Fear the Ravens... nevermore!

All we have been hearing since Baltimore squeaked it's way into the playoffs with a ugly win against a terrible Cleveland Browns team was how they posed the biggest threat for the Patriots in the AFC. They have a strong front 4 who consistently puts pressure in the backfield, they have a super bowl winning quarterback, they know how to beat the Patriots in the postseason, blah blah blah.

All these analysts are calling for the demise of the winningest quarterback in postseason history because of a 1-2 record against a team since 2009. Ray Lewis is not walking through that door. Ed Reed will not be patrolling the secondary in his hall of fame chess match with Tom Brady. Yes they still have Terrell Suggs who will make it his mission to make Brady miserable but there is also something that we have that all these media outlets continue to ignore.

In 2009 when we lost to the Ravens, our most important offensive weapon did not play. He was sidelined after tearing his ACL in the final game of the regular season, which obviously deflated the team as they came out flat and just played ugly. In 2012 when the Ravens came to Foxboro and won the AFC en route to the Super Bowl, we again did not have our #1 guy in Rob Gronkowski, and our top defensive back got hurt 5 minutes into the game. When we beat them in 2011 to go to the Super Bowl, everyone says its because we got lucky that Cundiff missed an easy kick. They ignore the fact that by halftime Gronk had 8 catches for over 80 yards on the vaunted Ravens defense until a cheap shot by Patriot killer Bernard Pollard took out his ankle and found him on the bench the rest of the game, unable to move. This time, Gronk is at full health and performing like the freak that he is, Aqib Talib won't be hobbling on the sidelines after one hit like in 2012 because he has been replaced by the best cornerback in the NFL, Darelle Revis and they are on a mission.

This isn't the same touted defense that consistently led the league over the last decade, most of the big names are gone, and whats left of them are old. They have a top five run defense still, but they are the 23th ranked secondary in the NFL. And what do Bill Belichick and Tom Brady do better then any coach and quarterback duo ever... they exploit your weaknesses. You have a great run defense, they'll counter with an empty backfield and throw all over you to get you tired. Then once you switch to cover the pass thats when they run it down your throat.

Yes the Ravens are a good team, if they weren't they wouldn't be in the position they are right now. But they simply don't have the talent to match this Patriots offense that is entirely healthy and clicking unlike any other offense in the league right now. Not to mention Bill has his best defense since his back to back Super Bowl teams in the early 2000s. The media can continue to jump to the conclusion that what happened in the past means it's bound to happen again, but come 4:30 on Saturday when the teams take the field, all that talk will go out the window and the Patriots will be one step closer to their fourth Super Bowl ring... It's on to Baltimore!