After disposing the Pittsburgh Steelers (30-17) the Baltimore Ravens are off to New England. The tiff is nothing new for most, especially with the fact that the two teams have no love lost between them.
However, it seems that the Ravens are approaching it differently despite a storied history between the two rival clubs. But one thing's for sure, all eyes will be on Tom Brady of the Patriots and Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens.
While Flacco has been turning up the heat and is expected to take it to another level come the divisional playoffs, Brady is still given a slight edge between the two quarterbacks. And while both teams may be expected to fare equally on the defensive side, the offensive of the Ravens may be slightly favored.
With Flacco having better skilled players under his wing, players like Steve Smith Sr. and Justin Forsett are seen to be the better players when compared to the Patriots' LeGarette Blount and/or Jonas Gray.
Aside from drawing bye, the Patriots will be the hosts which somehow tilts the advantage in their favor. So having said that, the Ravens will need to do their homework and study New England carefully and put their personal grudges in check if they are to move past the Patriots.
What grudge? Well for one, it is a well-known fact that linebacker Terrel Slugs has had his forgettable past with Brady. And all this dates back to 2009 so expect a lot of trash talk that could occur once game time comes around.
"We all know the matchup the NFL wants to see. It's just something for the TV and the sponsors. We've got faith in ourselves and Ravens nation. We'll see if we can disrupt some people's plans " says Suggs during an interview with the Boston Herald.
The Ravens and the Patriots get it on this January 10, 2015 at 4:35 p.m. (EST) at the Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts. The game will be shown over NBC. You can also view the game online here.
