus on the Patriots’ game.
There have been no considerable reshuffling or hiring-firing on the side and the entire unit seemed well intact and co-ordinated throughout the season.
It is a yet another remarkable achievement by the side, amid the massive reshuffling being introduced to their ranks by other sides as a part of their rebuilding process.
Only thing that falls negative on the Ravens' chances is their weaker performance in road games as compared to their perfect record at home.
This tempts the league punters to project the odds slightly in favour of the Patriots.
They still remain far away from ruling out the Ravens' chances for a possible win, altogether.
Given the fact that the Ravens have been to New England before and won a game, their exposure in road games does not stand any credibility in front of positives that the side is going into the weekend game with.
By any standards, Baltimore Ravens stand a good chance to dominate the Patriots in the AFC championship game next weekend.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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